EDN: NPNCPQ
Authors & Affiliations
Bukreeva A.D., Grabezhnaya V.A.
A.I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia
Abstract
Grabezhnaya V.A. – Leading Researcher, Dr. Sci. (Tech.). Contacts: 1, pl. Bondarenko, Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249033. Tel.: +7 (484) 399-70-70 (add. 86-86); e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Bukreeva A.D. – Research Engineer.
Abstract
The concept for developing the nuclear power industry (GEN-IV) involves liquid-metal cooled fast neutron reactors as one of the promising areas. Nuclear power plant projects of both small and large capacity are being developed. The high energy parameters of the plant also require an increase in the parameters of the water circuit. In once through steam generators, under a certain operating parameters, self-sustaining fluctuations in the flow rate of the working fluid, the so-called hydrodynamic (or oscillatory) instability, can be observed. The negative role of dynamic instability lies in the appearance, under certain conditions, of relatively orderly and, as a rule, intense fluctuations of pressure, flow rate and vapor temperature, which can lead to a significant deviation of their actual values from the design parameters. It should be emphasized that dynamic instability (density wave oscillation) under low flow rates (rw < 1000 kg/(m2·s)) turns out to be one of the most significant factors leading to the occurrence of an early boiling crisis and, thus, sharply limiting the amount of heat flow removed from the wall. The article presents a review of experimental studies on instability of sodium heated once through steam generator tubes with superheating steam at the exit. However, hydrodynamic instability also has been occurred in steam generators at the BN-600 power unit with operating time of more than 50 thousand hours. Unfortunately, in the articles under consideration, except for the one of the SSC RF – IPPE, nothing is said about the influence of hydrodynamic instability on dryout of heat transfer in terms of changes in critical heat flow and the length of the transition boiling region.
Keywords
dynamic instability, steam generator, dryout, liquid metal, sodium, test model, water, steam, flow rate, pressure, heat flux, fluctuations of flow rate and pressure
Article Text (PDF, in Russian)
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Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2025, no. 3, 3:16
