New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs

Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Hu, Rui

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.011

Title: New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs

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Abstract

A new, highly efficient reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) with passive safety features without a requirement for electricity and mechanical drive is proposed for high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) and very high temperature reactors (VHTRs). The RCCS design consists of continuous closed regions; one is an ex-reactor pressure vessel (RPV) region and another is a cooling region having heat transfer area to ambient air assumed at 40 (°C). The RCCS uses a novel shape to efficiently remove the heat released from the RPV with radiation and natural convection. Employing the air as the working fluid and the ambient air as the ultimate heat sink, the new RCCS design strongly reduces the possibility of losing the heat sink for decay heat removal. Therefore, HTGRs and VHTRs adopting the new RCCS design can avoid core melting due to overheating the fuels. The simulation results from a commercial CFD code, STAR-CCM+, show that the temperature distribution of the RCCS is within the temperature limits of the structures, such as the maximum operating temperature of the RPV, 713.15 (K) = 440 (°C), and the heat released from the RPV could be removed safely, even during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Finally, whenmore »« less

Authors:

Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi ^[1]; Hu, Rui ^[2]

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Oarai-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun (Japan)
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Publication Date:: Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2014

Research Org.:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1429362

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1247578

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford); Journal Volume: 77; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0306-4549

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; RCCS; Passive safety; HTGR; VHTR; RPV; core meltdown; LOCA

Citation Formats


                    Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi, and Hu, Rui. New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs.  United States: N. p., 2014. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.011.

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                    Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi, & Hu, Rui. New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.011

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                    Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi, and Hu, Rui. Thu .  
"New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.011.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1429362.

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@article{osti_1429362,

  title        = {New reactor cavity cooling system having passive safety features using novel shape for HTGRs and VHTRs},

  author       = {Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi and Hu, Rui},

  abstractNote = {A new, highly efficient reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) with passive safety features without a requirement for electricity and mechanical drive is proposed for high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) and very high temperature reactors (VHTRs). The RCCS design consists of continuous closed regions; one is an ex-reactor pressure vessel (RPV) region and another is a cooling region having heat transfer area to ambient air assumed at 40 (°C). The RCCS uses a novel shape to efficiently remove the heat released from the RPV with radiation and natural convection. Employing the air as the working fluid and the ambient air as the ultimate heat sink, the new RCCS design strongly reduces the possibility of losing the heat sink for decay heat removal. Therefore, HTGRs and VHTRs adopting the new RCCS design can avoid core melting due to overheating the fuels. The simulation results from a commercial CFD code, STAR-CCM+, show that the temperature distribution of the RCCS is within the temperature limits of the structures, such as the maximum operating temperature of the RPV, 713.15 (K) = 440 (°C), and the heat released from the RPV could be removed safely, even during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Finally, when the RCCS can remove 600 (kW) of the rated nominal state even during LOCA, the safety review for building the HTTR could confirm that the temperature distribution of the HTTR is within the temperature limits of the structures to secure structures and fuels after the shutdown because the large heat capacity of the graphite core can absorb heat from the fuel in a short period. Therefore, the capacity of the new RCCS design would be sufficient for decay heat removal.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.011},

  journal      = {Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 77,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2014},

  month        = {Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2014}

}

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