Begell House Inc.
Multiphase Science and Technology
MST
0276-1459
22
4
2010
FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER IN PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR REFLOOD
279-370
10.1615/MultScienTechn.v22.i4.10
Y. J.
Zeng
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BY, UK
Colin P.
Hale
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Geoffrey F.
Hewitt
Department of Chemical Engineering & Chemical Technology, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2B Y, England, UK
S. P.
Walker
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
nuclear reactors
water reactors
rewetting
reflooding
reactor accidents
precursory cooling
heat transfer
transients
two-phase flow
two-phase heat transfer
In a pressurized water rector (PWR), following a postulated large break loss of coolant accident (LB-LOCA) an important stage in the recovery of the core is the reflood process in which the core is reflooded (rewetted) by water injected from the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). This review summarises the studies which have been carried out on the reflood process. Despite all the work that has been done, it is concluded that there is still a need for improved basic understanding of the detailed processes occurring, and in particular the nature of the fluid/hot solid interactions in the close vicinity of the rewetting front.