BALANCE METHOD OF CALCULATING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A REPEATED FLOODING OF NUCLEAR REACTORS IN PROJECTED ACCIDENTS

A balance method is proposed for calculating the main characteristics of the cooling of the heat-releasing assemblies of light-water nuclear reactors in the case of repeated flooding of them at the bottom under the conditions of a maximum projected accident. The calculation data obtained by this method agree well with the corresponding results of experiments in the temperature range of up to 1200°C. The method proposed allows one not only to calculate the parameters of the flooding of a heat-releasing assembly under the conditions of an accident, but also to estimate the flow rate of the water and the time, necessary for flooding of the fuel core of a power unit in the case of its damage that is not due to the breakage of a pipe-line.