Progress of Cryogenics and Isotopes Separation

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The National Conference with international participation on New Cryogenic and Isotope Technologies for Energy and Environment - EnergEn 2018 is organized by the National Research-Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies - ICSI Rm. Valcea with the scientific participation of the University of Pitesti and the University of Craiova and will be held at Baile Govora, in 2018.

SOME FAILURE MODES OF ICSI CRYOGENIC DISTILLATION SYSTEM AS BASIS FOR SAFETY ANALYSIS Print

 

SOME FAILURE MODES OF ICSI CRYOGENIC DISTILLATION SYSTEM AS BASIS FOR SAFETY ANALYSIS


George Ana*, Nicolae Sofilca, Alina Niculescu


National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies – ICSI Rm. Valcea, Code 240050, Uzinei Street no. 4, P.O. Box Râureni 7, Valcea, Romania


ABSTRACT

The Pilot Plant (PETSD) for T2 and D2 separation from Rm. Valcea (Romania) is an experimental facility built to confirm the technological data and the functional characteristics of equipment for designing and construction of an industrial facility capable to process the tritiated heavy water from Units 1 and 2 from NPP Cernavoda. The technology employed is based on Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) and Cryogenic Distillation (CD) processes and the whole system is in pre-operation stage.

The CD system consists of a cascade of four distillation columns placed inside a vacuum insulated cold box and a refrigeration unit which provides the cooling capacity for the columns condensers.

This paper analyzes some common but critical scenarios due to single failure mode or a combination of failures such as loss of cooling capacity, loss of cooling agent into the columns, and loss of electric power (loss of cooling power and vacuum system shut down), cases seen as conservatives for the system in order to investigate the behavior during abnormal operation or accident, as basis for safety analysis for the system.

The study presented in the paper is concerning the Pilot Plant for T2 and D2 separation from Rm. Valcea but gives information and some references for the methodology that can be implemented for CD System from NPP Cernavoda and ITER Isotope Separation System.

Keywords: hydrogen, isotopes, cryogenic, distillation.


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*Corresponding authors: George Ana, E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Phone: 0250/732 744, Fax: 0250/732 746