• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3775-3786
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• 2023

Mixing Vane Grid (MVG) is one of the most important structures in fuel assembly due to its high performance in mixing the coolant and ultimately increasing Critical Heat Flux (CHF), which avoids the temperature rising suddenly of fuel rods. To evaluate the mixing performance of the MVG, a Total Diffusion Coefficient (TDC) mixing coefficient is defined in the subchannel analysis code. Conventionally, the TDC of the spacer grid is obtained from the combination of experiments and subchannel analysis. However, the processing of obtaining and determine a reasonable TDC is much challenging, it is affected by boundary conditions and MVG geometries. In is difficult to perform all the large and costing rod bundle tests. In this paper, the CFD method was applied in TDC analysis. A typical 5 × 5 MVG was simulated and validated to estimate the mixing performance of the MVG. The subchannel code was used to calculate the TDC. Firstly, the CFD method was validated from the aspect of pressure drop and lateral temperature distribution in the subchannels. Then the effect of boundary conditions including the inlet temperature, inlet velocities, heat flux ratio between hot and cold rods and the arrangement of hot and cold rods on MVG mixing and TDC were studied. The geometric effects on mixing are also carried out in this paper. The effect of vane pattern on mixing was investigated to determine which one is the best to represent the grid's mixing performance.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.494-499
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• 2011

One of the devices to prevent separated flow over a wing or a flap at high angle of attack is a vortex generator. In the present work, we numerically study the flow around a low-profile or micro vortex generator whose height is less than local boundary layer thickness which can delay separation with a minimum drag penalty owing to its very small wetted surface area. As a first step toward a parametric study to efficiently design this MVG flow control system, we simulate the flow around a single MVG on a flat plate. For the simulation, we employ OpenFOAM with Launder-Sharma ${\kappa}$-epsilon model. The analysis results are validated by comparing with experimental results of a rectangular MVG at an angle of attack of 10 degrees whose height is 20% of local boundary layer. Important results and aspects of this numerical study are discussed. We also simulate the flow around rectangular, triangular and trapezoidal MVGs and the results are compared