Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2019.01.035

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2020, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (5): 1250-1259.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2019.01.035

• Separation Science and Engineering • Previous Articles Next Articles

Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor

Licheng Sun, Liang Zhao, Min Du, Zhengyu Mo, Jiguo Tang, Guo Xie

State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource&Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

Received:2018-12-16 Revised:2019-01-29 Online:2020-07-29 Published:2020-05-28
Contact: Liang Zhao
Supported by:
We are grateful to financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51706149, 51709191, 51606130), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M643474).

Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor

Licheng Sun, Liang Zhao, Min Du, Zhengyu Mo, Jiguo Tang, Guo Xie

State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource&Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

通讯作者: Liang Zhao
基金资助:
We are grateful to financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51706149, 51709191, 51606130), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M643474).

Abstract

Abstract: In the present study, a bubble generator and a bubble separator were designed and evaluated for an independent off-gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) with reference to the design of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ONRL). The bubble generator employed a Venturi tube as its main body owing to its simplicity and highly reliable structure. A centrifugal separator was used as the bubble separator, taking advantage of the kinetic energy of fluid to create a centrifugal force to separate gas bubbles from the mixture flow. Both the bubble generator and the separator were demonstrated to have good potential to meet the performance requirements of an off-gas removal system for a small TMSR. With water and air as the working fluids, for the final designs of the two key pieces of equipment, a liquid flow rate exceeding 15 m³·h^-1 can essentially make their performance meet the requirements of the off-gas removal system in terms of the average size of the generated bubbles and gas separation efficiency.

Key words: Bubble generator, Venturi, Bubble separator, Off-gas removal, TMSR

摘要： In the present study, a bubble generator and a bubble separator were designed and evaluated for an independent off-gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) with reference to the design of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ONRL). The bubble generator employed a Venturi tube as its main body owing to its simplicity and highly reliable structure. A centrifugal separator was used as the bubble separator, taking advantage of the kinetic energy of fluid to create a centrifugal force to separate gas bubbles from the mixture flow. Both the bubble generator and the separator were demonstrated to have good potential to meet the performance requirements of an off-gas removal system for a small TMSR. With water and air as the working fluids, for the final designs of the two key pieces of equipment, a liquid flow rate exceeding 15 m³·h^-1 can essentially make their performance meet the requirements of the off-gas removal system in terms of the average size of the generated bubbles and gas separation efficiency.

关键词: Bubble generator, Venturi, Bubble separator, Off-gas removal, TMSR

Licheng Sun, Liang Zhao, Min Du, Zhengyu Mo, Jiguo Tang, Guo Xie. Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2020, 28(5): 1250-1259.

References

[1] L.C. Brun, Molten salts and nuclear energy production, J. Nucl. Mater. 360(1) (2007) 1-5.
[2] J. Uhlir, Chemistry and technology of Molten Salt Reactors-History and perspectives, J. Nucl. Mater. 360(1) (2007) 6-11.
[3] S.Z. Qiu, D.L. Zhang, G.H. Su, W.X. Tian, Research on inherent safety and relative key issues of a molten salt reactor, At. Energy Sci. Technol. 43(2009) 64-75(in Chinese).
[4] D. Leblanc, Molten salt reactors:A new beginning for an old idea, Nucl. Eng. Des. 240(6) (2010) 1644-1656.
[5] H. Rouch, O. Geoffroy, P. Rubiolo, A. Laureau, M. Brovchenko, D. Heuer, E. MerleLucotte, Preliminary thermal-hydraulic core design of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR), Ann. Nucl. Energy 64(2014) 449-456.
[6] R.C. Robertson, MSRE Design and Operations Report, Part I:Description of Reactor Design, 1965(ORNL-TM-728).
[7] J. Serp, M. Allibert, O. Benes, S. Delpech, O. Feynberg, V. Ghetta, D. Heuer, D. Holcomb, V. Ignatiev, J.L. Kloosterman, L. Luzzi, E.M. Lucotte, J. Uhlir, The molten salt reactor (MSR) in generation IV:Overview and perspectives, Prog. Nucl. Energy 77(2014) 308-319.
[8] M.W. Rosenthal, P.N. Haubenreich, R.B. Briggs, The Development Status of MoltenSalt Breeder Reactors, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1972(ORNL-4812).
[9] R.C. Robertson, O.L. Smith, R.B. Briggs, E.S. Bettis, Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor Design Study, 1968(ORNL-4528).
[10] B. Cai, J. Wang, L. Sun, N. Zhang, C. Yan, Experimental study and numerical optimization on a vane-type separator for bubble separation in TMSR, Prog. Nucl. Energy 74(2014) 1-13.
[11] C.H. Gabbard, Development of a Venturi Type Bubble Generator for Use in the Molten-Salt Reactor Xenon Removal System, 1972 ORNL-TM-4122.
[12] L. Zhao, L. Sun, G. Xie, H. Liu, M. Du, J. Tang, A visualized study of the motion of individual bubbles in a venturi-type bubble generator, Prog. Nucl. Energy 97(2017) 74-89.
[13] L. Zhao, L. Sun, Z. Mo, J. Tang, L. Hu, J. Bao, An investigation on bubble motion in liquid flowing through a rectangular Venturi channel, Exp. Thermal Fluid Sci. 97(2018) 48-58.
[14] J. Yin, J. Li, H. Li, W. Liu, D. Wang, Experimental study on the bubble generation characteristics for a venturi type bubble generator, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 91(2015) (2015) 218-224.
[15] A. Gordiychuk, M. Svanera, S. Benini, P. Poesio, Size distribution and Sauter mean diameter of micro bubbles for a Venturi type bubble generator, Exp. Thermal Fluid Sci. 70(2016) 51-60.
[16] J. Li, Y. Song, J. Yin, D. Wang, Investigation on the effect of geometrical parameters on the performance of a Venturi type bubble generator, Nucl. Eng. Des. 325(2017) 90-96.
[17] J. Yin, J. Li, Y. Ma, H. Li, W. Liu, D. Wang, Study on the air core formation of a gas-liquid separator, J. Fluids Eng. 137(2015).
[18] J. Yin, Y. Qian, Y. Ma, D. Wang, Experimental study on the bubble trajectory in an axial gas-liquid separator applied for tritium removal for molten salt reactors, Nucl. Eng. Des. 320(2017) 133-140.
[19] J. Yin, Y. Qian, T. Zhang, D. Wang, Numerical investigation on the bubble separation in a gas-liquid separator applied in TMSR, Ann. Nucl. Energy 114(2018) 122-128.
[20] L. Sun, Z. Mo, L. Zao, H. Liu, G. Xie, X. Ju, J. Bao, Characteristics and mechanism of bubble breakup in a bubble generator developed for a small TMSR, Ann. Nucl. Energy 107(2017) 69-81.
[21] J.O. Hinze, Fundamentals of the hydrodynamic mechanism of splitting in dispersion processes, AIChE J. 1(1955) 289-295.
[22] A.N. Kolmogorov, On the breakage of drops in turbulent flow, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 66(1949) 825-828.
[23] H. Luo, H.F. Svendsen, Theoretical model for drop and bubble breakup in turbulent dispersions, AIChE J. 42(1996) 1225-1233.
[24] F. Risso, J. Fabre, Oscillations and breakup of a bubble immersed in a turbulent field, J. Fluid Mech. 372(1998) 323-355.
[25] A. Paolo, P. Alessandro, S.S. Florencio, Dispersed bubble flow in horizontal pipes, Chem. Eng. Sci. 54(1999) 1101-1107.
[26] M.A. Sattar, J. Naser, G. Brooks, Numerical simulation of two-phase flow with bubble break-up and coalescence coupled with population balance modeling, Chem. Eng. Process. 70(2013) 66-76.
[27] Y. Liao, D. Lucas, A literature review of theoretical models for drop and bubble breakup in turbulent dispersions, Chem. Eng. Sci. 64(2009) 3389-3406.
[28] R.V. Mukin, Modeling of bubble coalescence and break-up in turbulent bubbly flow, Int. J. Multiphase Flow 62(2014) 52-66.
[29] A. Kaneko, Y. Momura, S. Takagi, Y. Matsumoto, Y. Abe, Bubble break-up phenomena in a venturi tube, Trans. Jpn. Soc. Mech. Eng., B (786) (2012) 207-217(in Japanese).
[30] Y. Momura, S. Uesawa, A. Kaneko, Y. Abe, Study on bubble breakup mechanism in a venturi tube, Proceedings of the ASME-JSME-KSME Joint Fluids Engineering Conference, AJK2011-10024, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, 2011.

Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor

Performance evaluation of a bubble generator and a bubble separator designed for the gas removal system of a small thorium molten salt reactor

PDF (PC)

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

References

Related Articles 1

Recommended Articles

Metrics

Comments