Experimental research on siphon break characteristics in pool-type reactor

In order to ensure that the core of a pool-type reactor is submerged after a loss of coolant accident, a siphon break pipeline needs to be designed to prevent the continuous loss of pool water due to siphon effect. This article conducted experimental research on the siphon break phenomenon of a certain pool reactor using engineering prototype dimensions, the siphon-breaking process was verified, and obtained the pressures at the connection of the siphon break pipeline and the main water tank liquid levels under different flow rates were obtained, and also the siphon break characteristics under different siphon break valve openings were obtained. The experimental results show that the larger the Froude number ( Fr ), the lower the pressure at the connection of the siphon break pipeline, and the lower the stable liquid level of the main water tank after breaking the siphon. The resistance of the siphon break pipeline is an important factor affecting the characteristics of siphon breaking. The greater the resistance, the less air intake, and the greater the difficulty of bubble aggregation, making it more difficult to break the siphon. Moreover, for the fully open condition of the siphon break valve, experimental correlations were established between the dimensionless minimum pressure at the connection and Fr , as well as between the dimensionless stable liquid level and Fr . The results show that the experimental correlations could predict the minimum pressure and stable liquid level well, with deviations within ±0.5 %.