Model Studies of Coolant Flow Hydrodynamics in VVER-1000 In-Reactor Pressure Channel

The results of the development, construction, and testing of a small-scale model of a pressure channel of coolant motion inside the VVER-1000 vessel from the entry connections to the coolant flow entry into the core are presented. A hydrodynamic bench, a model of in-reactor pressure channel in the VVER-1000, and methods for studying the coolant flow hydrodynamics in the channel model are described. The results of experimental studies and a comparative analysis of the coolant flow velocity distribution along the annular pressure channel from the entry into the channel through the pressure connections to the entry section in the elliptical bottom of the cavity of the model are presented. The experimental results obtained for different flow regimes of the coolant through the pressure connections are presented.