Evaluation of nanofluids for enhancing critical heat flux for in-vessel retention during sever reactor accidents

ABSTRACT

In-vessel retention (IVR) of a molten core through external cooling of the reactor vessel is a severe accident management strategy at nuclear power plants. The enhancement of critical heat flux (CHF) is one of the measures to improve the success probability of IVR. A nanofluid, in which nanoparticles are dispersed in a liquid, is known to reliably enhance CHF, mainly under pool boiling conditions. However, to apply nanofluids to IVR, it is necessary to clarify the effect of CHF enhancement under convection boiling similar to that in an actual IVR event. Therefore, CHF tests were conducted using a rectangular test section 50 mm wide × 50 mm deep × 600 mm long under conditions simulating severe accidents. From the CHF data obtained for various nanofluid parameters under typical severe accident conditions, each parameter’s effect on CHF enhancement was clarified. It was found that CHF was improved by 50% or more by a nanofluid as compared with deionized water. Furthermore, the CHF of nanofluid obtained in the tests simulating the actual severe accident conditions increased from 30% to 50% compared with that of deionized water, suggesting that CHF can be enhanced by nanofluids even in an actual plant.

KEYWORDS:

• In-vessel retention
• critical heat flux
• convective flow critical heat flux
• severe accident
• nanofluid
• wettability
• pressurized water reactor

Acknowledgements

This study was conducted with the cooperation of Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc., Shikoku Electric Power Co, Inc., Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., The Japan Atomic Power Company, and the Institute of Applied Energy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).