Quantitative assessment of double-cone seal leakage in canned reactor coolant pump based on double-cone ring stress

The double-cone seal is a crucial component of the canned reactor coolant pump (RCP), serving as a vital barrier to prevent coolant leakage. Its sealing status directly impacts the operational safety of the RCP. Given the intricate operational conditions and rigorous sealing requirements of RCP, there is a dearth of effective detection methods for minor leakage of double-cone seal. To address this issue, a quantitative assessment method for the leakage of double-cone seal based on double-cone ring stress is proposed. In this paper, the functional relationship between the double-cone ring stress and the specific pressure of the gasket seal is first derived. Subsequently, a leakage rate assessment model based on the double-cone ring stress is proposed by combining with the leakage rate expression of the metal gasket connection structure. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method for the leakage detection of double-cone seal is verified by finite element simulation and leakage simulation test. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of detecting small leakage conditions with a leakage rate in the order of 1 × 10⁻⁴ cm³·s⁻¹, which is sufficient for the micro-leakage detection of double-cone seal.