A hybrid method of prediction of the void fraction during depressurization of diabatic systems

The variation in vapour volumetric fraction during transient pressure, flow and power is of considerable importance in water-cooled nuclear power-reactor safety analysis. The commonly adopted procedure to predict the transient void is to solve the conservation equations using finite differences. This present method is intermediate between numerical and analytic, hence 'hybrid'. Space and time are divided into discrete intervals. Their size, however, is dictated by the imposed heat flux and pressure variations, and not by truncation error, stability or convergence, because within an interval, the solutions applied are analytic. The relatively simple hybrid method presented here can predict the void distribution in a variety of transient, diabatic, two-phase flows with simplicity, accuracy and speed. (Auth.)