The improvement and design of the heat removal and transport systems, apt to operate in nominal and accidental conditions, is fundamental in both the current power plants and the advanced/innovative nuclear reactors, such as Generation IV and Small Modular Reactors. The research activities include the identification of the relevant physical phenomena, the development of analytical and numerical models, and experimental campaigns to investigate the typical thermal-hydraulic phenomena occurring in innovative passive heat removal systems, such as natural circulation, two-phase flow and heat transfer.
The experimental activity includes the design and operation of experimental facilities, the use/development of special instrumentation for measurements in two-phase flow, pre-test and post-test analysis with system codes typically used for the licensing of nuclear reactors and “in-house” ad-hoc numerical models to be validated to reliably describe phenomena and operation of innovative components. The facilities involve components such as heat exchangers with different geometries, vertical loops in natural circulation (both single-phase and two-phase flow, also in presence of non-condensable gases), and heat exchange in pools of water with submerged heat exchangers. Since component geometry and pressure losses strongly influence mass transport in natural circulation, proper scaling methodologies must be applied to avoid/identify/minimize possible distortions.
Supervisors:
Dr. Cristina Bertani, https://www.denerg.polito.it/la_ricerca/gruppi_di_ricerca/gruppo_di_ricerca_tesin
Prof. Roberto Bonifetto, www.nemo.polito.it
Dr. Raffaella Testoni, www.essential.polito.it