NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES, Volume. 48, Issue 3, 030607(2025)

Characteristics of heat transfer and pressure boosting in high-pressure water injecting into liquid lead-bismuth

Han HU... Gen LI* and Xiaowen LIANG |Show fewer author(s)
Author Affiliations
  • School of Electric Power Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
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    Background

    There is a large pressure difference and temperature difference on both sides of the heat transfer tube of the lead-bismuth reactor steam generator, and the lead-bismuth coolant has a corrosive effect on the heat transfer tube, there is a possibility of rupture in long-term operation.

    Purpose

    This study aims to reveal the mechanism of pressure pulse generation in the steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) of lead-bismuth reactor, obtain the dynamic distribution of lead-bismuth, water and vapor components, and the pressure and temperature fields.

    Methods

    Firstly, based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method, a numerical simulation was carried out on the process of high-pressure water jet injection into a high-temperature lead-bismuth molten pool by coupling the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model, the Realizable k-ε model, and the Lee phase change model. Then, high pressure water jet injection of liquid lead bismuth experiment was conducted on the basis of LIFUS 5 platform to verify simulation results.

    Results

    The results show that the simulated pressure and temperature changes are in good agreement with the experimental results, the main reason for the increase in pressure after high-pressure water injection is the large amount of vapor generated by depressurization and heating evaporation. The pressure peak detected at the position of x/d=1 on the axial centerline is the highest, which is 0.2 MPa, the farther away from the injection port, the smaller the detected pressure peak is, at x/d=20, no obvious pressure peak can be detected. During the vapor migration process, a K-H unstable vortex appeares at the interface between lead-bismuth and vapor, and the wake entrained and entrained part of the lead-bismuth, causing the vapor pockets to fragment into multiple vapor blocks.

    Conclusions

    The model proposed in this study has high reliability, and the research results can provide technical support for the safety design of lead-bismuth reactors.

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    Han HU, Gen LI, Xiaowen LIANG. Characteristics of heat transfer and pressure boosting in high-pressure water injecting into liquid lead-bismuth[J]. NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES, 2025, 48(3): 030607

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    Paper Information

    Category: NUCLEAR ENERGY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

    Received: Jan. 14, 2024

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: Apr. 15, 2025

    The Author Email: LI Gen (李根)

    DOI:10.11889/j.0253-3219.2025.hjs.48.230493

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