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Effect of non-condensable gas in steam condensation at sub-atmospheric pressure condition

In the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a postulated Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) in the Vacuum Vessel (VV) has to be managed with a pressure suppression system working at sub-atmospheric pressure. The operating conditions considerably differ from those experienced in the fission nuclear power plants such as BWR, since the ITER Tokamak works at very low pressure conditions and can withstand a maximum pressure of 0.15 MPa. For this reason, the pressure value must not exceed 10 kPa for a water temperature of 30 °C inside the Vapour Suppression Tanks (VSTs) that are the fundamental components of the Vacuum Vessel Pressure Suppression System (VVPSS). During a LOCA some non-condensable gases (mainly hydrogen and oxygen gases due to the water radiolysis or thermolysis) may be mixed in the steam and this could impair the condensation efficiency. In order to investigate the effects of non-condensable gas on DCC, we conducted a research program funded by ITER Organization at the laboratory of the University of Pisa: we designed and built a small-scale experimental rig to study the steam Direct Contact Condensation (DCC) with the presence of non-condensable gas and simulate the behaviour of a VST. Since DCC can occur with different characteristics, we ran 12 closed mode tests exploring all condensation regimes injecting a certain mass of air with the steam discharged in the subcooled water. The tests started at the saturation pressures corresponding to water temperatures ranging from 40 °C to 80 °C and ended when the free space volume reached the atmospheric pressure. From the analysis of the data acquired during the tests we observed that the condensation efficiency remained higher than 95%. We observed that despite this, the presence of a certain quantity of non-condensable gas has negative aspects on condensation: the condensation regime never reaches stability (the regimes quickly shift towards instability). Furthermore, the presence of air triggers a turbulence of the flow which interferes with the transfer of heat from the steam to the water. Not only the introduction of air into the flow increases linearly the pressure above the water head but its high temperature further contributes to the pressure increase. The air mixed with the flow also forms eddies that can trap the steam and transport it out of the water, preventing it from condensing. Apart from condensation, the most noticeable problem is the rapid increase in pressure inside the condensation tank.