TY - GEN
T1 - Evaluation of RANS vs. LES Simulation of Fluid Flow through 3x3 Rod Bundle with a Simple Spacer Grid as a Precursor to Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations
AU - Brockmeyer, Landon
AU - Saini, Nadish
AU - Tentner, Adrian
AU - Merzari, Elia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Proceedings of the 20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, NURETH 2023. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Fluid flow through rod bundles with spacer grids is one of the most commonly studied phenomena in CFD nuclear engineering. The mixing of flow between subchannels and the pressure drop through the bundle are fundamental quantities useful for comparing and evaluating CFD methods. Less commonly observed and compared are the forces exerted onto the structure by the fluid. The present study seeks to evaluate the use of RANS fluid flow simulations for predicting the structural response to fluid flow. RANS simulations, both with and without wall-functions, are benchmarked against LES simulations of fluid flow at a Reynold's number of 15,000 through a 3x3 fuel rod bundle with a simple spacer grid. Velocity line-plots and pressure drop are compared. Additionally, the distribution of forces on the spacer grid and fuel rods are collected as a function of time and space. The RANS methods are evaluated using the frequency and magnitude of the fluctuating forces on various portions of the structure as compared to LES. This evaluation of the force behavior of the RANS models gives insight into how well they may perform in planned coupled fluid-structure interaction simulations, as well as what flow behavior features the RANS models may be missing.
AB - Fluid flow through rod bundles with spacer grids is one of the most commonly studied phenomena in CFD nuclear engineering. The mixing of flow between subchannels and the pressure drop through the bundle are fundamental quantities useful for comparing and evaluating CFD methods. Less commonly observed and compared are the forces exerted onto the structure by the fluid. The present study seeks to evaluate the use of RANS fluid flow simulations for predicting the structural response to fluid flow. RANS simulations, both with and without wall-functions, are benchmarked against LES simulations of fluid flow at a Reynold's number of 15,000 through a 3x3 fuel rod bundle with a simple spacer grid. Velocity line-plots and pressure drop are compared. Additionally, the distribution of forces on the spacer grid and fuel rods are collected as a function of time and space. The RANS methods are evaluated using the frequency and magnitude of the fluctuating forces on various portions of the structure as compared to LES. This evaluation of the force behavior of the RANS models gives insight into how well they may perform in planned coupled fluid-structure interaction simulations, as well as what flow behavior features the RANS models may be missing.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85198376910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.13182/NURETH20-40281
DO - 10.13182/NURETH20-40281
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85198376910
T3 - Proceedings of the 20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, NURETH 2023
SP - 366
EP - 378
BT - Proceedings of the 20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, NURETH 2023
PB - American Nuclear Society
T2 - 20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, NURETH 2023
Y2 - 20 August 2023 through 25 August 2023
ER -