Boiling water reactor scale model-engineering design, analysis and construction

The Tennessee Valley Authority awarded a contract to the University of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering Department in 1993 to build a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) model for the purposes of education, research, and the training of students and reactor operators. Emphasis was placed on having "see-through" boundaries for the reactor vessel, steam separator, and the condenser to aid in the understanding of the phenomena occurring in these areas. The project was undertaken by three graduate students with the author responsible for the balance-of-plant design and construction with emphasis on the design of the condenser. Model components were constructed using stainless steel and glass and the mechanical design was undertaken with AutoCAD® drafting software. FORTRAN codes were written for the thermalhydraulic design of the condenser and to predict the condenser performance under various heat loads. Additionally, a one-dimensional finite element code written by Dr. G.S. lannelli was modified to attempt to predict thermodynamic conditions within the condenser.