• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.7
• /
• pp.953-968
• /
• 2009

It is important to accurately predict the temperature and density distributions in large stratified enclosures both for design optimization and accident analysis. Current reactor system analysis codes only provide lumped-volume based models that can give very approximate results. Previous scaling analysis has shown that stratified mixing processes in large stably stratified enclosures can be described using one-dimensional differential equations, with the vertical transport by jets modeled using integral techniques. This allows very large reductions in computational effort compared to three-dimensional CFD simulation. The BMIX++ (Berkeley mechanistic MIXing code in C++) code was developed to implement such ideas. This paper summarizes major models for the BMIX++ code, presents the two-plume mixing experiment simulation as one validation example, and describes the codes' application to the liquid salt buffer pool system in the AHTR (Advanced High Temperature Reactor) design. Three design options have been simulated and they exhibit significantly different stratification patterns. One of design options shows the mildest thermal stratification and is identified as the best design option. This application shows that the BMIX++ code has capability to provide the reactor designers with insights to understand complex mixing behavior with mechanistic methods. Similar analysis is possible for liquid-metal cooled reactors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.1834-1845
• /
• 2021

Liquid lead-bismuth cooled fast reactor is one of the most promising reactor types among the fourth-generation nuclear energy systems. The flow and heat transfer characteristics of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) are completely different from ordinary fluids due to its special thermal properties, causing that the traditional Reynolds analogy is no longer recommended and appropriate. More accurate turbulence flow and heat transfer model for the liquid metal lead-bismuth should be developed and applied in CFD simulation. In this paper, a specific CFD solver for simulating the flow and heat transfer of liquid lead-bismuth based on the k - 𝜀 - k_𝜃 - 𝜀_𝜃 model was developed based on the open source platform OpenFOAM. Then the advantage of proposed model was demonstrated and validated against a set of experimental data. Finally, the simulation of LBE turbulent flow and heat transfer in a 7-pin wire-wrapped rod bundle with the k - 𝜀 - k_𝜃 - 𝜀_𝜃 model was carried out. The influence of wire on the flow and heat transfer characteristics and the three-dimensional distribution of key thermal hydraulic parameters such as temperature, cross-flow velocity and Nusselt number were studied and presented. Compared with the traditional SED model with a constant Pr_t = 1.5 or 2.0, the k - 𝜀 - k_𝜃 - 𝜀_𝜃 model is more accurate on predicting the turbulence flow and heat transfer of liquid lead-bismuth. The average relative error of the k - 𝜀 - k_𝜃 - 𝜀_𝜃 model is reduced by 11.1% at most under the simulation conditions in this paper. This work is meaningful for the thermal hydraulic analysis and structure design of fuel assembly in the liquid lead-bismuth cooled fast reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.10
• /
• pp.3367-3378
• /
• 2021

The design phase and safety assessment of Generation IV liquid metal-cooled fast reactors calls for the improvement of fuel pin performance codes, in particular the enhancement of their predictive capabilities towards uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels and stainless-steel cladding under irradiation in fast reactor environments. To this end, the current capabilities of fuel performance codes must be critically assessed against experimental data from available irradiation experiments. This work is devoted to the assessment of three European fuel performance codes, namely GERMINAL, MACROS and TRANSURANUS, against the irradiation of two fuel pins selected from the SUPERFACT-1 experimental campaign. The pins are characterized by a low enrichment (~ 2 wt.%) of minor actinides (neptunium and americium) in the fuel, and by plutonium content and cladding material in line with design choices envisaged for liquid metal-cooled Generation IV reactor fuels. The predictions of the codes are compared to several experimental measurements, allowing the identification of the current code capabilities in predicting fuel restructuring, cladding deformation, redistribution of actinides and volatile fission products. The integral assessment against experimental data is complemented by a code-to-code benchmark focused on the evolution of quantities of engineering interest over time. The benchmark analysis points out the differences in the code predictions of fuel central temperature, fuel-cladding gap width, cladding outer radius, pin internal pressure and fission gas release and suggests potential modelling development paths towards an improved description of the fuel pin behaviour in fast reactor irradiation conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.1125-1134
• /
• 2024

This paper presents a validation study of the subchannel analysis code SLTHEN used for the core thermal-hydraulic design of the Prototype Gen-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR). To assess the performance of the ENERGY model of SLTHEN, four liquid metal heating experiments conducted by ORNL, WARD, and KIT with hexagonal assemblies of wire-wrapped rod bundles were analyzed. These experiments were performed with 19-and 61-pin bundles and varying power distributions of axial and radial peaking factors up to 1.4 and 3.0, respectively. The coolant subchannel temperatures measured at different axial locations were compared with the SLTHEN predictions with the Novendstern, Chiu-Rohsenow-Todreas (CRT), and Cheng-Todreas (CT) correlations for flow split and mixing in wire-wrapped pin bundles. The results showed that the SLTHEN predicts the measured subchannel temperatures reasonably well with root-mean-square errors of ~10 % and maximum errors of ~20 %. It was also observed that the CRT and CT correlations consistently outperform the Novendstern correlation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.908-917
• /
• 2020

Corrosion of structural materials presents a critical challenge in the use of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) as a nuclear coolant in an accelerator-driven system. By forming a protective layer on the steel surfaces, corrosion of steels in LBE cooled reactors can be mitigated. The amount of oxygen concentration required to create a continuous and stable oxide layer on steel surfaces is related to the oxidation process. So far, there is no oxidation experiment in fuel assemblies (FA), let alone specific oxidation detail information. This information can be, however, obtained by numerical simulation. In the present study, a new coupling method is developed to implement a coupling between the oxygen mass transfer model and the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS-CFX. The coupling approach is verified. Using the coupling tool, we study the oxidation process of the FA and investigate the effects of different inlet parameters, such as temperature, flow rate on the mass transfer process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.401-422
• /
• 2005

We review here research and development progress achieved in US Plasma Chamber technology roughly over the last decade. In particular, we focus on two major programs carried out in the US: the APEX project (1998-2003) and the US ITER TBM activities (2003-present). The APEX project grew out of the US fusion program emphasis in the late 1990s on more fundamental science and innovation. APEX was commissioned to investigate novel technology concepts for achieving high power density and high temperature reactor coolants. In particular, the idea of liquid walls and the related research is described here, with some detailed examples of liquid metal and molten salt magnetohydrodynamic and free surface effects on flow control and heat transfer. The ongoing US ITER Test Blanket Module (TBM) program is also described, where the current first wall/blanket concepts being considered are the dual coolant lead lithium concept and the solid breeder helium cooled concepts, both using ferritic steel structures. The research described for these concepts includes both thermofluid MHD issues for the liquid metal coolant in the DCLL, and thermomechanical issues for ceramic breeder packed pebble beds in the solid breeder concept. Finally, future directions for ongoing research in these areas are described.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.9-19
• /
• 2007

Fluid temperature fluctuations in a mixing tee pipe were numerically analyzed by LES model in order to clarify internal turbulent flows and to develope an evaluation method for high-cycle thermal fatigue. Hot and cold water with an temperature difference $40^{\circ}C$ were supplied to the mixing tee. Fluid temperature fluctuations in a mixing tee pipe is analysed by using the computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT, Temperature fluctuations of the fluid and pipe wall measured as the velocity ratio of the flow in the branch pipe to that in the main pipe was varied from 0.05 to 5.0. The power spectrum method was used to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient. The fluid temperature characteristics were dependent on the velocity ratio, rather than the absolute value of the flow velocity. Large fluid temperature fluctuations were occurred near the mixing tee, and the fluctuation temperature frequency was random. The ratios of the measured heat transfer coefficient to that evaluated by Dittus-Boelter's empirical equation were independent of the velocity ratio, The multiplier ratios were about from 4 to 6.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.16-24
• /
• 1985

A computer model is developed capable of simulating the transient behavior of a pool-type liquid metal-cooled fast breeder reactor (LMFBR). The model, SIMFARP, is a fast running computer code which may be used to simulate the loss of power to any pump(s), a complete loss-of-forced cooling, and the natural circulation behavior. Eight governing equations are derived and a Runge-Kutta algorithm is applied to integrate the eight differential equations. The developed computer program is applied to two cases; loss of electric power to any pump(s), and loss of all external electric supply power without scram in Super-Phenix-I.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.521-527
• /
• 2002

In this paper, tensile behavior and low cycle fatigue behavior of 316L stainless steel which is currently favored structural material for several high temperature components such as the liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) were investigated. Research was performed at 55$0^{\circ}C$, $600^{\circ}C$ and $650^{\circ}C$ since working temperature of 316L stainless steel in a real field is from 40$0^{\circ}C$ to $650^{\circ}C$. From tensile tests performed by strain controls with $1{\times}10^{-3}/s,\; l{\times}10^{ -4}/s \;and\; 1{\times}10/^{ -5}/ s $ strain rates at each temperature, negative strain rate response (that is, strain hardening decreases as strain rate increases) and negative temperature response were observed. Strain rate effect was relatively small compared with temperature effect. LCF tests with a constant total strain amplitude were performed by strain control with a high temperature extensometer at R.T, 55$0^{\circ}C$, $600^{\circ}C$, $650^{\circ}C$ and total strain amplitudes of 0.3%~0.8% were used and test strain rates were $1{times}10^{-2} /s,\; 1{times}10^{-3} /s\; and\; 1{times}10^{-4} /s$. A new energy based LCF life prediction model which can explain the effects of temperature, strain amplitude and strain rate on fatigue life was proposed and its excellency was verified by comparing with currently used models.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.860-866
• /
• 2022

An accurate prediction of the pressure drop along the flow paths is crucial in the design of advanced passive systems cooled by heavy liquid metal coolants. To date, a generic pressure drop correlation over spacer grids by Rehme has been applied extensively, which was obtained from substantial experimental data with multiple types of components. However, a few experimental studies have reported that the correlation may give large discrepancies. To provide a more reliable correlation for ring-type spacer grids, the current numerical study aims at figuring out the most critical factor among four hypothetical parameters, namely the flow area blockage ratio, number of fuel rods, type of fluid, and thickness of the spacer grid in the flow direction. Through a set of computational fluid dynamics simulations, we observed that the flow area blockage ratio dominantly influences the pressure loss characteristics, and thus its dependence should be more emphasized, whereas the other parameters have little impact. Hence, we suggest a new correlation for the drag coefficient as C_B = C_ν,m/ε^2.7, where C_ν,m is formulated by a nonlinear fit of simulation data such that C_ν,m = -11.33 ln(0.02 ln(Re_b)).