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Corrosion product transport in water‐cooled. nuclear reactors Part I: Pressurized water operation
Author(s) -
Bvrrill K. A.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450550110
Subject(s) - coolant , piping , nuclear engineering , pressurized water reactor , radioactive waste , nuclear reactor core , corrosion , reactor pressure vessel , materials science , nuclear reactor , spent nuclear fuel , core (optical fiber) , control rod , light water reactor , waste management , environmental science , metallurgy , environmental engineering , engineering , mechanical engineering , composite material
Corrosion of out‐core piping in the primary circuit of nuclear power reactors adds both dissolved and particulate metals and their oxides to the water coolant. The particles deposit on the fuel sheaths and pressure tubes in the reactor core and are irradiated there while they dissolve in the heated water. Transport of now‐radioactive solute around the circuit makes the out‐core surfaces radioactive, which increases radiation exposure to operators and maintainers. A mathematical model has been developed to describe these processes of deposition, irradiation and release of corrosion products on the fuel bundles and pressure tubes of CANDU pressurized water reactors. The model's predictions compare well with data from in‐reactor loop fuel, and data from fuel and pressure tubes from Pickering Generating Station. The model suggests ways to control the growth of out‐core radiation fields and keep them at the current low levels of Pickering. Hot filtration of the reactor water and an increase in water pH are two solutions analyzed with the model.