Title: Experimental investigation of flow-induced vibration in PFBR steam generator sector model

Authors: M. Thirumalai, V. Prakash, R. Srinivasan, C. Anand Babu, R. Prabhakar, G. Vaidyanathan

Addresses: Condition Monitoring Section (CMS), Fast Reactor Technology Group (FRTG), Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is under construction at Kalpakkam. It is a liquid metal sodium-cooled pool-type fast reactor with all primary components located inside a sodium pool. Fission heat is transferred to a secondary sodium system in an intermediate heat exchanger, which is in turn transferred to water in a Steam Generator (SG). The PFBR-SG is a vertical shell and tube-type heat exchanger with sodium in its shell side and water in the tube side. Flow-Induced Vibration (FIV) experiments were carried out in a water test loop on a 60-degree sector model to validate the design and also to qualify the component for plant operation.

Keywords: prototype fast breeder reactors; PFBR; flow-induced vibrations; FIV; vortex shedding; fluid elastic instability; steam generators; modal analysis; natural frequencies; probability density function; PDF; power spectral density; PSD; nuclear reactors; nuclear energy; nuclear power; heat exchangers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2007.012443

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2007 Vol.3 No.1, pp.88 - 108

Published online: 13 Feb 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article