Nuclear Reactor Coolant Channels
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PATENT SPECIFICATION (11) 1502 427 (21) (22) Filed 3 June 1974 (23) rt (44) (51) w (52) G6C QFUVUXA (72) Inventor ROBERT VICTOR MACBETH (54) NUCLEAR REACTOR COOLANT CHANNELS (71) We, UNITED KINGDOM ATOMIC nuclear fuel rods may be arranged in a ENERGY AUTHORITY, LONDON, a British bundle or group shrouded along its long- Authority, do hereby declare the invention, itudinal sides by a pressure tube or wrap- for which we pray that a patent may be per or shroud forming the nuclear reactor 5 granted to us, and the method by which it coolant channel employing a two phase 50 is to be performed, to be particularly de- liquid, such as light or heavy water, as scribed in and by the following coolant, One or more of the lattice posi- statement:— tions other than those in the outer row This invention relates to nuclear reactor may be occupied by an auxiliary coolant 10 coolant channels for certain types of nu- tube designed to inject coolant into the 55 clear reactors, wherein a plurality of elong- channel generally transverse of the main ated heat emitting members are supported coolant flow direction. Preferably the lat- within a channel through which a heat re- tice positions are in concentric annular ceiving liquid passes and as a result under- rows about a central lattice position oc- 15 goes boiling. Boiling in this context in- cupied by a central auxiliary cooling pipe. 60 cludes sub-cooled boiling, such as is al- The actual number of lattice positions in lowed in pressurised water cooled nuclear the inner rows may be an even number or reactors, as well as bulk boiling as occurs an odd number but preferably there is an in both boiling water nuclear reactors and odd number in every row, for example 20 in steam generating nuclear reactors. The, there may be 21 rods in the outer row, 15 65 invention aims to improve heat transfer be- lattice positions in an intermediate row and tween the heat emitting members and the 9 lattice positions in an inner row. A still fluid. further inner row of 3 lattice positions may According to the invention there is be provided. A single auxiliary coolant 25 provided a nuclear reactor coolant channel pipe may be located on the channel axis. 70 in which a liquid coolant flows and under- Any one or more lattice positions in the goes boiling, the channel having a channel intermediate rows may be occupied by an wall extending about a vertical axis, an auxiliary cooling tube or so called sparge inlet for liquid at the lower end and an pipe. It is considered expedient to follow 30 outlet for two phase liquid/vapour at the the practice to so space the rods that the 75 upper end, a plurality of similar nuclear minimum distance between the outer surface reactor fuel rods supported in the channel of the rods in the outermost row and the parallel to one another and to the channel inner surface of the channel wall is mar- axis in more than two annular rows and ginally less than the minimum distance be- 35 positioned by axially spaced grids, the fuel tween the outer surfaces of adjacent fuel 80 rod portions between the grids defining rods. Contributory to the gaining of ad- unobstructed passageways axially and vantages of the invention there may be transverse said axis, the said grids provided nuclear fuel rod support structure positioning an odd number of fuel rods in affording a plurality of lattice points in 40 the row of rods adjacent to the channel concentric rows, the structure being such 85 wall and in spaced relation to the channel that an odd number of lattice points occur wall. It is considered that the odd number in the outermost row, the remaining lattice of members in the outer row will avoid the points being distributed substantially evenly onset of a flow pattern in the coolant within the space bounded by said outer 45 which appears to limit the heat flux. The row. A variety of sequences in the num- 90 2 1502427 2 bers of lattice points in consecutive cir- used for demonstrating one non-binding hy- cular, or polygonal, rows are proposed e.g. pothesis which may explain the ad- a sequence of six: 27, 21; 15; 9; 3; gives vantageous operation of the invention. lattice points where every row is odd; a In both Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the 5 sequence of five: 25; 20; 15; 10; 5; where drawing the reference 1 indicates a cylin- 70 alternate rows are odd or an irregular drical wall of a coolant channel 2 which is sequence 19; 16; 7. Other sequences are open ended and defines a forced con- possible within the rule that at least the vection flowpath for coolant. Within the outer row has an odd number of lattice channel of Fig. 1 are supported at the lat- 10 points and these occupied by heat emitting tice positions indicated 36 heat emitting 75 rods. In the above sequences there may be rods 3 and within the channel of Figure 2, a central lattice position occupied by an 30 similar rods 3. The rods 3 are sup- auxiliary cooling tube. ported in parallel spaced apart positions as The wrapper or shroud need not be con- shown. Those in Figure 1 are arranged 15 tinuous. A number of such fuel rod bund- about a central pipe 4 to give flow sym- 80 les with shrouds make up a nuclear reactor metry with an even number of rods 3 in core. the outer row 5 adjacent the channel wall The invention and several embodiments 1. In Fig. 2 the rods are arranged so that thereof as applied to heat exchanger or nu- flow symmetry is discouraged and this is 20 clear fuel assemblies will now be described done by spacing an odd number of rods in 85 with reference to the accompanying draw- the outer row 5. The ends of each channel ings in which 2 were separately connected into a circuit Figure 1 shows in diagrammatic plan through which Freon (RTM) was pumped. view the relative lattice positions for a The rods, which were electrical conductors, 25 cluster of 36 heat emitting rods arranged in were heated by electrical resistance heating 90 accordance with the prior art and bounded and an inlet sub-cooling of 23.26 Joules by a cylindrical channel wall; per gram of the Freon was permitted. The Figure 2 shows a view similar to Figure dry out power of the rods was measured 1 showing lattice positions for a cluster of and plotted against mass flow rate (kg/sec) 30 30 heat emitting rods arranged in accord- of Freon as abscissa and it was found that 95 ance with the invention, the rods being dis- the arrangement of Fig. 1 gave a con- posed in concentric rows with an annular sistently lower dry out power than rods outer row of 15 rods adjacent the cylin- arranged as shown in Fig. 2. To visually drical channel wall; determine the effects of the two arrange- 35 Figure 3 shows a graph illustrating some ments on the flow pattern of coolant in JQO comparative trials to assess dryout when forced convection two phase flow, a further the rods arranged at lattice positions as in investigation was made using a coolant Figure 1 and Figure 2 are cooled by forced channel having a transparent panel for vi- convection cooling; sual inspection. The overall channel was 40 Figures 4 and 5 are tracings made from necessarily smaller diameter due to the 105 photographs taken through a transparent pressure involved and contained a single window in a coolant channel wall to show annular row of heat-emitting rods in Freon. in Figure 4 the flow conditions set up with Figure 4 shows the bubble pattern which an outer annular row containing an even was photographed through the transparent 45 number of rods and in Figure 5 the flow panel in the channel wall containing the 110 conditions set up with an outer annular even numbered row and shows a spiral row containing an odd number of rods; bubble pattern with large floppy vapour Figure 6 shows diagrammatically an end bubbles. Figure 5 is the corresponding view view of a cluster of a nuclear fuel rods with an odd number of rods in the annular 50 within a pressure tube for a nuclear re- row adjacent the channel wall. A stiff flow 115 actor of the steam generating, heavy water of uniformly sized bubbles is observed. moderated type, the rods being based on Apart from the difference in the number of the lattice configuration show in Figure 2; rods in the row adjacent the channel wall, Figure 7 shows diagrammatically an end every attempt was made to maintain iden- 55 view of two adjacent channel walls bound- tical conditions during each of these in- 120 ing flow channels containing lattice points vestigations. in polygonal rows suitable for use in a so Those familiar with the art will already called boiling or pressurised water nuclear be aware of the validity of Freon model- reactor; ling for obtaining, via empirical scaling 60 Figure 8 shows diagrammatically an end laws, heat transfer data applicable to for- 125 view of a channel wall bounding a flow ced convection two phase flow. Con- channel containing 48 uniformly distributed firmation of this is to be found in ASME lattice points in concentric rows, each row Publication 70-HT-20 which contains a containing an odd number of lattice points; paper "The Use of Freon 12 to model con- 65 Figures 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d are diagrams vection burn out in Water" (G.