Water-hammer in the cold leg during an SBLOCA due to cold ECCS injection
Water-hammer might occur in the cold leg of pressurized water reactors (PWR) during small break loss-of-coolant accidents (SBLOCA's), when cold emergency core cooling system (ECCS) water is injected into a pipe that may be partially filled with saturated steam. The water may mix with the steam and cause it to condense abruptly. Depending on the flow regime present, slugs of liquid may then be accelerated towards each other or against the piping structure. The possibility of this phenomenon is of concern to us because it may become a dominant phenomenon and change the character of the transient. In performing the code scaling, applicability, and uncertainty study (CSAU) on a SBLOCA scenario, we had to examine the possibility that the transient being analyzed could experience water-hammer and thus depart from the scope of the study. Two criteria for water-hammer initiation were investigated and tested using a RELAP5/MOD3 simulation of the transient. Our results indicated a very low likelihood of occurrence of the phenomenon. 8 refs., 6 figs.
- Research Organization:
- EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USNRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- OSTI ID:
- 6086588
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-M-91216; CONF-911213-17; ON: DE92003321
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) annual winter meeting, Atlanta, GA (United States), 1-6 Dec 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
LOSS OF COOLANT
WATER HAMMER
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
PROBABILITY
ECCS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRAULICS
R CODES
REACTOR SAFETY
VOID FRACTION
ACCIDENTS
COMPUTER CODES
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FLUID MECHANICS
MECHANICS
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR PROTECTION SYSTEMS
REACTORS
SAFETY
SIMULATION
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled