A Modified Calculation Method for a Centered Water Nozzle Steam–Water Injector

Abstract

A centered water nozzle steam–water injector is driven by cold water to pump steam at a low pressure and to produce a high outlet water pressure. It can be used as a safety pump in a light water reactor to inject cooling water into the reactor core with no power supply in case of an accident. In this study, a modified calculation method for a centered water nozzle steam–water injector is proposed and verified by experimental data in the literature. The calculation method consists of a water nozzle model, a steam nozzle model, a mixing section model, and a shock wave model. Comparisons between the calculated results and the experimental results under different inlet steam pressures, inlet water pressures, and back pressures are conducted, and the calculated results show good agreement with the experimental results. The calculated results with different back pressures show that no shock wave occurs in the mixing section when the back pressure is small, but with the back pressure increasing, the pressure undergoes a dramatic increase in the throat tube, and the shock wave position moves towards the inlet of the mixing section. Due to the complexity of shock wave characteristics, it is necessary to conduct a more in-depth study of shock wave characteristics in the mixing section to determine more detailed boundary conditions for shock wave generation.