Void transport after steam generator tube leakage in natural circulation lead-cooled fast reactor

For lead-cooled fast reactors, steam generator tube leakage and/or rupture (SGTL/R) is one of the safety issues. During SGTL/R, high-pressure water from secondary side of main heat exchangers is injected to lower-pressure primary side. It may have significant negative impact on the integrity of structures nearby, the flow and heat transfer capabilities of the primary system and the reactivity of the core. The transport of steam bubbles and subsequent void accumulation in the primary system of SNCLFR-100 were addressed in the paper. Based on ANSYS FLUENT, Lagrangian tracking of steam bubbles (voids) in Eulerian flow field was performed to identify the locations and traces of steam bubbles after SGTL. The core safety characteristics under SGTL/R accident were also evaluated. The results show that the leakage location, bubble size and the liquid contamination all have influence on the void transport. For the contaminated primary system of a lead-cooled fast reactor, the occurrence of SGTL with a low leakage location may significantly affect the normal operation of the reactor. (authors)