Lower plenum holes for research reactor core flooding

Abstract

Modern and high power pool type research reactors generally operate with upward flow in the core. They have a chimney above the core, where the heated fluid is suctioned by the pumps. It passes through the decay tank and is sent to the heat exchangers for the cooling and returns to the core. The pipes inside the reactor pool have passive valves (natural circulation valves) that allow the establishment of natural circulation between the core and the pool for the decay heat removal, when the pumps are inoperative. These valves also have the siphon-breaker function in case of Loss of Coolant Accidents (LOCA), avoiding the pool emptying. In some reactors, these valves are located above the core chimney to facilitate the maintenance. When a LOCA causes a water level below these valves, they loose the natural circulation function. If the water level is the same of the chimney top, the available fluid for the core cooling is only that contained in the chimney and core, and a significant quantity of water in the pool is unavailable for core cooling. To bypass this problem during the reactor design phase, the inclusion of small holes of 10 mm of diameter on the lower plenum lateral side is proposed. These holes will allow a flow path between the pool and the core. Theoretical calculations were performed and analyzed for different drilling configurations: 4, 6 8, and 10 holes. A theoretical analysis of the estimated leakage rate during normal operation and evaporation and replacement rates during a hypothetical LOCA were performed. The calculation results showed that the four configurations analyzed are able to supply the water evaporated from chimney. An experiment is being proposed to validate the theoretical calculations and the considered hypotheses.