Comparison of Thermophysical Properties of Heavy and Light Water (NIST REFPROP Ver. 10) at CANDU Reactor Operating Conditions

Abstract

Currently, 48 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) are in operation worldwide, and about 8 PHWRs are planned to be built. In support of operation of current PHWRs, and to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and SuperCritical Water-cooled Reactors (SCWRs) with heavy water moderator/coolant, a reliable source of thermophysical properties of heavy water is required. For a number of years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) REFerence PROPerties (REFPROP) software Version 9.1 was used for this purpose. This year, the NIST has announced on releasing a new version of REFPROP Ver. 10.0 in which 'New reference equations of state for ... heavy water' are introduced. Therefore, for the testing, design, and safe operation of PHWRs, it is important to verify, in both versions, how heavywater properties differ from those of lightwater, which usually is used as a modelling fluid instead of heavywater in thermalhydraulics experiments.