An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements

Tzanos, C P; Tessier, J H; Pedersen, D R

Title: An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements

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Abstract

One of the main safety features of the current liquid-metal reactor (LMR) designs is the utilization of decay heat removal systems that remove heat by natural convection. In the reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system (RVACS), decay heat is removed by naturally circulating air in the gap between the guard vessel and a baffle wall surrounding the guard vessel. The objective of this work was to determine the impact of a number of design parameters on the performance of the RVACS of a pool LMR. These parameters were (a) the stack height, (b) the size of the airflow gap, (c) the system pressure loss, (d) fins on the guard vessel or the baffle wall, and (e) roughness (in the form of repeated ribs) on the airflow channel walls. Reactor designs ranging from 400 to 3,500 MW(thermal) were considered. From the RVACS design parameters considered in this analysis, an optimized ribbed configuration gave the best improvement in RVACS performance. For a 3,500-MW(thermal) LMR, the peak sodium and cladding temperatures were reduced by 52 K.

Authors:

Tzanos, C P; Tessier, J H; Pedersen, D R ^[1]

Argonne National Laboratory, IL (USA)

Publication Date:: Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI Identifier:: 5478071

Report Number(s):: CONF-891103-
Journal ID: ISSN 0003-018X; CODEN: TANSA

Resource Type:: Conference

Journal Name:: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 60; Conference: Winter meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and nuclear power and technology exhibit, San Francisco, CA (United States), 26-30 Nov 1989; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-018X

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; AFTER-HEAT REMOVAL; NATURAL CONVECTION; LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS; BAFFLES; DESIGN; ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS; OPTIMIZATION; PERFORMANCE; PLANNING; REACTOR OPERATION; REACTOR VESSELS; RHR SYSTEMS; ROUGHNESS; S CODES; SCRAM; SODIUM; TRANSIENTS; ALKALI METALS; COMPUTER CODES; CONTAINERS; CONTROL EQUIPMENT; CONVECTION; COOLING SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS; ENERGY SYSTEMS; ENERGY TRANSFER; EQUIPMENT; FLOW REGULATORS; HEAT TRANSFER; MASS TRANSFER; METALS; OPERATION; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS; REACTOR SHUTDOWN; REACTORS; REMOVAL; SHUTDOWN; SURFACE PROPERTIES; 220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety; 210500 - Power Reactors, Breeding

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                    Tzanos, C P, Tessier, J H, and Pedersen, D R. An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements.  United States: N. p., 1989. 
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                    Tzanos, C P, Tessier, J H, & Pedersen, D R. An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements.  United States.

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                    Tzanos, C P, Tessier, J H, and Pedersen, D R. 1989.  
        "An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements".  United States.

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@article{osti_5478071,

  title        = {An investigation of RVACS (reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system) design improvements},

  author       = {Tzanos, C P and Tessier, J H and Pedersen, D R},

  abstractNote = {One of the main safety features of the current liquid-metal reactor (LMR) designs is the utilization of decay heat removal systems that remove heat by natural convection. In the reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system (RVACS), decay heat is removed by naturally circulating air in the gap between the guard vessel and a baffle wall surrounding the guard vessel. The objective of this work was to determine the impact of a number of design parameters on the performance of the RVACS of a pool LMR. These parameters were (a) the stack height, (b) the size of the airflow gap, (c) the system pressure loss, (d) fins on the guard vessel or the baffle wall, and (e) roughness (in the form of repeated ribs) on the airflow channel walls. Reactor designs ranging from 400 to 3,500 MW(thermal) were considered. From the RVACS design parameters considered in this analysis, an optimized ribbed configuration gave the best improvement in RVACS performance. For a 3,500-MW(thermal) LMR, the peak sodium and cladding temperatures were reduced by 52 K.},

  doi          = {},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5478071},
  journal      = {Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)},

  issn         = {0003-018X},

  number       = ,

  volume       = 60,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989},

  month        = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989}

}

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