A Method for Estimating Acoustic Implosion Efficiencies for Collapsing Cavities in Nuclear Reactor Systems

For the last several decades, condensation induced water hammer events have been a concern i n the nuclear industry. With the arrival of passive reactor designs, concerns have arisen about the natural inception of vapor cavity formation in these systems. Several aspects of subcooled bubble cavity implosions are examined. In particular, this paper will focus on spherical cavity implosion transients. Numerical scoping calculations were performed with the compressible version of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation. The calculations revolved around predicting two key parameters, the peak pressure and the net acoustic energy release. Both of these parameters are relevant in quantifying the damage potential of a spherical water hammer event.