Fundamental Research on Sealing in Nuclear Reactor Cooler Pumps

Nuclear power plants operates by heating a working fluid using the energy generated during nuclear fission. That heated fluid is then used to drive a turbine and eventually a generator, by recirculation through a closed loop. Due to both its extreme temperature, pressure, and exposure to radiation, it is crucial to prevent it from being exposed to the environment. As a result, the ability to predict the performance of mechanical seals used in the reactor coolant pump (RCP) is critical to the safe operation of a nuclear plant. This project focuses on building a robust, experimentally validated modeling framework capable of predicting the performance RCP seals.   sealing nuclear reactor cooler pumps
PFTL Research Assistant(s):   Gagan Srivastava, Dr. John Shelton
Method(s) Employed:   Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication (EHL), Thermal contact mechanics, PAML lite CFD framework
Rig(s) and/or Software(s) Employed:   Seal test rig
Sponsor(s):   Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC)

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