Experimental investigation on bubble behaviors in a water pool using the venturi scrubbing nozzle

The containment filtered venting system (CFVS) filters the atmosphere of the containment building and discharges a part of it to the outside environment to prevent containment overpressure during severe accidents. The Korean CFVS has a tank that filters fission products from the containment atmosphere by pool scrubbing, which is the primary decontamination process; however, prediction of its performance has been done based on researches conducted under mild conditions than those of severe accidents. Bubble behavior in a pool is a key parameter of pool scrubbing. Therefore, the bubble behavior in the pool was analyzed under various injection flow rates observed at the venturi nozzles used in the Korean CFVS using a wire-mesh sensor. Based on the experimental results, void fraction model was modified using the existing correlation, and a new bubble size prediction model was developed. The modified void fraction model agreed well with the obtained experimental data. However, the newly developed bubble size prediction model showed different results to those established in previous studies because the venturi nozzle diameter considered in this study was larger than those in previous studies. Therefore, this is the first model that reflects actual design of a venturi scrubbing nozzle.