Investigation on Aerosol Pool Scrubbing Model During Severe Accidents

• Main Authors: L. W. He, Y. X. Li, Y. Zhou, S. Chen, L. L. Tong, X. W. Cao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-09-01
• Series: Frontiers in Energy Research
• Subjects: aerosol pool scrubbing; decontamination factor; injection zone; bubble rise zone; severe accident
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.691419/full

During a nuclear power plant severe accident, discharging gas mixture into the spent-fuel pool is an alternative containment depressurization measurement through which radioactive aerosols can be scrubbed. However, it is necessary to develop a code for analyzing the decontamination factor of aerosol pool scrubbing. This article has established the analysis model considering key aerosol pool scrubbing mechanisms and introduced the Akita bubble size relationship. In addition, a code for evaluating the decontamination factor of aerosol pool scrubbing was established. The Advanced Containment Experiment and Light Water Reactor Advanced Containment Experiment were simulated with the code considering different bubble sizes of the Akita model and MELCOR default value to verify the suitability of the Akita bubble size model for simulating aerosol pool scrubbing. Furthermore, the simulation results were compared with the results analyzed by MELCOR code and COCOSYS code from literature, and equivalent predictive ability was observed. In addition, a sensitivity analysis on bubble size was conducted, and the contribution of different behaviors and mechanisms has been discussed. Finally, the bubble breakup equation was revised and verified with the conditions of the multi-hole bubbler in the Advanced Containment Experiment and Light Water Reactor Advanced Containment Experiment.