Analysis of natural convection in IPWR type SMR test facility

In advanced and conventional reactors natural circulation plays an important role in cooling of core. This dissertation is based on modeling of a test facility using RELAP5/MOD 4.0. Test facility (TF) comprises of heating core, riser, helical coil heat exchanger, and shell and tube heat exchanger and down comer these components are joined with associate piping and fittings. In the TF, heating core is cooled by natural circulation. In this thesis, analysis of natural circulation depends on geometry and operational parameters. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the effects of riser height, riser diameter, Source and sink distance, power and secondary side mass flow rate on primary loop mass flow rate, which is established due to natural convection. Natural circulation loop of TF modeled with the aid of RELAP5/MOD 4.0 thermal hydraulic system code. Riser length=78 inch, Pressure= 1Bar, Pitch to diameter = 1.4, SS Flow rate = 0.45kg/s, ΔH = −5 inch, Riser Diameter = 6 inch and power 37.0kw. Primary loop mass flow rate is 0.17kg/s (612kg/hr), analytical solution mass flow rate is 0.18kg/s, average error is 12.8% in computational solution. This error reduces as power increases with constant intervals. The RELAP5/MOD 4.0 results give good agreement with analytical solution.