Article
Article
- Engineering & Materials
- Nuclear engineering
- Natural circulation in nuclear systems
- Physics
- Fluid mechanics
- Natural circulation in nuclear systems
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Natural circulation in nuclear systems
Article By:
Aksan, Nusret Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland.
Last reviewed:2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB100214
- Passive safety systems
- Example systems
- Thermal-hydraulic phenomena
- Outlook
- Additional Reading
Natural circulation is a process by which fluid motion is driven by a density gradient and no external source of energy is required. In general, a heat source, a heat sink, and the pipes connecting them form the essential hardware of a natural circulation system. The pipes are connected to the source (heater) and sink (cooler) in such a way that they form a continuous circulation path (Fig. 1). When the flow path is filled with working fluid, circulation can set in automatically following the activation of the heat source under the influence of a body field such as gravity. With both the source and sink maintained at constant conditions, a steady condition is expected to be achieved that can continue indefinitely, if the integrity of the closed loop is maintained.
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