Thermal-Hydraulics of Water Cooled Nuclear Reactors

Thermal Hydraulics of Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactors reviews flow and heat transfer phenomena in nuclear systems and examines the critical contribution of this analysis to nuclear technology development. With a strong focus on system thermal hydraulics (SYS TH), the book provides a detailed, yet approachable, presentation of current approaches to reactor thermal hydraulic analysis, also considering the importance of this discipline for the design and operation of safe and efficient water-cooled and moderated reactors.

Part One presents the background to nuclear thermal hydraulics, starting with a historical perspective, defining key terms, and considering thermal hydraulics requirements in nuclear technology. Part Two addresses the principles of thermodynamics and relevant target phenomena in nuclear systems. Next, the book focuses on nuclear thermal hydraulics modeling, covering the key areas of heat transfer and pressure drops, then moving on to an introduction to SYS TH and computational fluid dynamics codes.

The final part of the book reviews the application of thermal hydraulics in nuclear technology, with chapters on V&V and uncertainty in SYS TH codes, the BEPU approach, and applications to new reactor design, plant lifetime extension, and accident analysis.

This book is a valuable resource for academics, graduate students, and professionals studying the thermal hydraulic analysis of nuclear power plants and using SYS TH to demonstrate their safety and acceptability.

Contains a systematic and comprehensive review of current approaches to the thermal-hydraulic analysis of water-cooled and moderated nuclear reactorsClearly presents the relationship between system level (top-down analysis) and component level phenomenology (bottom-up analysis)Provides a strong focus on nuclear system thermal hydraulic (SYS TH) codesPresents detailed coverage of the applications of thermal-hydraulics to demonstrate the safety and acceptability of nuclear power plants

Part I – The Background To Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics 1. Introduction 2. A Historical Perspective 3. The Definitions 4. Needs from NPP Technology – Design and Safety

Part II – Thermal-Hydraulics Connections: The Principles Of Thermodynamics & Nuclear Systems 5. The Balance Equations for Two-Phase Fluids 6. The Target Phenomena

Part III – Nuclear Thermal-Hydraulics Modeling 7. Heat Transfer and Modeling 8. Pressure Drops and Modeling 9. The Constitutive Equations 10. The Special Models 11. The (Structure of) System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS TH) Code 12. The (Structure of) Computational Fluid-Dynamics (CFD) Code

Part IV – Applications Of Thermal Hydraulics In Nuclear Technology 13. The V&V and the Uncertainty in SYS TH Codes 14. The Best-Estimate Plus Uncertainty (Bepu) Approach 15. Selected Applications of Sys TH Codes to Design and Accident Analysis 16. The Thermal-Hydraulic Aspects of Key Nuclear Accidents