| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 296782 | Nuclear Engineering and Design | 2013 | 8 Pages |
The phenomenon of argon gas entrainment into primary sodium in the hot pool of a liquid Sodium cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is investigated. A combined experimental and computational approach is proposed. Physical entrainment of argon into sodium is highly geometry dependent and the present study is focused on the Indian Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR). The computational model which is used for parametric studies is validated against a 1/4 scale water model tests. Based on systematic experiments, the free surface velocity for onset of gas entrainment is determined to be 0.32 m/s, and the corresponding threshold value for the surface vorticity has been estimated as 8.3 s−1.A horizontal baffle plate attached to inner vessel is found to reduce the free surface velocity/vorticity effectively. The radial width of the baffle plate and its elevation has been optimized to be 0.125 m and 0.315 m from free surface by computational studies. The optimized device has been tested in the water model to confirm its satisfactory performance before its recommendation for PFBR.
► Gas entrainment from sodium free surface creates various operational problems in SFR. ► The high free surface velocity causes vortex induced gas entrainment. ► Gas entrainment can be avoided by reducing free surface velocity magnitude. ► Ring type baffle plate has been developed for PFBR to mitigate gas entrainment. ► This paper reports the development of ring type baffle plate in detail.
