Steam generation problem areas

Other areas of radiative transfer have been driven by increased capability of analysis due to the great strides in computer capability. Just a few years ago, two-dimensional problems of radiative transfer in enclosures with a participating medium were at the edge of computational capability. Now, these are routine, and many three-dimensional cases have been analyzed. Because of the need in applications such as utility steam generator design to analyze three-dimensional geometries with up to tens of thousands of surface and volume computational elements, much research is now focused on further increases in computational speed. Massively parallel computers may well provide the required computational capability for such problems. 

The tube bundle supports of Steam Generators in Germany are of lattice-type in the straight run of the tubes and made of horizontal and vertical strips in the U-band area. Limited problems have been experienced in a few older plants. The construction was upgraded and in the new plants an improved construction is applied. Today, steam generator internals damage is no more an issue in Germany. 

The NRC Office of Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data produced a report with observations and recommendations concerning the problem of steam generator overfill and combined primary and secondary side blowdown. This report documents results of studies completed with experienced operational data and expressed safety concerns in the following areas ... 

Heat transfer is therefore seen to occur in several different links of a thermal transport chain with sensitivity to many parameters. However, emphasis is given here to the heat transfer picture within the core since it has an important bearing on the design of the reactor system. Some attention is given to the primary and secondary sodium system, particularly in problem areas. The steam system and turbine-generator complex are similar to those for fossil fueled plants and are consequently not covered. 

---