NSE 403/401: Nuclear Power Plant

Engineering

L4: Pressurizer

Prof. Dr. Abdus Sattar Mollah

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 Syllabus and lecture plan (Tentative)
Week 1/2 (L1-3): Layout of nuclear power plants;
Week 3/4 (L4-6): structure of reactor core; Fuel
handling mechanisms; control and mechanisms
Week 5/6 (L7-9): pressurizer, demineralizer
Week 7/8 (L10-12): containment buildings; primary
containment vessels
Week 9/10 (L13-15): radwaste systems
Week 11/12 (L16-18): mechanical stress in various
structures
Week 13/14 (L19-21): dual and multipurpose nuclear
plants
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A pressurizer is a component of a pressurized water
reactor. The pressurizer controls the reactor coolant
system to maintain constant pressure, by actuating
the electrical heater, spray valve, and relief valve.
The basic design of the pressurized water reactor
includes a requirement that the coolant (water) in the
reactor coolant system must not boil.
Put another way, the coolant must remain in
the liquid state at all times, especially in the reactor
vessel.
To achieve this, the coolant in the reactor coolant
system is maintained at a pressure sufficiently high
that boiling does not occur at the coolant
temperatures experienced while the plant is operating
or in any analyzed possible transient state.
To pressurize the coolant system to a higher pressure
than the vapor pressure of the coolant at operating
temperatures, a separate pressurizing system is Sectional view of a pressurizer
required. This is in the form of the pressurizer.
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PWR pressurizer

A PHWR (CANDU reactor)

nuclear steam supply system.

PWR and CANDU reactor pressurizers

are slightly different.
VVER pressurizer
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 Pressurizer
The pressurizer is a vertical, cylindrical vessel with the
hemispherical top and bottom head constructed of carbon steel or
stainless steel or Ni-alloys cladding on all surfaces exposed to the
reactor coolant.
Electrical heaters are installed at the bottom head while spray
nozzles, relief and safety valve connections are located at the top.
The pressurizer is used
to pressurize the RCS during plant start-up,
to maintain normal RCS pressure during steady-state operation,
to limit pressure changes during RCS transients, and
to prevent RCS pressure from exceeding design values.
Pressurizer pressure, level, and temperature instrumentation is
provided for indication, control, and protection.

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 A pressurizer is a component of a pressurized water reactor. Pressure in the
primary circuit of PWRs is maintained by a pressurizer, a separate vessel that is
connected to the primary circuit (hot leg) and partially filled with water which is
heated to the saturation temperature (boiling point) for the desired pressure by
submerged electrical heaters.
Temperature in the pressurizer can be maintained at 350
°C (662 °F), which gives a subcooling margin (the
difference between the pressurizer temperature and the
highest temperature in the reactor core) of 30 °C.
Subcooling margin is very important safety parameter of
PWRs, since the boiling in the reactor core must be
excluded.
The basic design of the pressurized water
reactor includes such requirement that the coolant
(water) in the reactor coolant system must not boil.
To achieve this, the coolant in the reactor coolant
system is maintained at a pressure sufficiently high that
boiling does not occur at the coolant temperatures
experienced while the plant is operating or in an analyzed
transient.
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 Design of pressurizer
In a pressurized water reactor plant, the pressurizer is basically a
cylindrical pressure vessel with hemispherical ends, mounted with the long axis
vertical and directly connected by a single run of piping to the reactor coolant
system. It is located inside the reactor containment building.
Although the water in the pressurizer is the same reactor coolant as in the rest
of the reactor coolant system, it is basically stagnant, i.e. reactor coolant does not
flow through the pressurizer continuously as it does in the other parts of the
reactor coolant system.
Because of its innate incompressibility, water in a connected piping system
adjusts equally to pressure changes anywhere in the connected system. The
water in the system may not be at the same pressure at all points in the system
due to differences in elevation but the pressure at all points responds equally to a
pressure change in any one part of the system.
From this phenomenon, it was recognized early on that the pressure in the
entire reactor coolant system, including the reactor itself, could be controlled by
controlling pressure in a small interconnected area of the system and this led to
the design of the pressurizer. The pressurizer is a small vessel compared to the
other two major vessels of the reactor coolant system, the reactor vessel itself
and the steam generator(s).
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A PWR pressurizer is a vessel with liquid water in the bottom
section and saturated steam in the top section. A pressurizer is
used to regulate the primary coolant pressure (≈ 150 bars) in
PWRs and CANDU reactors.
The pressurizer is connected to one of the hot leg pipings
with a long surge line. Fig. 10.4 shows a typical pressurizer.
Because of the contact between steam and liquid water, the
water is also at the saturation temperature at steady state.
Spray of cooler water enters from the top and electrical
heaters at the bottom heat the liquid water.
The steady state can be disturbed by water inflow or outflow,
changes in inlet water temperature, changes in spray flow or
changes in heater power.

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A PWR pressurizer is a vessel with
liquid water in the bottom section and
saturated steam in the top section. A
pressurizer is used to regulate the
primary coolant pressure (≈ 150 bars) in
PWRs and CANDU reactors.
The pressurizer is connected to one of
the hot leg pipings with a long surge
line. Fig. 10.4 shows a typical
pressurizer. Because of the contact
between steam and liquid water, the
water is also at the saturation
temperature at steady state.
Spray of cooler water enters from the
top and electrical heaters at the bottom
heat the liquid water.
The steady state can be disturbed by
water inflow or outflow, changes in inlet
water temperature, changes in spray
FIG. 10.4 Schematic of a pressurizer
flow or changes in heater power. used in a PWR.
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The overall height and diameter of the pressurizer in a four-loop
plant are approximately 52 ft., 9 in. (16.1 m) and 7 ft., 8 in. (2.3 m),
respectively and a total volume of 1800 ft3 (31 m3).
The pressurizer has electric immersion heaters with a total power
of 1800 kW. The maximum spray flow rate is 900 gpm (57 l/s) with a
continuous flow rate of 1 gpm (63 ml/s). The pressurizer has two
power-operated relief valves and three self-actuating safety valves.
The water in the pressurizer is the only free surface in the primary
coolant system. At full power the pressurizer contains 60% of its
volume full of water.
Changes in pressurizer water level are usually the result of water
density changes caused by changes in average coolant temperature.

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 Pressure control
Pressure in the pressurizer is controlled by varying
the temperature of the coolant in the pressurizer.
Water pressure in a closed system tracks water temperature
directly; as the temperature goes up, pressure goes up and vice
versa.
To increase the pressure in the reactor coolant system,
large electric heaters in the pressurizer are turned on, raising the
coolant temperature in the pressurizer and thereby raising the
pressure.
To decrease pressure in the reactor coolant system, sprays of
relatively cool water are turned on inside the pressurizer,
lowering the coolant temperature in the pressurizer and thereby
lowering the pressure.

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 Pressurizer Control
Figure 13 shows the fluid systems arrangement used to control
the pressurizer level, pressurizer pressure, and coolant pressure. As
the pressure decreases below the desired value of 2250 psia the
heaters are energized:

Fig.13. Pressurizer
Pressure and Level
Associated
Equipment
Arrangement

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This heats the water in the pressurizer and boils water to return the
pressure to the nominal value. Water in the pressurizer is normally
maintained at the saturation temperature corresponding to 2250
psia.
 Any transient which causes an outsurge of water from the
pressurizer leads to flashing of the water in the pressurizer. The
flashing retards the fall in pressure. When the pressure increases
above 2250 psia spray is used to condense steam in the steam region
and return the pressurizer to 2250 psia. For transients where spray is
not sufficient, steam is released from the pressurizer by actuation of
the pressurizer power operated relief valves.
These valves are actuated on high pressurizer pressure and are set
to operate prior to reaching the high pressure reactor trip setpoint.
The pressurizer power operated relief valves are also actuated prior
to reaching the pressure at which the self-actuated safety valves are
lifted.

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Pressurizer level is controlled by changing the flow from the charging pumps.
A continuous small release of coolant occurs via the letdown valve. For
decreasing pressurizer levels the charging flow is increased such that charging
flow exceeds letdown flow. For increasing pressurizer levels, charging flow is
decreased such that letdown flow exceeds charging flow.
As indicated previously, the reactor coolant density will decrease as the
average temperature is increased to follow the programmed temperature for
increases in load. Assuming a constant water mass in the Reactor Coolant
System plus Pressurizer, the pressurizer level will increase (in steady state) as
load is increased.
In order to minimize the possibility of having to remove water from the
Reactor Coolant System when steady state load is increased and of having to
add water when steady state load is decreased, the pressurizer level is
programmed.
The reference pressurizer level (desired value for the level) is programmed
as a function of Reactor Coolant System average temperature.

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 Functions
Pressure in the pressurizer is controlled by
varying the temperature of the coolant in
the pressurizer. For these purposes two
systems are installed. Water spray
system and electrical heaters system.
Volume of the pressurizer (tens of cubic
meters) is filled with water on saturation
parameters and steam. The water spray
system (relatively cool water – from cold leg)
can decrease the pressure in the vessel
by condensing the steam on water droplets
sprayed in the vessel.
On the other hand the submerged
electrical heaters are designed to increase
the pressure by evaporation the water in
the vessel. Water pressure in a closed
system tracks water temperature directly; as Extensive and intensive properties
the temperature goes up, pressure goes up. of medium in the pressurizer.

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 Over-pressure relief system
Part of the pressurizer system is an over-pressure relief system. In the event
that pressurizer pressure exceeds a certain maximum, there is a relief valve called
the pilot-operated relief valve (PORV) on top of the pressurizer which opens to
allow steam from the steam bubble to leave the pressurizer in order to reduce the
pressure in the pressurizer, thus leads to reduction of pressure in the whole
system.
This steam is routed to a large relief tank in the reactor containment
building where it is cooled and condensed back into liquid and stored for later
disposition. There is a finite volume to these tanks and if events deteriorate to the
point where the tanks fill up, a secondary pressure relief device on the tank(s),
often a rupture disc, allows the condensed reactor coolant to spill out onto the
floor of the reactor containment building where it pools in sumps for later
disposition.
The pressurizer is equipped also with safety valves system (“safety system”),
which are also routed to the relief tank. The safety valves system is used to
emergency pressure reduction during emergency conditions.

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 Water level monitoring
Since the reactor coolant system is completely flooded during
normal operations, there is no point in monitoring coolant level in
any of the other vessels.
But early awareness of a reduction of coolant level (or a loss of
coolant) is very important to the safety of the reactor core.
The pressurizer is deliberately located high in the reactor
containment building such that, if the pressurizer has sufficient
coolant in it, one can be reasonably certain that all the other vessels
of the reactor coolant system (which are below it) are fully flooded
with coolant.
There is therefore, a coolant level monitoring system on the
pressurizer and it is the one reactor coolant system vessel that is
normally not full of coolant.

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 Gas Compression in Pressurizer
Pressure in the primary circuit of PWRs is maintained by
a pressurizer, a separate vessel that is connected to the primary
circuit (hot leg) and partially filled with water which is heated to
the saturation temperature (boiling point) for the desired pressure
by submerged electrical heaters.
During the plant heatup the pressurizer can be filled by nitrogen
instead of saturated steam.

Problem
Assume that a pressurizer contains 12 m3 of nitrogen at 20°C and 15
bar. The temperature is raised to 35°C, and the volume is reduced
to 8.5 m3. What is the final pressure of the gas inside the
pressurizer? Assume that the gas is ideal.

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 Solution:
Since the gas is ideal,we can use the ideal gas law to relate its
parameters, both in the initial state i and in the final state f.
Therefore:
pinitVinit = nRTinit and pfinalVfinal = nRTfinal
Dividing the second equation by the first equation and solving
for pf we obtain:
pfinal = pinitTfinalVinit / TinitVfinal
Note that we cannot convert units of volume and pressure to basic
SI units, because they cancel out each other. On the other hand we
have to use Kelvins instead of degrees of Celsius. Therefore Tinit =
293 K and Tfinal = 308 K.
It follows, the resulting pressure in the final state will be:
pfinal = (15 bar) x (308 K) x (12 m3) / (293 K) x (8.5 m3) = 22 bar

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Figure 14 shows the relative setpoints for the pressurizer
pressure control system -- i.e. heaters, spray, power operated relief
valves. The high pressure reactor trip setpoint is at 2400 psia and
the self-actuated safety valves are set at 2500 psia.

Fig. 14. Pressurizer Pressure Control Scheme

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The pressurizer is the main equipment of PWR power plant
pressure safety system and the electric heaters are its central part.
During actual operation, the electric heaters are subjected to
ultra-high water pressure, transient extreme temperature changes,
high radiation doses, and other severe tests.
Once the electric heaters fail, it will affect the ability to maintain
and control the operating pressure of reactor coolant system and
even lead to the primary circuit overpressure shutdown.
The power deviation of pressurizer electric heater is plus or
minus 5-6%. Such deviation will increase alternating heat and cold
stress of the electric heater cladding during operation, making it
easier for the electric heater cladding to expand and rupture,
resulting in the casing to mechanically deform, increasing the
probability of coolant leakage caused by a crevasse (deep crack, or
fracture).

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A PWR pressurizer control
system can alter the
pressure by modulating
heater power and/or spray
flow. A schematic
representation of a
pressurizer model structure
appears in Fig. 10.5.

Fig. 10.5. Schematic of a pressurizer model.

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The purpose of the pressurizer is to control the pressure in the
primary loop at a nominal coolant pressure of 2250 lb./in2 (≈
153 bars). The primary pressure is regulated by modulating
heater power and spray flow from a cold leg. Fig. 12.6 shows a
pressure controller.

Fig. 12.6. A pressurizer pressure controller, showing both

heater and spray actuation.
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Problem
In the primary system of a PWR the pressure
is controlled by means of a pressurizer. The
pressurizer is a cylindrical steel vessel of 2-m
internal diameter, containing water and steam,
and is connected to the primary system by a
surge line (Figure 1). The pressurizer also has a
bundle of submerged electric heaters. When
there is an out surge of water from the
pressurizer, the heaters are activated to
maintain the nominal pressure.
Calculate the minimum thickness of the
pressurizer cylindrical shell to meet the ASME
code primary general membrane stress
requirements for a design pressure of 17 MPa.
(The value of the maximum allowable stress
intensity, Sm, is 184 MPa in the temperature
range of interest. Use a thin-shell
approximation to calculate the stresses)

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 Solution
The primary general membrane stresses for a thin cylindrical
shell can be calculated as:

with R= 1m, pi=17 MPa, po=0.1 MPa, Sm=184 MPa

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Question and discussion

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