Numerical study of condensing bubble in subcooled boiling flow using volume of fluid model

In this numerical study, the behavior of condensing bubble was investigated using the volume of fluid (VOF) model in the FLUENT code. In order to simulate the condensing bubble with the FLUENT code, the bubble condensation was modeled using the user-defined function (UDF). For the validation of the UDF of bubble condensation, the results of CFD simulation were compared with the results of a bubble condensation experiment performed in Seoul National University (SNU). Simulation results showed good agreements with the experimental data. Moreover, the fundamental behavior of the condensing bubble was investigated in various conditions. The effects of condensation on bubble behavior were analyzed by comparing the behavior of condensing bubbles with that of adiabatic bubbles. It was found that the behavior of the condensing bubble was different from that of the adiabatic bubble in many respects including the bubble shape, velocity, rise distance and moving trajectory.     

A droplet entrainment model based on the force balance of an interfacial wave in two-phase annular flow

Droplets are generated at the interface of annular flow due to an interaction between a liquid film and gas core flow. Therefore, knowledge of the interfacial wave structure is essential for making an accurate prediction of the amount of entrained droplets. A new droplet entrainment model was proposed based on the force balance of interfacial waves in vertical annular flow. An analytic wave shape function was developed reflecting the detailed experimental findings, and was used in the development of a new model. The model was validated using the experimental data reported by Hewitt and Pulling at low pressures and by Keeys et al. at high pressures, which had been performed in adiabatic vertical tubes. The root-mean-square error of the prediction of the amount of entrainment was approximately 27% when the model was implemented into COBRA-TF code, which is approximately 23% less than that determined by the Würtz model. The models proposed by Okawa et al. and Stevanovic et al. were also implemented into COBRA-TF and compared with the proposed model.     

The development of a closed-form analytical model for the stability analysis of nuclear-coupled density-wave oscillations in boiling water nuclear reactors

A state-of-the-art one-dimensional thermal-hydraulic model has been developed to be used for the linear analysis of nuclear-coupled density-wave oscillations in a boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR). This model accounts for phasic slip, distributed spacers, subcooled boiling, space/time-dependent power distributions and distributed heated wall dynamics. In addition to a parallel channel stability analysis, a detailed model was derived for the BWR loop analysis of both the natural and forced circulation modes of operation.The model for coolant thermal-hydraulics has been coupled with the point kinetics model of reactor neutronics. Kinetics parameters for use in the neutronics model have been obtained by utilizing self-consistent nodal data and power distributions.The computer implementation of this model, NUFREQ-N, was used for the parametric study of a typical BWR/4, as well as for comparisons with existing in-core and out-of-core data. Also, NUFREQ-N was applied to analyze the expected stability characteristics of a typical BWR/4.     

Development of effective thermal conductivity models for Reserve Shutdown Control fuel block of prismatic HTGR for hydrogen production

A hydrogen production system coupled to High Temperature Gas-cooled nuclear Reactor (HTGR) is considered to be one of the most promising ways for massive hydrogen production. For the reliability of the coupled system, the safety analysis on the HTGR is to be conducted by a system-scale analysis code. The system-scale analysis code adopts an effective thermal conductivity (ETC) model for a fuel block due to its complex geometry containing large number of coolant holes and nuclear fuel rods. The ETC of the fuel block is crucial to calculate the heat transfer inside the reactor core and prediction of thermal distribution over the reactor core is the most significant for the safety analysis of HTGR. Therefore, the verification of the ETC model that contributes to the prediction is essential. This ETC model based on Maxwell's theory shows an inaccurate prediction when the configuration of the composite materials is not homogeneous. Since the geometry of Reserve Shutdown Control (RSC) fuel block of HTGR is not homogeneous due to a large RSC hole, the ETC model for RSC fuel block should be developed to improve the accuracy and reliability of the reactor system analysis code. In this study, the two ETC models for the RSC fuel block have been developed by the thermal network modeling. Computational fluid dynamic simulations with a real geometry were performed to evaluate the accuracy of the ETC models for the RSC fuel block. The comparative result between CFD analysis and the ETC model shows that the newly developed model predicts the effective thermal conductivity of RSC fuel block more accurately than the previous model.     

Numerical study on flow field in inlet plenum of a pebble-bed modular reactor

Flow distribution and pressure drop analysis in the inlet plenum of a pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR) have been performed numerically. Three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations have been solved in conjunction with the k– model as a turbulence closure. Non-uniformity in the flow distribution is assessed for the reference case, and parametric studies have been performed for rising channels diameter, Reynolds number, angle between the rising channels, angle between the inlet ports, and aspect ratio of the plenum cross-section. Also, two different shapes of the inlet plenum, namely, rectangular and oval shapes, have been analyzed. The relative flow mal-distribution parameter variation shows that the flow distribution in rising channels for the reference case is strongly non-uniform. As the rising channels diameter is decreased, the flow uniformity as well as the pressure drop is found to increase. The flow distribution in the rising channels is independent of Reynolds number. Increase in the angle between the inlet ports and aspect ratio is found to increase the uniformity in flow distribution.     

Deformable-volume-based thermal-hydraulic model for a tanks-in-series water-gas system in a vertically stratified flow. Part II: Under non-adiabatic conditions

In this paper, heat and mass transfers in a high-pressure water-gas system with a clear water-gas interface are modeled, and the concept of a pseudo-deformable heat structure is described. The model of the pseudo-deformable heat structure and water vapor bulk condensation under nearly saturated conditions has two distinguishing features. First, the heat structure contacting a deformable fluid volume is modeled as if it deforms along with the deformable fluid; due to this feature, the exact average temperature of the heat structure can be predicted. Second, the rate of change of water vapor mass in the gas dome under nearly saturated conditions is determined by a differential equation derived from the Gibbs free energy function. Then, the rate of bulk condensation is determined from the water vapor mass conservation in the gas dome. The proposed model was partially validated by comparison with the results of the MARS3.1 accumulator model at low temperature conditions.     

Development of algorithm to measure temperatures of liquid/gas phases using micro-thermocouple and experiment with optical chopper

This paper introduces the algorithm developed to measure the local temperature of phases in the non-isothermal two-phase flow by using micro-thermocouple, which was verified using an optical chopper and a laser. The micro-thermocouple, whose outer diameter of which is 12.7 μm, consists of a couple of alumel-chromel wire (K-type). The hot-junction, a part of the sensor used to for measuring temperature, is fabricated by hot-wire shapes. The response time of the micro-thermocouple, which was measured by dynamic calibration method, was several milliseconds in flow condition. An algorithm to calculate the temperature of each, which is based on the response time of micro-thermocouple and the exponential regression method, was developed. And the developed algorithm was verified through experiments using an optical chopper and a laser.     

Sweepout model implementation in RELAP5/MOD3.3 to improve RCS coolant inventory calculation during a LBLOCA

According to the experiments of the Upper Plenum Test Facility (UPTF) and advanced power reactor 1400 MW_e (APR1400), the sweepout in the downcomer has been identified to play an important role in depleting the core coolant inventory during a Large-Break Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LBLOCA). In order to identify the sweepout mechanism and to estimate the amount of coolant discharged by sweepout, the separate-effect test was carried out in the plate type test apparatus, which was scaled down to 1/5 of the size of the APR1400 downcomer. In addition, the sweepout model was developed by correlating the experimental data on the critical void height and the discharge flow rate at the break to the values of analytically derived non-dimensional parameters. This model was implemented in RELAP5/MOD3.3 to improve its calculation of coolant inventory loss during a LBLOCA. To validate the modified RELAP5/MOD3.3 by implementing the sweepout model, the sweepout separate-effect test was simulated by both the original and the modified RELAP5/MOD3.3. The original one predicted the different discharge flow rates according to the node size of the donor volume, and these flow rates were larger than those of the experiment. On the other hand, the modified one calculated the discharge flow rate and the critical void height much more similar to those of the experiment than the original model did. In the future, the improved RELAP5/MOD3.3 adopted in an integrated analysis system will support a more realistic thermal hydraulic analysis.     

Multiphase flow modeling of molten material-vapor-liquid mixtures in thermal nonequilibrium

This paper presents a numerical model of multiphase flow of the mixtures of molten material-liquid-vapor, particularly in thermal nonequilibrium. It is a two-dimensional, transient, three-fluid model in Eulerian coordinates. The equations are solved numerically using the finite difference method that implicitly couples the rates of phase changes, momentum, and energy exchange to determine the pressure, density, and velocity fields. To examine the model’s ability to predict an experimental data, calculations have been performed for tests of pouring hot particles and molten material into a water pool. The predictions show good agreement with the experimental data. It appears, however, that the interfacial heat transfer and breakup of molten material need improved models that can be applied to such high temperature, high pressure, multiphase flow conditions.     

Development of nonequilibrium pressurizer model with noncondensable gas

To investigate thermal–hydraulic characteristics of a steam–gas pressurizer in the integral type reactor, the steam–gas pressurizer model based on the two-region nonequilibrium concept was developed and introduced into RETRAN-3D/INT code. The model includes an explicit solution method for the one-dimensional governing equations and the equation of the state solution method to determine the thermal–hydraulic state of the steam–gas pressurizer volume. In addition, the wall condensation model based on the diffusion layer modeling was included to consider the effect of the noncondensable gas. The developed model was verified with the results from the pressurizer insurge experiment conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From the verification results, it was concluded that the developed steam–gas pressurizer model can sufficiently predict the pressurizer transient and it can be used as a component model of the one-dimensional system code based on the homogeneous equilibrium model.