DEVELOPMENT OF HYDRAULIC BALL (HY-BALL) CONTROL SYSTEM. Quarterly Progress Report No. 2, October-December 1962

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1963

OSTI ID:4741428

Weems, S J; Turner, S E; Lyerly, R L; Taylor, Jr, R W

A preliminary design of a boiling-water reactor using conventional zircaloy-clad UO/sub 2/ rods as fuel and controlled by hydraulic ball (Hy-Ball) columns was established. Mechanical design studies indicated that the control lines should be connected to the Hy-Ball column storage hopper (outlet) rather than the inlet. This piping arrangement holds the Hy-Balls in the core during either a reactor vessel loss-of-pressure accident or a reactor pressure surge. A thermal design study was initiated and parameters developed to study the effects of steam formation on Hy-Ball system operation. Results indicated that the major effect of steaming is to cause the columns to be lifted at a slower rate than is the case without steaming. Operation and scram tests were run on the five-pass system using 1/2-in. diameter balls in 9/16-in. ID tubing. Performance was demonstrated to be satisfactory, but some of the balls would not return to the in- core position because of friction in the turn-around section at the bottom of the U'' tube legs and voids in the system accumulated into elongated bubbles in the down-flow passes and caused some oscillation of the balls in the hoppers. Tests with the cold loop on the parallel-stepped system demonstrated satisfactory operation. Cold-loop operation and scram tests demonstrated satisfactory operation of the 1/2-in. balls in 9/16-in. ID columns without any significant vibration. The reference design of the hot-test loop was completed. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: General Nuclear Engineering Corp., Dunedin, Fla.
• NSA Number: NSA-17-017412
• OSTI ID: 4741428
• Report Number(s): GNEC-264; EURAEC-533
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
ACCIDENTS
BOILING
CONTROL SYSTEMS
FRICTION
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HYDRAULICS
LIQUID FLOW
LOSSES
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MOTION
OPERATION
OSCILLATIONS
PERFORMANCE
PIPES
PLANNING
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
PRESSURE VESSELS
PRODUCTION
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
SPHERES
STEAM
STORAGE
TESTING
THERMODYNAMICS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VARIATIONS
WATER COOLANT
ZIRCALOY