Estimation influence of boric acid drop entrainment to its accumulation in the VVER reactor in the case of accident

Abstract

Process of boric acid mass transfer during accidents accompanied with rupture of circulation pipelines in VVER reactors of new generation equipped with passive safety systems are examined. Results of calculation of variation of boric acid concentration in VVER-TOI reactor in case of accident development process are presented. Positive effects of boric acid droplet entrainment on the processes of acid accumulation and crystallization in the reactor core are demonstrated. The obtained results allow formulating the conclusion on the possibility of these processes in the reactor core which may lead to the disruption of heat removal from fuel pins. Review of available published reference data on physical properties of boric acid solutions (density, viscosity, thermal conductivity) is given. It is established that available information is of too general nature and fails to cover the whole range of parameters (acid temperature, pressure and concentration) typical for potential emergency situation on NPP equipped with VVER reactor. Necessity of experimental study of processes of droplet entrainment under parameters typical for VVER emergency operation conditions, as well as investigation of thermal physics properties of boric acid within wide range of acid concentration values is required.