Adam R. Kraus

Turbulent Flow-Field Comparisons of RANS and LES for a Twisted Pin Lattice Geometry at Low Reynolds Number

The accurate evaluation of fuel and cladding peak temperatures is of prime importance for nuclear reactor design and safety. The Global Threat Reduction Initiative reactor conversion program often encounters exotic flow geometries in its mission to aid in converting reactors from high-enriched to low-enriched fuel. These geometries can pose modeling challenges. Analysis presented here concerns a reactor with twisted fuel pins that are in direct contact with each other in a large, hexagonal-pitch lattice. The Reynolds number for a unit cell is only 7500. Such flow conditions can present difficulties for standard approaches based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS). Moreover there are no available experimental data and a small expected margin to the limiting cladding surface temperature. Given some of the geometric uncertainties, reducing the turbulence model uncertainty is thus important for meaningful calculations. A computational fluid dynamics model of a full-length unit cell was built using the commercial code STAR-CCM+. Multiple RANS models were employed, which gave disparate results. To provide higher-fidelity data for comparison, given the lack of experimental data, a periodic single-helical-pitch simulation with a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach was performed using Nek5000, a massively-parallel spectral-element code. This was compared with single-pitch RANS simulations from STAR-CCM+. Stream-wise velocity profile shape was generally well-represented by RANS. Cross-velocities and peak turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) were underestimated for most of the turbulence models with respect to LES, while mean flow TKE was universally underestimated. The overall results suggest that the Realizable k-e Two-Layer model, which was the best at reproducing the LES TKE distribution, would likely be the most appropriate turbulence model choice for this flow. Future work includes full conjugate heat transfer simulations of 1/6 sectors of fuel assemblies featuring this type of pin lattice.Copyright

High-Fidelity Simulation of Flow-Induced Vibrations in Helical Steam Generators for Small Modular Reactors

Abstract Flow-induced vibration (FIV) is a widespread problem in energy systems as they rely on fluid movement for energy conversion. Vibrating structures may be damaged as fatigue or wear occur. Given the importance of reliable components in the nuclear industry, FIV has long been a major concern in the safety and operation of nuclear reactors. In particular, nuclear fuel rods and steam generators have been known to suffer from FIV and related failures. In this paper we discuss the use of the computational fluid dynamics code Nek5000 coupled to the structural code Diablo to simulate the flow in helical coil heat exchangers and associated FIV. In particular, one-way coupled calculations are performed, where pressure and tractions data are loaded into the structural model. The main focus of this paper is on validation of this capability. Fluid-only Nek5000 large eddy simulations are first compared against dedicated high-resolution experiments. Then, one-way coupled calculations are performed with Nek5000 and Diablo for two data sets that provide FIV data for validation. These calculations were aimed at simulating available legacy FIV experiments in helical steam generators in the turbulent buffeting regime. In this regime one-way coupling is judged sufficient since the pressure loads do not cause substantial displacements. It is also the most common source of vibration in helical steam generators at the low flows expected in integral pressurized water reactors. We discuss validation of two-way coupled experiments and benchmarks toward the simulation of fluid elastic instability. We briefly discuss the application of these methods to grid-to-rod fretting.

CFD Analysis and Design of Detailed Target Configurations for an Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System

Abstract High-fidelity analysis has been utilized in the design of beam target options for an accelerator-driven subcritical system. Designs featuring stacks of plates with square cross section have been investigated for both tungsten and uranium target materials. The presented work includes the first thermal-hydraulic simulations of the full, detailed target geometry. The innovative target cooling manifold design features many regions with complex flow features, including 90° bends and merging jets, which necessitate three-dimensional fluid simulations. These were performed using the commercial computational fluid dynamics code STAR-CCM+. Conjugate heat transfer was modeled between the plates, cladding, manifold structure, and fluid. Steady-state simulations were performed but lacked good residual convergence. Unsteady simulations were then performed, which converged well and demonstrated that flow instability existed in the lower portion of the manifold. It was established that the flow instability had little effect on the peak plate temperatures, which were well below the melting point. The estimated plate surface temperatures and target region pressure were shown to provide sufficient margin to subcooled boiling for standard operating conditions. This demonstrated the safety of both potential target configurations during normal operation.