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What is Reactor Coolant delta T – Energy Balance – Definition

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Reactor Coolant delta T – Energy Balance. The thermal power produced by a reactor is directly related to the mass flow rate of the reactor coolant and the temperature difference across the core. Thermal Engineering

Reactor Coolant delta T – Energy Balance

Another very useful relation is that the thermal power produced by a reactor is directly related to the mass flow rate of the reactor coolant and the temperature difference across the core.

energy balance equation - reactor

On a straight thermodynamic basis, this heat generation is also related to the fluid temperature difference across the core and the mass flow rate of the fluid passing through the core. Thus, the size of the reactor core is dependent upon and limited by low much liquid can be passed through the core to remove the generated thermal energy. Note that, in PWRs, the core outlet temperature is limited. In a typical pressurized water reactor, the hot primary coolant (water 330°C; 626°F) is pumped into the steam generator through primary inlet. This requires maintaining of very high pressures to keep the water in the liquid state. In order to prevent boiling of the primary coolant and to provide a subcooling margin (the difference between the pressurizer temperature and the highest temperature in the reactor core), pressures around 16 MPa are typical for PWRs. The reactor pressure vessel is the key component, which limits the thermal efficiency of each nuclear power plant, since the reactor vessel must withstand high pressures. Many other factors affect the amount of heat generated within a reactor core, but its limiting generation rate is based upon how much energy can safely be carried away by the coolant.

 
References:
Heat Transfer:
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Nuclear and Reactor Physics:

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Advanced Reactor Physics:

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  4. E. E. Lewis, W. F. Miller, Computational Methods of Neutron Transport, American Nuclear Society, 1993, ISBN: 0-894-48452-4.

See also:

Heat Generation

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