Thermal hydraulics of steam generator sludge

Abstract

Experimental and analytical studies of thermal hydraulic processes in commercial steam generator tube sheet sludge have been previously reported. That work was performed because the authors believed that tubing corrosion occurs when the sludge deposit becomes too deep for the liquid to penetrate freely, leading to formation of a liquid deficient region with high chemical concentrations on the tube surface. The primary objective of this work is to determine analytically the extent of liquid penetration into porous sludge. The secondary objectives are determinations of liquid saturation and chemical concentration profiles along the sludge covered tube length. The method described in this paper differs from those used in previous works in that it allows specification of porosity and permeability as a function of distance into the sludge and, also, in some of the auxiliary equations used.