Professional Documents
Culture Documents
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
The coolant which passes through the nuclear reactors is used to transport the reactor heat either to a boiler where steam is raised to run a conventional turbine or it is used as a thermodynamic heat engine fluid and passes directly into the turbine and back to the reactor. Pressurized water, organic liquids, sodium, and most gas cooled nuclear power plants employ an intermediate steam boiler. Boiling water and some gas cool reactors use the coolant directly in the turbine. Regardless of the method used, coolants should ideally have the following properties: Low melting point High boiling point Non-corrosive properties Low neutron absorption cross section High moderating ratio (for thermal reactors) Radiation stability Thermal stability Low induced radioactivity No reaction with turbine working fluid High heat transport and transfer coefficient Low pumping power No single coolant has all of these properties, and as a result a number of different coolants have been used in nuclear reactors. Each coolant with its own particular advantages for certain type of reactors. Among these coolants are light and heavy water (both pressurized and boiling), organic liquids, sodium, sodium potassium mixtures, fused salts, and a number of gases - air, carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen and steam.
1 of 6
10-03-2012 11:08
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
Click HERE for an animated view of a PWR (809k). The first pressurized water reactor, the Mark I prototype for the Nautilus submarine, began operation in May 1953 at the National Reactor Testing Center in Idaho. Since that time the development of pressurized reactors for military and civilian purposes has been intensively pursued specially in the United States. By definition, in a pressurized water reactor the fission heat is removed from the fluid elements by the water coolant without bulk boiling occurring. This implies a two circuit heat transfer system - a primary loop containing the reactor and one side of steam generator containing a steam side of the steam generator and the turbine generator. The extensive use of water as a reactor coolant is related to the relatively low pressure drops accompanying flow at significant rates, and the relatively high heat transfer coefficients. Figure shows the relationship of heat flux to the temperature difference between the fuel element surface and the water. The nucleate boiling stage is attractive for reactor operation, because of the favorable heat fluxes that can be obtained. However, as the temperature difference increases to the point where bulk boiling and film boiling occurs, there is a drop in heat flux and the danger that the fuel element surface temperature will rise above their melting point (burn out).
2 of 6
10-03-2012 11:08
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
Fuel reprocessing a difficult task Rector must be shut down to unload and reload core Water would flash to steam in case of rupture of primary loop Water reacts with uranium, thorium, and structural metals under certain conditions Low thermal heads make heat exchanger, pumps and piping large Hot-channel factors are significant
Click HERE for an animated view of a BWR (827k). Although reactors using boiling heat transfer had been considered during the World War II Manhattan project in the United States, it was generally believed at that time such reactors would be unstable in operation. During the planning of the water cooled submarine reactors in 1947, the stability question was still unresolved and high pressure non-boiling reactors were chosen for the submarine program. The first test of basic heat transfer phenomenon was made at Argonne National Lab in 1952.
3 of 6
10-03-2012 11:08
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
pressurized water reactor Power excursion quickly damped by formation of steam Overall thermal efficiency quite high Water is cheap Core is compact if void coefficient is low Negative temperature coefficient Ordinary leakage can be tolerated Fission products are contained, not circulated Radioactivity of coolant is short-lived if kept pure Conversion ratio may be high Heat may be taken from circulating water increasing power output
System must be designed to overcome tendency to react negatively to load increases Fuel must be at least slightly enriched Fuel handling necessitates complex equipments Reactor must be shut down to unload and reload core Water flashes to steam in case of rupture of primary system Condenser leak may cause serious trouble
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
never became popular are: a general unfamiliarity with organic heat transfer agents; the poorer heat transfer properties of organics compared to water; and, particularly, the sensitivity of organics to radiation.
DIPHENYL REACTOR
ADVANTAGES: Boiling point of diphenyl is very high Extremely good moderator Fission products are contained, not circulated Negative temperature coefficients Coolant would not vaporize to any great extent in case of rupture of primary loop Coolant doesn't become radioactive Ordinary leakage can be tolerated Corrosion of metal surface is negligible DISADVANTAGES: High temperatures tend to polymerized diphenyl Decomposition products of diphenyl may be deposited on fuel elements and other heat transfer surfaces Fuel suffers radiation damage Fuel reprocessing a difficult task Heat transfer not so efficient as in water system Hydrogen gas is produced
5 of 6
10-03-2012 11:08
http://clonemaster.homestead.com/files/coolants.htm
to argue that these gas cooled reactors are any more or less economic or reliable than the water, organic and sodium cooled reactors.
6 of 6
10-03-2012 11:08