Unsteady two-dimensional multiphysical simulation of a pressure tube model expanded to contact with the outer concentric tube

For the blind calculation of the International Collaborative Standard Problem (ICSP) experiment on heavy water reactor moderator subcooling requirements, the COMSOL Multiphysics code is used to simulate plastic deformation of a pressure tube (PT) as a result of the interaction of stress and temperature. It is shown that the thermal stress model of COMSOL is compatible to simulate the multiple heat transfers (including the radiation heat transfer and heat conduction) and stress strain in the simplified two-dimensional problem. The benchmark test result for radiation heat transfer is in good agreement with the analytical solution for the concentric configuration of PT and calandria tube (CT). Since the original strain model of COMSOL only considers an elastic deformation with thermal expansion coefficient, the PT/CT contact cannot be predicted in the ICSP. Therefore, the plastic deformation model by the Shewfelt and Godin, widely used in the fuel channel analysis of CANadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor, is implemented to the strain equation of COMSOL. The heat-up of PT, the strain rate, and the contact time of the PT/CT are calculated with the boundary conditions (BCs) given for blind calculation of the ICSP experiment.

The result shows a sudden expansion of the inner concentric PT within a few milliseconds. This unsteady simulation should be helpful for the conceptual design of experiment as well as for the understanding of multiphysics inside the fuel channels of the CANDU reactor.