In-vessel fluid flow measurements using thermocouples cross-correlation.

Fluid flow rate in high temperature and pressure vessels can be difficult to measure due to the associated harsh environment, inaccessible locations and pressure boundary integrity concerns. However, by using quick response miniature thermocouples to measure the naturally occurring temperature variations within the flow, the fluid velocity can be inferred from the transit time analysis. This flow measurement technique has other advantages such as the flow profile is not significantly disturbed, no additional flow restrictions introduced and the system fiction factor is not increased. Furthermore, since the measured flow rate is generally unaffected by the global system dynamics, such as heat increases or losses, as well as changes in the flow regimes, the location of the thermocouple pairs is extremely flexible. Due to the mentioned advantages, the thermocouple cross-correlation flow measurement method has been developed for use at the Purdue University Multi-Dimensional Integral Test Assembly (PUMA). Currently, thermocouple cross-correlation technique is used to measure the Reactor Pressure Vessel downcomer fluid velocity and the suppression pool in-vessel natural circulation velocity

A theoretical and numerical investigation of turbulent steam jets in BWR steam blowdown.

The preliminary results of PHOENICS and RELAP5 show that the current numerical models are adequate in predicting steam flow and stratification patterns in the upper Drywell of a BWR containment subsequent to a blow-down event. However, additional modeling is required in order to study detailed local phenomena such as condensation with non-condensables, natural convection, and stratification effects. Analytically, the intermittence modified similarity solutions show great promise. Once {gamma} is accounted for, the jet's turbulent shear stress can be determined with excellent accuracy

Turbulent steam jets in enclosed structures: An application to nuclear reactor accident analysis

The primary objective of this thesis is to characterize the behavior of steam jets within an enclosed structures. To satisfy the above objective, the following areas were studied and addressed: (1) study the analytical models of round turbulent jets, (2) to model the turbulent jets using commercially available CFD codes, (3) measure steam convection and stratification pattern within the PUMA Drywell and compare against numerical models. The analytical approach is limited because the solutions for complex geometry and boundary conditions are not readily available. However, the analytical studies provided the necessary understanding of the physical processes involved in turbulent steam jet discharge and convection. From this analytical study, a new mechanistic model of turbulence eddy viscosity model is introduced to replace the ad hoc model recently proposed. Numerical modeling of the current problem allows greater flexibility. Even though the present state of numerical modeling of turbulent flows is still far from complete, the slightly modified k-&egr; models of turbulent round jets match that of experimental data extremely well. Based on the basic models of axisymmetric turbulent round jets, PUMA DW geometry and boundary conditions specific were developed. The results of these numerical models compared favorably against the PUMA MSLB tests. The 3-D simulations show that the PUMA DW environment was highly stratified and that the temperature and velocity distributions were extremely complicated. Experimentally, it was found that even though the discharged steam was stably stratified in the upper drywell, the PCCS operation was largely unaffected. Additionally, it was determined that DW wall condensation is not a significant factor in containment cooling. Additionally, it was found that homogeneous condensation within the upper drywell was not possible because steam entering the upper drywell was superheated

BWR drywell behavior under steam blowdown.

Historically, thermal hydraulics analyses on Large Break Loss of Coolant Accidents (LOCA) have been focused on the transients within the reactor or steam generator. Few have studied the effects of steam blowdown on the containment building. This paper discusses some theoretical issues as well as presenting numerical and experimental results of the blowdown tests performed at the Purdue University Multi-Dimensional Integrated Test Assembly (PUMA)

Three dimensional analysis of turbulent steam jets in enclosed structures : a CFD approach.

This paper compares the three-dimensional numerical simulation with the experimental data of a steam blowdown event in a light water reactor containment building. The temperature and pressure data of a steam blowdown event was measured at the Purdue University Multi-Dimensional Integrated Test Assembly (PUMA), a scaled model of the General Electric simplified Boiling Water Reactor. A three step approach was used to analyze the steam jet behavior. First, a 1-Dimensional, system level RELAP5/Mod3.2 model of the steam blowdown event was created and the results used to set the initial conditions for the PUMA blowdown experiments. Second, 2-Dimensional CFD models of the discharged steam jets were computed using PHOENICS, a commercially available CFD package. Finally, 3-Dimensional model of the PUMA drywell was created with the boundary conditions based on experimental measurements. The results of the 1-D and 2-D models were reported in the previous meeting. This paper discusses in detail the formulation and the results of the 3-Dimensional PHOENICS model of the PUMA drywell. It is found that the 3-D CFD solutions compared extremely well with the measured data

In vivo characterization of B-2 receptors mediating hypotension in anesthetized rabbits and guinea pigs

With the discovery of suitable pharmacologic tools for B 2 receptor characterization, it has been demonstrated in vitro that the pharmacological spectrum of this receptor type obtained in various organs (e.g. intestine, vessels, urogenital tract) remains the same within the species but may show marked differences among species (e.g. the rabbit, the guinea pig) (Regoli et al., 1993; Regoli et al., 1994). Thus, orders of potency of agonists in rabbit and guinea pig tissues are opposite in that [Hyp3]BK is approximately 50- 100 times more potent than [AibT]BK in the rabbit and inversely, the latter compound is 2-10 times more active than [Hyp3]BK in the guinea pig. Furthermore, competitive antagonists, such as DArg[Hyp3,d-PheV,LeuS]BK and WIN 64338 (a nonpeptide compound), have also shown differences in their ability to block bradykinin responses in these two species while HOE 140, a non-competitive and long-acting antagonist, shows equipotent activities on both. Based on these results, we have suggested that B 2 receptors may be pharmacologically subject to interspecies variability. The present study was designed to find out if results obtained in vitro can be reproduced in vivo by measuring pharmacological parameters (namely EDs0 for agonists and ICso for antagonists) on kinin-induced blood pressure changes in the rabbit and the guinea pig