OPERATING A NUCLEAR REACTOR USING A DEPOSIT MODEL OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR HEAT TRANSFER SURFACE

• Main Authors: WYATT, Joseph, R, GRIFFITH, John, C, POP, Mihai, G. M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 11.07.2018
• Subjects: BLASTING; CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR POWER PLANT; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PHYSICS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; STEAM BOILERS; STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ENGINES; STEAM GENERATION; WEAPONS

A method of operating a nuclear reactor is provided. The method includes defining a layer increment of a deposit layer modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of the nuclear reactor; periodically updating a thickness of the deposit layer by adding the layer increment to the deposit layer; recalculating properties of the deposit layer after each layer increment is added to the deposit layer; determining a temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface as a function of the recalculated properties of the deposit layer; and altering operation of the nuclear reactor when the temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface reaches a predetermined value. A method of modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of a nuclear reactor is also provided.