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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Energy Res.
Sec. Nuclear Energy
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2024.1375806
This article is part of the Research Topic Experimental and Simulation Research on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Volume II View all 8 articles

Study on sealing performance of main gate valve of marine nuclear power plant based on fluid-solid-thermal coupling method

Provisionally accepted
Yuqing Chen Yuqing Chen *Hang Yu Hang Yu Shengwei Fu Shengwei Fu Ang Li Ang Li
  • Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The main gate valve is a critical component of the coolant system in marine nuclear power plants, yet its integrity is often compromised by leakage, particularly during transient operations. This study employs a fluid-solid-thermal coupling method to numerically investigate the sealing performance of the main gate valve under rapid coolant temperature drops. The analysis reveals that thermal shock-induced uneven stress and deformation significantly reduce contact pressure on the sealing surface, leading to leakage.Notably, only when the bolt preload reaches the material yield limit can the valve maintain a seal during operation. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that a faster rate of coolant temperature drop exacerbates the leakage. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing the operation of marine nuclear power plants and enhancing the structural integrity of the main gate valve.

    Keywords: Marine nuclear power plant, Main gate valve, Fluid-solid-thermal coupling, Sealing performance, CFD

    Received: 24 Jan 2024; Accepted: 14 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Yu, Fu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yuqing Chen, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.