Study on application of phase change material for passive containment cooling system

Abstract

Considering the prolonged station blackout such as the Fukushima accident, demands for a passive containment building cooling becomes more important in the nuclear power plant safety. In this study, the method using the characteristic of latent heat of the PCM (Phase Change Material) for PCCS (Passive Containment Cooling System) is suggested. The concept of a PCM condenser is proposed. To evaluate its applicability, PCM candidates were selected and their amounts were determined through thermodynamic calculations. Numerical analysis was performed to evaluate the cooling performance of the PCM condenser. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the most suitable candidate material is Climsel C70. The heat transfer area and effective thermal conductivity required to meet the PCCS standard were calculated. This can be utilized as a basis data for PCM condenser design.