• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.636-643
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• 2024

The coolability of the debris bed with a simulant of solidified corium is experimentally studied, focusing on the effects of the structure of the axial stratified debris bed on the dryout heat flux (DHF). DHF was obtained for the four structures with different particle sizes for the axial stratified debris bed under top flooding. The experimental results show that the dryout position of the axial stratified debris bed is formed at the stratified interface indicated by the temperature rise, and the DHF of the axial stratified bed is much lower than that of the homogeneous bed packed with the upper small particles. To predict the dryout heat flux of the stratified debris beds, by considering the properties of the mixed area, a one-dimensional dryout heat flux model of the porous medium is derived from a water and vapor momentum equation for porous medium, two-phase permeability modifications, interfacial drag, and the correlation between capillary pressure and liquid saturation and verified with the experimental data. The modified model can give reasonable results under different structures.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 2010

In the design of advanced light water reactors (ALWRs) and in the safety assessment of currently operating nuclear power plants, it is necessary to evaluate the possibility of experiencing a degraded core accident and to develop innovative safety technologies in order to assure long-term debris cooling. The objective of this experimental study is to investigate the enhancement factors of dryout heat flux in debris beds by coolant injection from below. The experimental facility consists mainly of an induction heater, a double-wall quartz-tube test section containing a steel-particle bed and coolant injection and recovery condensing loop. A fairly uniform heating of the particle bed was achieved in the radial direction and the axial variation was within 20%. This paper reports the experimental data for 3.2 mm and 4.8 mm particle beds with a 300 mm bed height. The dryout heat density data were obtained for both the top-flooding and the forced coolant injection from below with an injection mass flux of up to $1.5\;kg/m^2s$. The dryout heat density increased as the rate of coolant injection increased. At a coolant injection mass flux of $1.0\;kg/m^2s$, the dryout heat density was ${\sim}6.5\;MW/m^3$ for the 4.8 mm particle bed and ${\sim}5.6\;MW/m^3$ for the 3.2 mm particle bed. The enhancement factors of the dryout heat density were 1.6-1.8.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.407-415
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• 2015

A developing post-dryout region is characterized by significant heat transfer enhancements compared with the fully developed post-dryout region. The heat transfer enhancements are mainly due to upstream disturbance and entrained droplets in the region immediately downstream of the critical heat flux location. In this paper, an improved heat transfer correlation is developed for the developing post-dryout regions in vertical tubes over a wide range of flow conditions. The correlation represents a correction factor for the fully developed film-boiling look-up table to be applied to the developing post-dryout region. The new correlation significantly improves the heat transfer prediction in the developing post-dryout regions and provides very good agreement with the experimental data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 1988

The purpose of this work is to obtain the experimental data for the forced How dryout heat flux in a heat generating stratified debris bed which simulates the degraded nuclear reactor core after severe accident. The present observations were mainly focused on the effect of coolant mass flux on the dryout heat flux in the stratified debris bed which consists of several layers with selected particle sizes under constant bed depth and temperature of inlet coolant flow conditions. The following results were obtained from this experimental work: (1) The dryout heat flux in the stratified debris bed increases with increase of upward forcing mass flux of coolant. The similar trend of increase rate of dryout heat flux in the stratified bed was observed in the uniform particle size bed. (2) For the comparison of theoretical values and experimental data, the use of surface area mean diameter as a particle diameter was suitable for the calculation of dryout heat flux.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.273-280
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• 1986

The purpose of this study is to obtain the experimental data of the forced flow dryout heat flux in a heat generating debris bed which simulates the degraded nuclear reactor core after severe accident. An experimental investigation has been conducted of dryout heat flux in an inductively heated bed of steel particles with upward forced flow rising coolant circulation system under atmospheric pressure. The present observations were mainly focused on the effects of coolant mass flux, particle size, bed height, and coolant subcooling on the dryout heat flux The data were obtained when carbon steel particles in the size distribution 1.5, 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 mm were placed in a 55 mm ID Pyrex glass column and inductively heated by passing radio frequency current through a multiturn work coil encircling the column. Distilled water was supplied with variation of mass flux from 0 to 3.5 kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ s as a coolant in the tests, while the bed height was selected as 55 mm and 110 mm. Inlet temperature of coolant varied by 2$0^{\circ}C$ and 8$0^{\circ}C$. The principal results of the tests are: (1) Dryout heat flux increases with increase of upward forcing mass flux and particle size; (2) The dryout heat flux at the zero mass flux obviously depends on the Particle size as Previous studies; (3) The forced flow dryout heat flux in the shallow bed is somewhat higher than that in the deep bed,

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1540-1549
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• 2002

Experimental results are presented for the effects of coil diameter, system pressure and mass flux on dryout pattern of two-phase flow in helically coiled tubes. Two tubes with coil diameters of 215 and 485 mm are used in the present study, Inlet system pressures range from 0.3 to 0.7 MPa, mass flux from 300 to 500 kg/㎡s, and heat flux from 36 to 80 kw/㎡. A partial dryout region exists because of the geometrical characteristics of the helically coiled tube. The length of the partial dryout region increases with coil diameter and system pressure. On the other hand, it decreases with increasing mass flux. The critical quality at the tube top side increases with mass flux, but decreases with increasing system pressure. This tendency is more notable when the coil diameter is larger. When the centrifugal force effect becomes stronger, dryout starts at the top and bottom sides of the tube. However, when the gravity effect becomes stronger, dryout is delayed at the tube bottom side. In some cases when the mass flux is low, dryout occurs earlier at the outer side than at the inner side of the tube because of film inversion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.387-396
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• 2008

Many experimental analyses for annular film dryouts, which is one of the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) mechanisms, have been performed because of their importance. Numerical approaches must also be developed in order to assess the results from experiments and to perform pre-tests before experiments. Various thermal-hydraulic codes, such as RELAP, COBRATF, MARS, etc., have been used in the assessment of the results of dryout experiments and in experimental pre-tests. These thermal-hydraulic codes are general tools intended for the analysis of various phenomena that could appear in nuclear power plants, and many models applying these codes are unnecessarily complex for the focused analysis of dryout phenomena alone. In this study, a numerical model was developed for annular film dryout using the drift-flux model from uniform heated tube geometry. Several candidates of models that strongly affect dryout, such as the entrainment model, deposition model, and the criterion for the dryout point model, were tested as candidates for inclusion in an optimized annular film dryout model. The optimized model was developed by adopting the best combination of these candidate models, as determined through comparison with experimental data. This optimized model showed reasonable results, which were better than those of MARS code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.565-574
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• 2005

The CANFLEX Mk-V bundle is designed to improve upon the critical heat flux (CHF) characteristics of the CANFLEX Mk-IV bundle. The main difference between these two bundles is an increase in bearing pad height of about 0.3 mm in the CANFLEX Mk-IV bundle. This change in bearing pad height leads to an increase in gap flow at the bottom of the bundle, primarily eliminating the localized narrow-gap effect that limits the CHF of the CANFLEX Mk-IV bundle. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of bearing pad height and pressure tube creep on the sheath-temperature distribution, dryout power, and dryout location, as observed ken full-scale bundle tests, between CANFLEX Mk-IV and Mk-V bundles In uncrept and crept channels. A comparison of surface-temperature differences between the top and bottom elements of the bundles showed that increasing the bearing pad height has led to a more homogeneous enthalpy distribution in subchannels of the bundle. Initial dryout locations of the CANFLEX Mk-V bundle were mainly observed at the mid-spacer plane of either the $10^{th}$ (about $80\%$) or $11^{th}$ ($20\%$) bundle in the 12-bundle string, as compared to the mid-spacer and downstream-button planes for the CANFLEX Mk-IV bundle. Dryout power and boiling-length-average (BLA) CHF values exhibit consistent trends and little scatter with varying flow conditions for both types of CANFLEX bundles in uncrept and crept channels. An increase in pressure tube creep has led to a reduction in dryout power (about $20\%$ far the $3.3\%$ crept channel and $27\%$ for the $5.1\%$ crept channel as compared to dryout powers for the uncrept channel). Increasing the bearing pad height of the CANFLEX bundle has led to an increase in the dryout power. Overall, the dryout power of the CANFLEX Mk-V bundle is 7 to $10\%$ higher than that of the CANFLEX Mk-IV bundle at the inlet temperature range of interest (i.e., between 243 and $290^{\circ}C$).

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.528-533
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• 1997

A CANFLEX(CANdu FLEXible fuelling) 43-element bundle has developed for a CANDU-6 reactor as an alternative of 37-element fuel bundle. The design has two diameter elements (11.5 and 13.5㎜) to reduce maximum element power rating and buttons to enhance the critical heat flux(CHF), compared with the standard 37-element bundle. The freon CHF experiments have performed for two series of CANFLEX bundles with and without buttons with a modelling fluid as refrigerant H-l34a and axial uniform heat flux condition. Evaluating the effects of buttons of CANFLEX bundle on CHF and Critical Channel Power(CCP) with the experimental results, it is shown that the buttons enhance CCP as well as CHF. All the CHF's for both the CANFLEX bundles are occurred at the end of fuel channel with the high dryout quality conditions. The CHF enhancement ratio are increased with increase of dryout quality for all flow conditions and also with increase of mass flux only lot high pressure conditions. It indicates that the button is a useful design lot CANDU operating condition because most CHF flow conditions for CANDU fuel bundle are ranged to high dryout quality conditions.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.921-930
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• 2001

A new theoretical critical heat flux (CHF) model was developed for the forced convective flow boiling at high pressure, high mass velocity, and low quality. The present model for an intermittent vapor blanket was basically derived from the sublayer dryout theory without including any empirical constant. The vapor blanket velocity was estimated by an axial force balance, and the thickness of vapor blanket was determined by a radial force balance for the Marangoni force and lift force. Based on the comparison of the predicted CHF with the experimental data taken from previous studies, the present CHF model showed satisfactory results with reasonable accuracy.