In 2014, a theoretical model of the nonlinear dynamics of the water supercritical transition wavefront propagation under irradiation by a high-power electron beam was developed.
The universal power scaling c(t) ∼ t–s of the density and temperature wavefronts phase velocity c subject to the time t of their propagation was observed earlier by means of the Monte Carlo simulation of both electron and gamma beams irradiation of water. Now this scaling law is explained theoretically. It is shown that it arises from the power asymptotics of the Equation of State of water at a low density peculiar to its supercritical state.
Figure 1 – Description of direct Monte Carlo simulation data on the propagation velocity of a nonlinear wave of a supercritical transition in water under irradiation with a powerful electron beam of the NSC KIPT SRC "Accelerator" LUE-10 linac using the developed analytical theory
At the NSC KIPT of the NAS of Ukraine, the developed theory is applicable to the planning of further simulation experiments on the material science of the SCWR reactor with a supercritical water coolant, one of the alternative types of prospective nuclear reactors of the fourth generation.