• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1380-1387
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• 2003

When a cold HPSI (High pressure Safety Injection) fluid associated with an overcooling transient, such as SGTR (Steam Generator Tube Rupture), MSLB (Main Steam Line Break) etc., enters the cold legs of a stagnated primary coolant loop, thermal stratification phenomena will arise due to incomplete mixing. If the stratified flow enters the downcomer of the reactor pressure vessel, severe thermal stresses are created in a radiation embrittled vessel wall by local overcooling. As general thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes cannot properly predict the thermal stratification phenomena, RG 1.154 requires that a detailed thermal-mixing analysis of PTS (pressurized Thermal Shock) evaluation be performed. Also. previous PTS studies have assumed that the thermal stratification phenomena generated in the stagnated loop side of a partially stagnated primary coolant loop are neutralized in the vessel downcomer by the strong flow from the unstagnated loop. On the basis of these reasons, this paper focuses on the development of a 3-dimensional thermal-mixing analysis model using PHOENICS code which can be applied to both partial and total loop stagnated cases. In addition, this paper verifies the fact that, for partial loop stagnated cases, the cold plume generated in the vessel downcomer due to the thermal stratification phenomena of the stagnated loop is almost neutralized by the strong flow of the unstagnated loop but is not fully eliminated.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.762-769
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• 2024

The TMSR-SF0 simulator is an integral effect thermal-hydraulic experimental system for the development of thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) program in China. The simulator has two heat transport loops with liquid FLiNaK. In literature, the 95% level confidence uncertainties of the thermophysical properties of FLiNaK are recommended, and the uncertainties of density, heat capacity, thermal conductivity and viscosity are ±2%, ±10, ±10% and ±10% respectively. In order to investigate the effects of thermophysical properties uncertainties on the molten salt heat transport system, the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the heat transfer characteristics of the simulator system are carried out on a RELAP5 model. The uncertainties of thermophysical properties are incorporated in simulation model and the Monte Carlo sampling method is used to propagate the input uncertainties through the model. The simulation results indicate that the uncertainty propagated to core outlet temperature is about ±10 ℃ with a confidence level of 95% in a steady-state operation condition. The result should be noted in the design, operation and code validation of molten salt reactor. In addition, more experimental data is necessary for quantifying the uncertainty of thermophysical properties of molten salts.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.13-21
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• 2004

The thermal-hydraulic model ARTS which was based on the RETRAN-3D code adopted in the domestic full-scope power plant simulator which was provided in 1998 by KEPRI. Since ARTS is a generalized code to model the components with control volumes, the smaller time-step size should be used even if converged solution could not get in a single volume. Therefore, dedicated models which do not force to reduce the time-step size are sometimes more suitable in terms of a real-time calculation and robustness. In the case of PRT(Pressurizer Relief Tank) model, it is consist of subcooled water in bottom and non-condensable gas in top. The sparger merged under subcooled water enhances condensation. The complicated thermal-hydraulic phenomena such as condensation, phase separation with existence of non-condensable gas makes difficult to simulate. Therefore, the PRT volume can limit the time-step size if we model it with a general control volume. To prevent the time-step size reduction due to convergence failure for simulating this component, we developed a dedicated model for PRT. The dedicated model was expected to provide substantially more accurate predictions in the analysis of the system transients. The results were resonable in terms of accuracy, real-time simulation, robustness and education of operators, complying with the ANSI/ANS-3.5-1998 simulator software performance criteria and RETRAN-3D results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1874-1889
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• 2022

In this study, we evaluate the thermal-hydraulic performance and economics of Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) according to the channel types and associated shape variables for the design of recuperators with Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs). To perform the evaluations with variables such as the Reynolds number, channel types, tube diameter, and shape variables, a code for the heat exchanger is developed and verified through a comparison with experimental results. Based on the code, the volume and pressure drop are calculated, and an economic assessment is conducted. The zigzag type, which has bending angle of 80° and a tube diameter of 1.9 mm, is the most economical channel type in a SFR using CO₂ as the working fluid. For a SFR using N₂, we recommend the airfoil type with vertical and horizontal numbers of 1.6 and 1.1, respectively. The airfoil type is superior when the mass flow rate is large because the operating cost changes significantly. When the mass flow rate is small, volume is a more important design parameter, therefore, the zigzag type is suitable. In addition, we conduct a sensitivity analysis based on the production cost of the PCHE to identify changes in optimal channel types.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.23-28
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• 1996

The potential for the RELAP5/MOD3.2 was assessed for the loss-of-RHR event during the mid-loop operation and the predictability of major thermal-hydraulic phenomena was also evaluated for the long term transient. The analysis results of the typical two cases(cold leg opening case and pressurizer opening case) were compared with experimental data which was conducted at ROSA-IV/LSTF in Japan. As a result, it was shown that tile code was capable of simulating the thermal-hydraulic transport process with appropriate time step during the reduced inventory operation with the loss-of- RHR system.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.522-531
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• 2002

In order to study the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the cable-in-conduit-conductor (CICC), a numerical model has been developed. In the model, the high heat transfer approximation between superconducting strands and supercritical helium is adopted. The strong coupling of heat transfer at the front of normal zone generates a contact discontinuity in temperature and density. In order to obtain the converged numerical solutions, a moving mesh method is used to capture the contact discontinuity in the short front region of the normal zone. The coupled equation is solved using the finite element method with the artificial viscosity term. Details of the numerical implementation are discussed and the validation of the code is performed for comparison of the results with thse of GANDALF and QSAIT.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.284-292
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• 2015

A numerical calculation with the commercial computational fluid dynamics code CFX-14.0 was conducted for a test facility simulating the Canadian deuterium uranium moderator thermal-hydraulic. Two kinds of moderator thermal-hydraulic tests at Stern Laboratories Inc. were performed in the full geometric configuration of the Canadian deuterium uranium moderator circulating vessel, which is called a calandria tank, housing a matrix of horizontal rod bundles simulating calandria tubes. The first of these tests is the pressure drop measurement of a cross flow in the horizontal rod bundles. The other is the local temperature measurement on the cross section of the horizontal cylinder vessel simulating the calandria system. In the present study, the full geometric details of the calandria tank are incorporated in the grid generation of the computational domain to which the boundary conditions for each experiment are applied. The numerical solutions are reviewed and compared with the available test data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.426-441
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• 2003

A reactor inlet header break experiment, B9401, performed in the RD-14M multi channel test facility was analyzed using RELAP5/MOD3.2 and RELAP5/CANDU[1]. The RELAP5 has been developed for the use in the analysis of the transient behavior of the pressurized water reactor. A recent study showed that the RELAP5 could be feasible even for the simulation of the thermal hydraulic behavior of CANDU reactors. However, some deficiencies in the prediction of fuel sheath temperature and transient behavior in athe headers were identified in the RELAP5 assessments. The RELAP5/CANDU has been developing to resolve the deficiencies in the RELAP5 and to improve the predictability of the thermal-hydraulic behaviors of the CANDU reactors. In the RELAP5/CANDU, critical heat flux model, horizontal flow regime map, heat transfer model in horizontal channel, etc. were modified or added to the RELAP5/MOD3.2. This study aims to identify the applicability of both codes, in particular, in the multi-channel simulation of the CANDU reactors. The RELAP5/MOD3.2 and the RELAP5/CANDU analyses demonstrate the code's capability to predict reasonably the major phenomena occurred during the transient. The thermal-hydraulic behaviors of both codes are almost identical, however, the RELAP5/CANDU predicts better the heater sheath temperature than the RELAP5/MOD3.2. Pressure differences between headers govern the flow characteristics through the heated sections, particularly after the ECI. In determining header pressure, there are many uncertainties arisen from the complicated effects including steady state pressure distribution. Therefore, it would be concluded that further works are required to reduce these uncertainties, and consequently predict appropriately thermal-hydraulic behaviors in the reactor coolant system during LOCA analyses.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2004

The NSSS (Nuclear Steam Supply System) thermal-hydraulic programs adopted in the domestic full-scope power plant simulators were provided in early 1980s by foreign vendors. Because of limited compulsational capability at that time, they usually used very simplified physical models for a real-time simulation of NSSS thermal-hydraulic transients, which entails inaccurate results and, thus, the possibility of so-called "negative training", especially for complicated two-phase flows in the reactor coolant system. In resolve the problem, KEPRI developed a realistic NSSS T/H program ARTS which was based on the RETRAN-3D code for the improvement of the Nuclear Power Plant full-scope simulator. The ARTS (based on the RETRAN-3D code) guarantees the real-time calculations of almost all transients and ensures the robustness of simulations. However, there is some possibility of failing to calculate in the case of large break loss of coolant accident (LBLOCA) and low-pressure low-flow transient. In this case, the backup calculation system cover automatically the ARTS. The backup calculation system was expected to provide substantially more accurate predictions in the analysis of the system transients involving LBLOCA. The results were reasonable in terms of accuracy, real-time simulation, robustness and education of operators, complying with FSAR and the AMSI/ANS-3.5-1998 simulator software performance criteria.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 1990

The Loss of Offsite Power Transient at 77.5% power which occurred on June 9, 1981 at the Kori Unit 1 PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) is simulated using the RELAP5/MOD2 system thermal-hydraulics computer code. Major thermal-hydraulic parameters are compared with the available plant data. The comparison of the analysis results with the plant data demonstrates that the RELAP5/MOD2 code has the capability to simulate the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of PWRs under accident conditions of this type with accuracy, except the pressurizer pressure and level. The pressurizer pressure increase is sensitive to the in surge now it is believed that the interracial heat transfer in a horizontal stratified flow regime may be estimated low and the compression effect due to insurge flow may be high. In the nodalization sensitivity study it is found that S/G noding with junctions between bypass plenum and steam dome is preferred to simulate the S/G water level decreasing and avoid the spurious level peak at trubine trip.