Symmetric Heat Transfer Pattern of Fuel Assembly Subchannels in a Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

Abstract

The method outlined in this paper is convenient and effective for studying the thermal performance of fuel assemblies cooled with sodium fast reactors using the subchannel procedure. To initially study an optimization model for a symmetric single fuel assembly heat transfer pattern analysis in a fast sodium-cooled reactor based on subchannel calculations, this paper innovatively proposes a subchannel heat transfer analysis method with the entransy dissipation theory, which can solve the limitations and inaccuracies of the traditional entropy method such as poor applicability for heat transfer processes without functional conversion and the paradox of entropy production of heat exchangers. The symmetric distributions of the thermal-hydraulic parameters such as coolant flow rate, coolant temperature, cladding temperature, and fuel pellet temperature were calculated, and the entransy dissipation calculation method corresponding to the fuel assembly subchannels was derived based on the entransy theory. The effect of subchannel differences on the thermal-hydraulic parameters and the symmetric distribution pattern of entransy dissipation during the cooling process of the fuel assembly was analyzed and compared from the symmetrical arrangement of subchannels in the axial and radial directions.