Experimental Investigation of Air Bubble Flows in a Water Pool

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results on rising bubbles in the wetwell of a boiling water reactor (BWR) in a loss-of-coolant accident in the pressure suppression pool (PSP). This accident scenario includes three processes: blowdown and associated water slug phenomena, bubble dynamics and related water flow during continuous release of gases and development of a thermal stratification. The paper covers the middle phase where air is fed through a downcomer. The developments of bubble formation and bubble flow are investigated by means of high speed videos. Diameter, velocity, formation frequency and breakup distance of bubbles are evaluated using automated image evaluation procedures. The experiments have been performed in the cylindrical vessel of the THAI test facility with a height of 9.2 m and a diameter of 3.2 m.