Numerical analysis of steam–air behavior in a pressurizer during reflux cooling Original Research Article

During reflux cooling, proper evaluation of behavior of accumulated non-condensable gases in the steam generator (SG) U-tubes is important to predict the performance of the reflux cooling. Non-condensable gases are present in the pressurizer and the possibility of migration of air in the pressurizer to the SG U-tubes is not well known. Steam and air behavior in the pressurizer during reflux cooling was, therefore, analyzed numerically using FLUENT 6.3.26 and the possibility of migration of air to the hot leg was investigated. For the analysis, the pressurizer of the ROSA-IV/LSTF experiment was employed as a calculation domain, since experimental data about the loss of the residual heat removal event during mid-loop operation are available. Two stages were assumed. (1) Phase 1: latent heat accumulated in the wall of the pressurizer and was eventually released to the outside. (2) Phase 2: the wall was heated up to the saturated steam temperature, and only heat loss to the outside occurred. The prediction indicated that in Phase 1, the air did not migrate to the surge line in either laminar or turbulent flow calculations, while in Phase 2 the air migrated into the hot leg only in the laminar flow calculation. Judging from a previous experiment on an axisymmetric free jet, the flow pattern in the pressurizer seems to be turbulent. In addition, a comparison of the analytical results of the fluid temperatures near the wall of pressurizer with ROSA-IV/LSTF experiment results indicated that the turbulent flow calculation results were more realistic. It was therefore concluded that the turbulent flow calculation was more reasonable and the possibility of migration of air to the hot leg was low in a pressurizer during reflux cooling.