A subchannel analysis of DUPIC fuel bundle for the CANDU reactor

Thermal characteristics of the reference DUPIC fuel has been studied for its feasibility of loading in the CANDU reactor. Half of the DUPIC fuel bundle has been modeled for a subchannel analysis of the ASSERT-IV Code which was developed by AECL. From the calculated mixture enthalpy, equilibrium quality and void fraction distributions in subchannels of the fuel bundle, it is found that the gravity effect may be pronounced in the DUPIC fuel bundle when compared with the standard CANDU fuel bundle. The asymmetric distribution of the coolant in the fuel bundle is known to be undesirable since the minimum critical heat flux ratio can be reduced for a given value of the channel flow rate. On the other hand, the central region of the DUPIC fuel bundle has been found to be cooled more efficiently than that of the standard fuel bundle in the subcooled and the local boiling regimes due to the fuel geometry and the fuel element power changes. Based upon the subchannel modeling used in this study, the location of minimum critical heat flux ratio in the DUPIC fuel bundle turned out to be very similar to that of the standard fuel when the equivalent values of channel power and channel flow rate are used. From the calculated mixture enthalpy distribution at the exit of the fuel channel, it is found that the subchannel-wise mixture enthalpy and void fraction peaks are located in the peripheral region of the DUPIC fuel bundle while those are located in the central region of the standard CANDU fuel bundle. Reduced values of the channel flow rates were used to study the effect of channel flow rate variation. The effect of the channel flow reduction on different thermal-hydraulic parameters have been discussed. This study shows that the subchannel analysis for the horizontal flow is very informative in developing new fuel for the CANDU reactor.     

Analytical study on effects of BWR fuel spacer on droplet deposition

In a boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR), liquid film dryout may occur on a fuel rod surface when the fuel assembly power exceeds the critical power. The spacers supporting fuel rods affect on the thermal-hydraulic performance of the fuel assembly. The spacer is designed to enhance critical power significantly. If spacer effects for two-phase flow could be estimated analytically, the cost and time for the development of the advanced BWR fuel would be certainly decreased. The final goal of this study is to be able to analytically predict the critical power of a new BWR fuel assembly without any thermal-hydraulic tests. Initially, we developed the finite element code to estimate spacer effects on the droplet deposition. Then, using the developed code, the spacer effects were estimated for various spacer geometries in a plane channel and one subchannel of BWR fuel bundle. The estimated results of the spacer effects showed a possibility to analytically predict the critical power of a BWR fuel assembly.     

Prediction of Transient Boiling Transition in BWR Fuel Rod Bundles by Subchannel Analysis Program MENUETT

Transient CHF (critical heat flux) tests of a 4 X 4 rod bundle were analyzed by the subchannel analysis program MENUETT. MENUETT is based on a non-equilibrium, five equation, two-phase flow model and is available both for steady state and transient analyses. Turbulent mixing and void drift effects are taken into account to calculate cross flows in fuel rod bundles. The tendency of calculated subchannel mass fluxes and qualities agreed with experimental data. By using a critical quality correlation obtained from steady state CHF data, the position of the earliest boiling transition could be predicted regardless of non-uniform axial heat flux distributions. This transition occurrence time was predicted within a difference of 0.1～0.3 s from the experimental time. MENUETT applicability was confirmed for transient calculations predicting thermalhydraulic behavior in bundles.     

Development of a bundle correction method and its application to predicting CHF in rod bundles

A bundle correction method, based on the conservation laws of mass, energy, and momentum in an open subchannel, is proposed for the prediction of the critical heat flux (CHF) in rod bundles from round tube CHF correlations without detailed subchannel analysis. It takes into account the effects of the enthalpy and mass velocity distributions at subchannel level using the first derivatives of CHF with respect to the independent parameters. Three different CHF correlations for tubes (Groeneveld's CHF table, Katto correlation, and Biasi correlation) have been examined with uniformly heated bundle CHF data collected from various sources. A limited number of CHF data from a non-uniformly heated rod bundle are also evaluated with the aid of Tong's F-factor. The proposed method shows satisfactory CHF predictions for rod bundles both uniform and non-uniform power distributions.     

Development of a Transient Boiling Transition Analysis Method Based on a Film Flow Model

A new single-channel, transient boiling transition (BT) prediction method based on a film flow model has been developed for a core thermal-hydraulic code. This method could predict onset and location of dryout and rewetting under transient conditions mechanically based on the dryout criterion and with consideration of the spacer effect. The developed method was applied to analysis of steady-state and transient BT experiments using BWR fuel bundle mockups for verification. Comparisons between calculated results and experimental data showed that the developed method tended to predict occurrence of rewetting earlier, however, onset time of BT and maximum rod surface temperature were well predicted within 0.6 s and 20°C, respectively. Moreover, it was confirmed that consideration of the spacer effect on liquid film flow rate on the rod surface was required to predict dryout phenomena accurately under transient conditions.     

Analysis of radiant heat transfer in a BWR fuel assembly

A computer code ‘CIDER’ was developed which analyzes radiant heat transfer in a BWR fuel rod bundle under loss of coolant conditions. In the code, (1) a channel box and fuel rods are considered to be gray bodies, (2) reflection and absorption of radiation beams in the atmosphere is neglected, (3) a fuel rod is approximated by a regular polygonal rod, and (4) radiant heat flux is calculated considering circumferential temperature distribution on each fuel rod surface, which is determined from radial and circumferential heat conduction calculations in a fuel rod. It was found that the conventional model with uniform cladding temperature overestimated heat flux about 30% in a typical situation, or correspondingly underestimated the temperature rises.     

Modeling and validation of a mechanistic tool (MEFISTO) for the prediction of critical power in BWR fuel assemblies

Westinghouse is currently developing the MEFISTO code with the main goal to achieve fast, robust, practical and reliable prediction of steady-state dryout Critical Power in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) fuel bundle based on a mechanistic approach. A computationally efficient simulation scheme was used to achieve this goal, where the code resolves all relevant field (drop, steam and multi-film) mass balance equations, within the annular flow region, at the sub-channel level while relying on a fast and robust two-phase (liquid/steam) sub-channel solution to provide the cross-flow information. The MEFISTO code can hence provide highly detailed solution of the multi-film flow in BWR fuel bundle while enhancing flexibility and reducing the computer time by an order of magnitude as compared to a standard three-field sub-channel analysis approach.Models for the numerical computation of the one-dimensional field flowrate distributions in an open channel (e.g. a sub-channel), including the numerical treatment of field cross-flows, part-length rods, spacers grids and post-dryout conditions are presented in this paper. The MEFISTO code is then applied to dryout prediction in BWR fuel bundle using VIPRE-W as a fast and robust two-phase sub-channel driver code. The dryout power is numerically predicted by iterating on the bundle power so that the minimum film flowrate in the bundle reaches the dryout criteria. Predicted dryout powers (including trends with flow, pressure, inlet subcooling and power distribution) and predicted dryout locations (both axial and radial) are compared to experimental results, using the entire Westinghouse SVEA-96 Optima3 dryout database, and are shown to yield excellent results.     

数值反应堆堆芯通道级三维热工水力程序CorTAF开发及初步验证

堆芯是核动力系统的核心部件,其完整性是反应堆安全运行的重要前提。传统核反应堆堆芯热工水力分析方法无法满足未来先进核动力系统的高精度模拟需求。本文依托开源CFD平台OpenFOAM,针对压水堆堆芯棒束结构特点建立了冷却剂流动换热模型、燃料棒导热模型和耦合换热模型,开发了一套基于有限体积法的压水堆全堆芯通道级热工水力特性分析程序CorTAF。选取GE3×3、Weiss和PNL2×6燃料组件流动换热实验开展模型验证,计算结果与实验数据基本符合,表明该程序适用于棒束燃料组件内冷却剂流动换热特性预测。本工作对压水堆堆芯安全分析工具开发具有参考和借鉴意义。     

Analytical Study on Detailed Void Distributions Inside BWR Fuel Bundle under Turbine Trip Event Considering Time-Dependent Pin Power Distributions

A one-way coupling system between the plant simulator TRAC/BF1-ENTRÉE and the subchannel code with the improved cross flow model, NASCA, has been developed. Based on a scenario of turbine trip tests in the Peach Bottom Unit 2, the wide and rapid reactivity insertion transient induced by the system pressure rise was calculated. The pin power distribution in hot bundles was re-constructed considering heterogeneity of the fuel bundle. When the neighboring control blade is withdrawn, NASCA predicted that the steady-state bundle exit void distribution was nearly flat with regardless of the pin power distribution. However, void distributions in the middle and lower bundle regions became complicated depending on the pin power and the two-phase flow regime in each subchannel. The pin power distribution rapidly changed according to traveling of control blades. However, influence in the void distribution was delayed and damped due to the fuel heat conduction. The detailed void distribution under transient events has an impact on the location of dryout. It has been shown that the coupling calculation including the subchannel code is useful in understanding transition of the detailed void distribution depending on the pin power and the two-phase flow regime.     

Assessment of the interchannel mixing model with a subchannel analysis code for BWR and PWR conditions

The influence of the interchannel mixing model employed in a traditional subchannel analysis code was investigated in this study, specifically on the analysis of the enthalpy distribution and critical heat flux (CHF) in rod bundles in BWR and PWR conditions. The equal-volume-exchange turbulent mixing and void drift model (EVVD) was embodied to the COBRA-IV-I code. An optimized model of the void drift coefficient has been devised in this study as the result of the assessment with the two-phase flow distribution data for the general electric (GE) 9-rod and Ispra 16-rod test bundles. The influence of the subchannel analysis model on the analysis of CHF was examined by evaluating the CHF test data in rod bundles representing PWR and BWR conditions. The CHFR margins of typical light water nuclear reactor (LWR) cores were evaluated by considering the influence on the local parameter CHF correlation and the hot channel analysis result. It appeared that the interchannel mixing model has an important effect upon the analysis of CHFR margin for BWR conditions.     

Prediction of Liquid Film Dryout in Two-Phase Annular-Mist Flow in a Uniformly Heated Narrow Tube Development of Analytical Method under BWR Conditions

A method was developed based on the conservation lows to predict critical heat flux (CHF) causing liquid film dryout in two-phase annular-mist flow in a uniformly heated narrow tube under BWR conditions. The applicable range of the method is within the pressure of 3–9 MPa, mass flux of 500–2,000 kg/m²·s, heat flux of 0.33–2.0 MW/m² and boiling length-to-tube diameter ratio of 200–800.

The two-phase annular-mist flow was modeled with the three-fluid streams with liquid film, entrained droplets and gas flow. Governing equations of the method are mass continuity and energy conservation on the three-fluid streams. Constitutive equations on the mass transfer which consist of the entrainment fraction at equilibrium and the mass transfer coefficient were newly proposed in this study.

Confirmation of the present method were performed in comparison with the available film flow measurements and various CHF data from experiments in uniformly heated narrow tubes under high pressure steam- water conditions. In the heat flux range (q“<2MW/m²) practical for a BWR, agreement of the present method with CHF data was obtained as, (Averaged ratio)±(Standard deviation)=0.984±0.077, which was shown to be the same or better agreement than the widely-used CHF correlations.     

Multi-dimensional analysis of two-phase flow inside subchannels of nuclear fuel assembly

In subchannel analysis, the conservation equations are solved for each channel in a complex fuel bundle, where the effects of fluid exchange between each subchannel are considered. The fluid exchange is commonly referred to as that caused by cross flow. Void drift is considered to be phenomenon resulting from attaining a hydrodynamic equilibrium state. Its mechanism has not been clarified, and the transport due to void drift is therefore estimated through empirical models in conventional subchannel analyses. Therefore, mechanistic model for the void drift phenomenon is required to apply the subchannel analysis to a variety of fuel bundle geometry. In this study, multi-dimensional analysis using two-fluid model was applied to two-phase flow inside a geometry simulating fuel bundle subchannels, for the purpose of clarifying the void drift mechanism. The comparison between the results of the numerical analysis and the experiment confirmed that the reliability of the numerical method used in this study. In this paper, a mechanistic model based on the Stanton number, which expresses the void diffusion coefficient based on the Lahey's proposal, was proposed.     

Pressure drop and heat transfer in gas-cooled rod bundles

Extensive experimental and analytical investigations of fluid flow and heat transfer in gas-cooled rod bundles have been carried out. Different bundle geometries with partially or fully roughened rod surfaces were tested in a carbon dioxide loop. An advanced and comprehensive measuring control and instrumentation are important design features of this experiment. Comprehensive thermal hydraulic subchannel analysis computer codes have been developed in order to assist fuel element design calculation for gas-cooled reactors. The experiments, codes and their verification procedure are described and the results of comparisons between measured and calculated pressure and temperature distributions are given.     

Application of Quick Subchannel Analysis Method for Three-Dimensional Pin-by-Pin BWR Core Calculations

Three-dimensional pin-by-pin core analysis is considered to be a candidate for the next-generation BWR core calculation method. In our previous study, the applicability of the transport and burnup calculations for a three-dimensional pin-by-pin BWR core analysis was investigated. However, the thermal-hydraulics calculation has not yet been studied in this framework. In the conventional core analysis code, the bundlewise thermal-hydraulics calculation is adopted. In the actual core analysis, the power distribution inside a fuel assembly is tilted at the region adjacent to a control blade or the core peripheral region. In these regions, the consideration of the subchannel-wise void distribution has an impact on the fission rate distribution. Therefore, an evaluation of the detailed void distribution inside an assembly, i.e., the incorporation of the subchannel wise void distribution, is desirable for the pin-by-pin BWR core analysis. Although several subchannel analysis codes have been developed, these subchannel analysis codes generally require a large computational effort to estimate the subchannel-wise void distribution in a whole BWR core. Therefore, to analyze a whole BWR core within a reasonable computation time, it was necessary to apply a fast subchannel analysis code. In this paper, a quick subchannel analysis code dedicated to pin-by-pin BWR core analysis is newly developed, and the void distribution of the present subchannel analysis code is compared with the prevailing subchannel analysis code NASCA using three-dimensional single-assembly geometries. Since the present subchannel analysis code is used for a coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics analysis, the results of the coupling calculation are also compared with those of NASCA. The calculation result indicates that the void distribution difference between NASCA and the present subchannel analysis code is slightly less than 10%. This result indicates that the prediction accuracy of the present subchannel analysis code will be reasonably appropriate for a pin-by-pin BWR core analysis. Furthermore, the results show that the calculation time of the present subchannel analysis code is only 10 min for a hypothetical three-dimensional ABWR quarter-core geometry using a single CPU. This calculation time is sufficient for a pin-by-pin BWR core analysis.     

含弯曲棒的全长燃料棒束沸腾传热CFD计算分析

采用计算流体动力学（CFD）分析方法模拟了含一根弯曲燃料棒（简称“弯曲棒”）的5×5全长燃料棒束内的沸腾传热现象。基于欧拉两流体模型和改进的壁面沸腾模型进行计算,并基于压水堆子通道和棒束实验( PSBT )基准题中的试验数据对计算方法进行了验证,计算所得截面平均空泡份额与试验数据吻合良好,说明了现有计算方法的可靠性。基于计算结果考察了弯曲棒对棒束通道内流场、温度场、空泡份额等关键参数的影响。研究结果表明,弯曲棒的存在对截面横向流动、流体温度、空泡份额等均未产生显著影响,但弯曲棒表面温度增加,气泡也易发生聚集,增加了发生临界热流密度（CHF）的风险。      

快堆燃料组件热工流体力学计算研究

对于钠冷快堆,在燃料和包壳最高温度等设计限值下,为获得较高的堆芯出口温度,需深入分析燃料组件内的热工流体力学问题,准确预测组件内的冷却剂温度分布。本文在CRT模型和F.C.Engel等人工作的基础上,提出了ICRT压降关系式,用以计算冷却剂在湍流区、过渡流区和层流区的棒束压降;引入CRT模型和WEST对流传热模型,改进了SUPERENERGY子通道分析程序,并将改进程序与原程序计算结果进行了对比,结果表明：最热子通道出口温度略有降低,液膜温压略有增加;并用计算流体力学软件CFX对中国实验快堆单盒燃料组件活性段进行了三维数值模拟,将计算结果用CRT模型、ICRT压降关系式及改进后的SUPERENERGY子通道分析程序进行了验证,相互符合较好。     

基于流固共轭传热的两相流动数值模拟及燃料子通道CHF预测研究

为对过冷沸腾两相流动进行准确模拟,并探索临界热流密度（CHF）预测方法,本文基于共轭传热和两相CFD分析的方法,通过流固界面耦合,建立流固共轭传热两相流动耦合求解的数值模型。首先通过典型燃料棒栅元过冷沸腾两相流动的模拟,验证数值模型的正确性。随后对燃料子通道内两相流动进行模拟,并在两相流动模拟的基础上,通过准瞬态的方法,建立与CHF试验过程非常近似的CHF预测方法,将加热壁面的温度飞升作为CHF判定的标准,实现对燃料组件子通道CHF的数值预测。研究表明,本文建立的数值模拟方法,可为燃料组件或其他换热系统的CHF预测奠定基础,为燃料组件的设计提供新的辅助手段。     

测量和预测棒束CHF数据对比方法研究

通过采用子通道程序FLICA建模分析5×5棒束临界热流密度试验,并分别采用直接代入法(DSM)和能量平衡法(HBM)两种方法利用已有临界热流密度关系式获得计算的临界热流密度,并将计算的临界热流密度与试验获得的临界热流密度对比分析,探讨了棒束临界热流密度试验数据的处理方法。结果表明,在棒束临界热流密度试验数据与已有关系式计算数据的对比中,HBM是一种更合理的方法。     

Development of a Numerical Analysis Method for Cross-sectional Void Fraction Distribution in Subchannels of Nuclear Fuel Assemblies

Detailed information about the void fraction distribution in fuel assemblies is increasingly important with the development of high burn-up fuels. A numerical method has been developed for the steady cross-sectional void fraction profile in fuel assemblies using a marching method in the axial direction, considering cross-flows due to lift forces, void diffusion and momentum balance. Uniform pressure in a cross section was assumed under the dominant vertical flow and the secondary lateral flow condition in each subchannel. The merit of this simplified method is its high-performance computation using many BFC meshes for expression of complex void fraction and velocity distributions inside the subchannels. The calculated results were compared with the observed void distributions obtained with X-ray computed tomography in the NUPEC tests of full-scale advanced BWR fuels. The comparison showed the capability of this method for predictions of overall void fraction distributions inside the subchannels. This method will provide a good tool for void fraction profile prediction in high burn-up fuels, while future studies for reliable correlations of lift forces are required over a wide range of flow conditions.     

Local heat transfer and hot-spot factors in wire-wrap tube bundle

Heat transfer coefficients and hot-spot factors have been determined from measured local temperatures and calculated local mass flux in seven adjacent tubes and associated subchannels of a 61 wire-wrap tube bundle characteristic of the blanket of a GCFR (Gas Cooled Fast Reactor). The bundle consisted of 2.11 cm OD stainless steel tubes on a triangular array with a pitch/diameter ratio of P/D = 1.05. The helical wire of 0.1067 cm in diameter was coiled on the tube with a respective initial orientation of 0–120–240°C and 30.48 cm helical pitch. The experiment used water at atmospheric pressure and temperature as coolant. The resulting dimensionless correlation for heat transfer is applicable to gases and all non-metal fluids in one phase flow when the fluid properties at subchannel bulk temperature are used. This correlation is based on local subchannel mass flux and is applicable to all wire-wrap configurations. Local subchannel mass fluxes were determined with a computer program COBRA IV and used to correlate the average Nusselt number for each subchannel in terms of local Reynolds number and fluid Prandtl number. The differences of up to 19% between that correlation and the one presented in earlier work are discussed in the text. The hot-spot factors on the convective heat transfer coefficient for tubes and subchannels are given as a function of Reynolds number based on a bundle average mass flux and a local subchannel hydraulic diameter. These factors are specific to the bundle configuration and are also dependent on the wire-wrap configuration.