CFD Evaluation of Pressure Change along Coolant Passages in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor using Nek5000

J. Fang, Y. Yu, H. Yuan, D. R. Shaver, E. Merzari

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

To support the design of advanced Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR), a series of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations are performed to investigate the pressure change along various flow passages in the proposed SFR system. The simulations are carried out with the state-of-the-art spectral element flow solver, Nek5000. Two specific case studies are presented in this paper: the flow exiting the axial neutron reflector channels and the flow entering the fuel pin bundle. Due to the high Reynolds numbers expected (~106), RANS methods are necessary. A newly developed regularized k-ω RANS model is adopted in the related CFD calculations. The first case study explores the effect of Reynolds number on the pressure change when flow exiting the reflector channels. The pressure change in this case has two major contributors: the change due to wall friction and the Bernoulli effect. It is found out that the nondimensional pressure change (i.e. pressure loss coefficient) reduces slightly as the Reynolds number increases. In the second case study, the advanced NekNek coupling capability is tested where an integral domain can be divided into multiple subdomains with an overlapping interface for flow information communication. The preliminary results obtained so far confirmed the consistency between the NekNek results and those produced by regular Nek5000 simulation. The presented work is part of the broader effort to apply cutting-edge CFD techniques in addressing the advanced nuclear reactor design challenges.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationATH 2020 - International Topical Meeting on Advances in Thermal Hydraulics
PublisherAmerican Nuclear Society
Pages857-869
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9780894487774
StatePublished - 2020
Event2020 International Topical Meeting on Advances in Thermal Hydraulics, ATH 2020 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Oct 20 2020Oct 23 2020

Publication series

NameATH 2020 - International Topical Meeting on Advances in Thermal Hydraulics

Conference

Conference2020 International Topical Meeting on Advances in Thermal Hydraulics, ATH 2020
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/20/2010/23/20

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
  • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

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