Lattice Boltzmann model of a square natural circulation loop with small inner diameter: working fluid effects

Abstract

Natural circulation loops are systems used to transport heat by the free convection of a working fluid in a closed thermo-hydraulic circuit. Many examples of the Lattice Boltzmann method applied to free convection can be found in the literature, but most of them are limited to model simple enclosures. This work is one of the first approaches to an engineering system as the Natural Circulation Loops using this numerical method. This study describes the implementation and validation of a numerical model of a rectangular loop characterized by a small inner diameter. This research is focused on the thermohydraulic response of the NCL varying the working fluid. We have obtained satisfactory results demonstrating that accepted analytical correlations for the steady-state behavior are reproduced by the thermal Lattice Boltzmann Method (double distribution function). Overall, these results suggest that the temperature and velocity oscillations during the transient increase directly with the fluid Prandtl number; instead, the temperature difference between the vertical legs is inversely correlated and decreases.