Numerical study of the closure flow within the chimney of a typical MTR reactor

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the closure flow values effect on the penetration depth of radioactive water inside the core chimney of a typical MTR reactor is studied numerically using commercial CFD software ANSYS FLUENT. The closure flow values within the chimney are allowed to change from the reactor design value of 50 m3/h to no flow value. The flow stream function is presented for each value of the closure flow showing the penetration depth for each closure flow. The stream functions show the flow structure within the core chimney. The penetration depth of the radioactive water increases with decreasing the value of the closure flow. The stream function contours reveals that for a closure flow greater than 1 m3/h, no radioactive water penetrates from the chimney to the pool.