Bubble size distribution in flow boiling of aqueous boric acid under high pressure

Two types of experiments were performed: transient experiments with the aim to simulate a fast pressure increase in a PWR and stationary experiments simulating normal, i.e. stable, operating conditions. The transient measurements of the bubble-size distribution yielded no detectable difference between deionized water and boric acid solutions. The stationary measurements showed only minor deviations in the range of small gas mass fractions, which decreased with increasing gas mass fraction. The addition of lithium hydroxide seemed to counter this effect.