Prediction of BWR performance under the influence of Isolation Condenser-using RAMONA-4 code

Conference · Thu Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10122068

Khan, H J; Cheng, H S; Rohatgi, U S

The purpose of the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Isolation Condenser (IC) is to passively control the reactor pressure by removing heat from the system. This type of control is expected to reduce the frequency of opening and closing of the Safety Relief Valves (SRV). A comparative analysis is done for a BWR operating with and without the influence of an IC under Main Steam Isolation Valve (MSIV) closure. A regular BWR, with forced flow and high thermal power, has been considered for analysis. In addition, the effect of ICs on the BWR performance is studied for natural convection flow at lower power and modified riser geometry. The IC is coupled to the steam dome for the steam inlet flow and the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) near the feed water entrance for the condensate return flow. Transient calculations are performed using prescribed pressure set points for the SRVs and given time settings for MSIV closure. The effect of the IC on the forced flow is to reduce the rate of pressure rise and thereby decrease the cycling frequency ofthe SRVS. This is the primary objective of any operating IC in a BWR (e.g. Oyster Creek). The response of the reactor thermal and fission power, steam flow rate, collapsed liquid level, and core average void fraction are found to agree with the trend of pressure. The variations in the case of an active IC can be closely related to the creation of a time lag and changes in the cycling frequency of the SRVS. An analysis for natural convection flow in a BWR indicates that the effect of an IC on its transient performance is similar to that for the forced convection system. In this case, the MSIV closure, has resulted in a lower peak pressure due to the magnitude of reduced power. However, the effect of reduced cycling frequency of the SRV due to the IC, and the time lag between the events, are comparable to that for forced convection.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 10122068
• Report Number(s): BNL-NUREG--48415; CONF-930830--3; ON: DE93007271
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100
BWR TYPE REACTORS
FLUID FLOW
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRAULICS
ISOLATION CONDENSERS
PERFORMANCE
POWER REACTORS
NONBREEDING
LIGHT-WATER MODERATED
BOILING WATER COOLED
PRESSURE CONTROL
R CODES
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
STEAM
VALVES