• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3166-3175
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• 2022

The most numerical investigations of the thermal-hydraulic phenomena following the loss of the residual heat removal capability during the mid-loop operation of the pressurized water reactor were performed according to simplifications and are not sufficiently accurate. To perform more accurate and more reliable predictions of thermal-hydraulic accidents in a nuclear power plant using computational fluid dynamics codes, a more detailed methodology is needed. Modelling results identified that thermal stratification and natural convection are observed. Temperatures of lower monitoring points remain low, while temperatures of upper monitoring points increase over time. The water in the heated region, in the upper unheated region and the pipe region was well mixed due to natural convection, meanwhile, there is no natural convection in the lower unheated region. Water temperature in the pipe region increased after a certain time delay due to circulation of flow induced by natural convection in the heated and upper unheated regions. The modelling results correspond to the experimental data. The developed computational fluid dynamics methodology could be applied for modelling of two-component single/two-phase natural convection and thermal stratification phenomena during the mid-loop operation of the pressurized water reactor or other nuclear and non-nuclear installations at similar conditions.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.19-32
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• 1999

The present study investigated the forms and behaviors of fuel during intake and compression process, and the initial flame stability in a lean burn engine modified as a single cylinder engine equipped with quartz windows for visualization. PLIF(Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence) method with KrF Excimer laser was used for measuring the fuel distributions. The principal design concept of the lean burn nin in this study is the axial stratification in the fuel distribution via fuel injection during intake process and different shapes of intake ports; helical and straight. The experiments showed that fuel flowed in as a vapor state in the early part of intake process and lots of this mixture mated down along the intake valve side cylinder wall, but in the latter part, a lot of fuel flowed in as a liquid state and this fuel stayed in the upper part of cylinder, after that the dense fuel cloud moved upward in the early of part compression process. It became clear that the fuel flowed in via straight port had a important role in the axial fuel stratification.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.871-888
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• 2012

This paper aims at presenting the state of the art, the recent progress, and the perspective for the future, in the modelling of two-phase flow in the horizontal legs of a PWR. All phenomena relevant for safety analysis are listed first. The selection of the modelling approach for system codes is then discussed, including the number of fluids or fields, the space and time resolution, and the use of flow regime maps. The classical two-fluid six-equation one-pressure model as it is implemented in the CATHARE code is then presented and its properties are described. It is shown that the axial effects of gravity forces may be correctly taken into account even in the case of change of the cross section area or of the pipe orientation. It is also shown that it can predict both fluvial and torrential flow with a possible hydraulic jump. Since phase stratification plays a dominant role, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and the stability of bubbly flow regime are discussed. A transition criterion based on a stability analysis of shallow water waves may be used to predict the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Recent experimental data obtained in the METERO test facility are analysed to model the transition from a bubbly to stratified flow regime. Finally, perspectives for further improvement of the modelling are drawn including dynamic modelling of turbulence and interfacial area and multi-field models.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.18-24
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• 2016

This paper presents an experimental investigation to visualize cross-sectional two-phase flow structure and identify liquid-gas interface for condensation of steam at a low mass flux in a slightly inclined tube using the axial-viewing technique, which permits to look directly into flow during condensation of steam. In this technique, two-phase flow is viewed along the axis of a pipe by locating a high-speed video camera in front of a viewer that is fitted at the outlet of the pipe. A short section of the pipe is illuminated and is recorded through the viewer, which is kept free of liquid by mildly introducing air. Experiments were conducted in a pipe of 19.05 mm in inner diameter at atmospheric pressure. Cross-sectional two-phase flow structure is obtained at a steam mass flux of $2.62kg/m^2s$ as a function of steam quality in the range from 0.5 to 0.9. The results show that stratified-wavy flow is a unique flow pattern observed in the scope of the present study. Condensate film thickness, stratification angle and void fraction were measured from the obtained flow structure images. Finally, heat transfer coefficient was calculated using the measurement data and discussed in comparison with existing correlations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.825-832
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• 2009

A series of laboratory experiments has been performed to investigate the flow characteristics of 2-dimensional density currents induced by selective withdrawal, which is commonly suggested as a measure for removal of high turbid water from reservoirs. Saltwater has been used to simulate the density stratification over depth and PIV(Particel Image Velocimetry) for observing the velocity structure. Experimental conditions have been established according to Richardson number, which is the dimensionless number that expresses the ratio of potential to kinetic energy. From the experiments, the patterns of longitudinal decay of centerline axial velocity induced by the withdrawal have been distinguished from other experimental cases. The rate of longitudinal decay increase as the Richardson number increases. The variations of volumetric and momentum flux along the longitudinal axis have also shown to be dependent on Richardson number.