Some recent progress in reactor core thermal-hydraulics modelling

Abstract

In the last more than ten years the research groups of the present authors have been working on some of the key phenomena or parameters widely used in sub-channel thermal-hydraulics (SCTH) codes, e.g. (a) transversal exchange between sub-channels, (b) circumferential non-uniform heat transfer in fuel assemblies with tight or semi-tight lattice (pitch-to-diameter ratio smaller than 1.25), (c) PDO heat transfer and rewetting and (d) CFD analysis of two-phase flow and heat transfer, incl. critical heat flux. Among others, three transversal exchange phenomena were studied, i.e. turbulent mixing coefficients, void drift and wire wrap induced sweeping flow. New models for various turbulent mixings, void drift and wire wrap induced cross flow were developed based on analytical analysis and CFD simulations. Importance of the non-uniform heat transfer behavior inside single sub-channel was identified in fuel assemblies with tight or semi-tight lattice. Correlations for predicting the non-uniform heat transfer coefficient were proposed, which were implemented into SCTH codes, to accurately determine the local hot spot on the fuel pin surface. A large experimental data base containing more than 60,000 data points of PDO heat transfer and rewetting was established. Based on the data base a new empirical correlation of PDO heat transfer was proposed. In addition, dynamic behavior of droplets (droplet size and velocity) and the thermal non-equilibrium were experimentally measured, which can be used for the validation and improvement of mechanistic models of PDO heat transfer and rewetting, also proposed by the research groups of the present authors. For the CFD prediction of CHF, a new and robust method for wall boiling heat transfer was developed to calculate the near wall void fraction and its connection to CHF.