Danube River Intake & Barge Hydraulic Cooling Simulator

Hydraulic Controls

Drought Scenarios

Danube River Discharge (Q) 1,150 m³/s

Scuttled Barges Deployed 2 Units

Barge Ballast Flooding 85% (Scuttled)

Channel Constriction Angle 45°

Downstream Distance to Intake 120 m

Danube Water Temperature 24.5 °C

Physics Basis: Paks Nuclear Power Plant draws ~100 m³/s for 4x VVER-440 reactor condenser cooling. When Danube flow drops below critical stage (<85.00 m Baltic sea datum), scuttling bulk barges downriver constricts cross-section area, inducing an M1 subcritical backwater profile that artificially raises local intake stage.

UPSTREAM BACKWATER CURVE • SAINT-VENANT STEP INTEGRATION

Intake Node Station: 0+000 (Paks Main Suction Basins)

Danube Water Body

Backwater Head (Δh)

Scuttled Barges

Min Suction Limit (85.00m)

Channel Constriction Ratio

28.5%

Froude Number (Fr)

0.19 (Subcrit)

Intake Approach Velocity

0.92 m/s

Cooling Thermal Margin

+5.5 °C to Limit

Paks Intake Status

Effective Water Level

85.48m B.s.l

+0.48m vs Safe Datum

Backwater Head Rise (Δh)

+0.62m

Due to 2 Scuttled Barges

Natural Unconstricted River Level 84.86 m

Critical Pump Cavitation Datum 85.00 m Baltic

Pump Net Positive Suction (NPSHa) 8.42 m

Cavitation Risk Index LOW (0.12)

Paks Total Cooling Demand 100.0 m³/s (4 Units)

Reactor Curtailment Risk 0% Nominal

Discharge Thermal Plume Temp 27.3 °C (Max 30.0)