A Method for Estimating Moisture Separator Effectiveness on a Reheat Nuclear Unit

Having a better understanding of the level of moisture separator performance is an important component in evaluating the cost benefit of a turbine or MSR improvement or retrofit. The documented methods of determining Moisture Separator Effectiveness (MS η) on a reheat nuclear cycle require extensive station instrumentation, which may not be available in many power plants, or the introduction of radioactive (or other) tracers into the plant system. Because of these difficulties and associated costs, moisture separator performance is typically not adequately evaluated or monitored. This situation can lead to significant misconceptions about the actual operating moisture separator effectiveness. Using data from field tests of multiple GE-designed horizontal moisture separators, important relationships between MS performance and certain operating parameters were established that form the basis of this proposed Moisture Separator test method. This test method is specifically designed to remove many of the known difficulties associated with the current testing methods while maintaining reasonable accuracy levels. By removing many of the roadblocks in testing moisture separators, MS η can now be calculated on a regular basis and will allow for periodic performance monitoring and performance degradation detection.