Study on the characteristics of a boiling reactor at reduced pressure

Investigations were carried out at the VK-50 reactor to found out the effect of pressure reduction on the characteristics ensuring reliable and safe operation of a boiling reactor and to determine specific heat loads, at which the reactor operation is stable. The investigations performed have shown that the boiling reactor with natural coolant circulation can be used as a reliable and safe heat source for a nuclear power plant of heat supply (NPPHS) while operating in the pressure range of 2-4 MPa with specific heat loads of 20-35 kW/l. Because of restrictions on the maximum diameter from the viewpoint of the reactor vessel transportability boiling reactors for NPPHS can be designed up to power rates below 250 MW