Title: Development of one-dimensional computer code DESOPT for thermal hydraulic design of sodium-heated once through steam generators

Authors: G. Vaidyanathan, A.L. Kothandaraman, L.S. Siva Kumar, V. Vinod, I.B. Noushad, K.K. Rajan, P. Kalyanasundaram

Addresses: Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Reactor Engineering Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India. ' Fast Reactor Technology Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102, India

Abstract: Once-through Steam Generator (SG) is a critical component of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) plant. It is a counter current heat exchanger, in which heat is transferred from the hot sodium flowing on the shell side to water/steam in tube side. High pressure subcooled water enters the SG tube from bottom, gets heated up to saturation, goes through nucleate boiling, dry out and post dry out heat transfer, getting converted to saturated steam and finally gets superheated. For this the process design needs to be carried out accurately. A computer code DESOPT has been developed for the process design of straight vertical, serpentine and helical geometries and validated against reported designs in literature. Recently a test facility to test a 5.5 MWt sodium heated steam generator has been commissioned. The predictions of the code have been compared with the measurements and found satisfactory. This paper brings out different heat transfer mechanisms in SG and describes the one-dimensional code, its validation based on literature and in-house tests and presents the results of comparison between predicted and actual operation at different part loads.

Keywords: once-through steam generator; fast breeder reactors; computer code; liquid sodium; nuclear energy; nuclear power; performance prediction; process design; liquid metal FBR; LMFBR; heat transfer.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2010.030556

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2010 Vol.5 No.2, pp.143 - 161

Published online: 21 Dec 2009 *

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