Experimental study of some boiling water reactor performances as applied to its operation conditions in the system of district heating

Studies of neutron-physical and heat-hydraulic characteristics of the VK-50 reactor were made at low pressures in the range of 1.2-4.0 MPa to investigate a possibility to use a tank boiling reactor with a natural circulation in an NPP for district heating. The reactor behaviour has been studied both in stationary operation conditions, and at various deviations from a normal regime, such as a decrease of water feeding, an introduction of a large surplus reactivity, a sharp change of loading, an imitation of the installation cutoff from the energy system. Presented are the results of studies on radiation safety problems obtained on the basis of manyyears' experience in the VK-50 reactor operation. The results have shown that tank boiling reactor with a natural circulation may be used as a reliable and safe heat source