Numerical study on CMT boron replenishment strategy for an AP1000 nuclear power unit

Abstract

The passive safety system is adopted in an AP1000 nuclear power unit to improve the operation safety of the whole unit. However, due to boron diffusion and periodic sampling, boron dilution occurs in the core makeup tank. The boron replenishment process in the core makeup tank is essential and becomes particularly important. Based on the validated models, this article numerically investigates the influence of the replenishment flow rate and the position on the boron distribution in the core makeup tank. The thermal fatigue phenomenon of the “T” connection caused by replenishment is analyzed. Finally, the replenishment strategy is proposed to benefit both boron mixing in the core makeup tank and eliminating the thermal fatigue of the “T” connection.

Keywords

• AP1000
• Core makeup tank
• Boron dilution
• Boron replenishment strategy