Numerical investigation on the unsteady characteristics of reactor coolant pumps with non-uniform inflow

Long, Yun; Wang, Dezhong; Yin, Jianchuan; Yaoyu, Hu; Ran, Hongjuan

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.04.027

Cited by 58 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The RANS method has been widely applied with its high computational efficiency 7–9 . Yun et al investigated the pressure pulsation characteristics in a scaled model RCP with different inflows by solving the RANS equation with the k − ε turbulent model, the predominant frequency components of the inlet, and outlet pressure pulsation both located at the double rotor passing frequency 10 . Compared with the RANS, the LES can better capture the detailed vortex structure but require a higher computing resource while the DES is in between 7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental investigation on the unsteady pressure pulsation and vibration of a nuclear pump test loop

Zhou

Dong

et al. 2022

Energy Science & Engineering

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The nuclear reactor coolant pump (RCP) is the key equipment of the Pressurized Water Reactor, of which the coolant circulation inherently brings flow fluctuation and, therefore, flow-induced vibration exists, which is detrimental to the safe and stable operation of nuclear power plants.Experiments were carried out on a nuclear pump test loop to investigate the characteristics of pressure pulsation and vibration under various rotational speeds and operational temperatures. Signals of pressure pulsation and vibration synchronously measured from the sensors located among the test loop and the bottom of the motor were analyzed by the Root Mean Square and the Fast Fourier Transform methods. Pronounced pressure pulsation peaks corresponding to the blade passage frequency and its higher harmonics are captured, and pressure pulsation amplitude variations are closely associated with the sensor positions and operating conditions. Vibration magnitude along the outlet direction of the nuclear RCP is the largest and increases with the increasing rotational speed but not the operating temperature. Finally, a coherent analysis was conducted between the vibration at the bottom of the motor and the unsteady pressure pulsation in the test loop. This study can provide meaningful scientific guidance in practical engineering applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental investigation on the unsteady pressure pulsation and vibration of a nuclear pump test loop

Zhou

Dong

et al. 2022

Energy Science & Engineering

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“…This study indicates that the inlet distortion not only affects the external characteristics of the pump but also imposes an unbalanced force on the impeller, thus increasing the risk of fatigue failure of the impeller. Long et al [10] numerically analyzed the inlet and outlet pressure pulsation characteristics of reactor coolant pumps with different inflows, the results show that the differences in both channel head and straight pipe inflows have significant effects on the unsteady pressure pulsation inside the pump.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of Intake Structures in a Two-Way Pumping Station with Experimental Analysis

Zhang

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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Pumping stations are important regulation facilities in a water distribution system. Intake structures can generally have a great influence on the operational state of the pumping station. To analyze the effects of the bell mouth height of the two-way intake on the performance characteristics and the pressure pulsations of a two-way pumping station, the laboratory-sized model pump units with three different intakes were experimentally investigated. To facilitate parameterized control, ellipse and straight lines were used to construct the profile of the bell mouth. The frequency domain and time-frequency domain of the pressure pulsations on the wall of intakes were analyzed by the Welch’s power spectral density estimate and the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) methods, respectively. The results showed that the bell mouth height (H) has significant influences on the uniformity of the impeller inflow and the operation stability of the pump unit. When H = 204 mm, the data fluctuated greatly throughout the test process and the performance curves are slightly lower than the other two schemes. As the bell mouth height gradually decreases, the average pressure difference of each measuring point began to decrease, more homogeneous velocity distribution of impeller inflow can be ensured. The amplitude of blade passing frequency is obvious in the spectrum. While when (H) is more than 164 mm, the main frequency of pressure pulsations at three points fluctuates with the rotation of the impeller. When H decreases to 142 mm, pressure pulsations will be independent of the operating conditions and positions which contributes to the long-term stable operation of the pump unit.

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“…It was observed that the distorted inflow gives rise to a decrease in the head and anti-cavitation performance (Lu, Yang, Wang, & Zhou, 2018). Some researchers Long, Wang, Yin, Hu, & Ran, 2017) simulated and tested the pressure fluctuation characteristics of the RCP. It was found that the distorted inflow led to increases in pressure fluctuation and radial loading of the impeller.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical and experimental analysis on the non-uniform inflow characteristics of a reactor coolant pump with a steam generator channel head

Yuehui

Wang

et al. 2020

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics

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Distorted inflow caused by the complex structure of the steam generator channel head (SGCH) occurs at the entrance to the reactor coolant pump (RCP) in the AP1000 system, which may generate impeller cracks and result in deterioration of performance and stability. In this paper, to analyze the influence of distorted inflow on flow properties of the RCP, the inflow distortion characteristics are studied by a full three-dimensional steady and unsteady numerical simulation. The simulation model was verified experimentally by testing the RCP with a straight pipe and a channel head at different flow rates. Using this model, the inlet distortion was quantified and the variation law of different distortion was obtained. The results showed that a non-uniform swirling flow under lateral pressure differences was formed when the pump was coupled with a channel head instead of a straight pipe, leading to the destruction of circular symmetry of the inflow field. Further increasing the tube length alone was not effective in improving the inflow field of the RCP, and the inlet swirl effect always existed. As the distorted flow entered the pump with a pair of vortices, the chaotic flow field imposed a non-uniform stress on each blade of the impeller, resulting in the unevenly distributed flow rate of each flow-path of the blade. Then, in the flow channels of the impeller, there were obvious asymmetrical vortex core regions, even in opposite directions, which originally formed in the inflow field of the RCP and raised the risk of blade fatigue failure. Owing to the significant effects of inflow distortion produced by the SGCH, understanding the mechanism of non-uniform inflow characteristic is of great value to the design and optimization of the RCP.

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Numerical investigation on the unsteady characteristics of reactor coolant pumps with non-uniform inflow

Cited by 58 publications

References 17 publications

Experimental investigation on the unsteady pressure pulsation and vibration of a nuclear pump test loop

Experimental investigation on the unsteady pressure pulsation and vibration of a nuclear pump test loop

Improvement of Intake Structures in a Two-Way Pumping Station with Experimental Analysis

Numerical and experimental analysis on the non-uniform inflow characteristics of a reactor coolant pump with a steam generator channel head

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