CFD Simulation of a Coolant Flow and a Heat Transfer in a Pebble Bed Reactor

Author(s):  
Wang-Kee In ◽  
Won-Jae Lee ◽  
Yassin A. Hassan

This CFD study is to simulate a coolant (gas) flow and heat transfer in a PBR core during a normal operation. This study used a pebble array with direct area contacts among the pebbles which is one of the pebbles arrangements for a detailed simulation of PBR core CFD studies. A CFD model is developed to more adequately represent the pebbles randomly stacked in the PBR core. The CFD predictions showed a large variation of the temperature on the pebble surface as well as in the pebble core. The temperature drop in the outer graphite layer is smaller than that in the pebble-core region. This is because the thermal conductivity of graphite is higher than the fuel (UO2 mixture) conductivity in the pebble core. Higher pebble surface temperature is predicted downstream of the pebble contact due to a reverse flow. Multiple vortices are predicted to occur downstream of the spherical pebbles due to a flow separation. The coolant flow structure and fuel temperature in the PBR core appears to largely depend on the in-core distribution of the pebbles.

Author(s):  
Michel Arnal ◽  
Christian Precht ◽  
Thomas Sprunk ◽  
Tobias Danninger ◽  
John Stokes

The present paper outlines a practical methodology for improved virtual prototyping, using as an example, the recently re-engineered, internally-cooled 1st stage blade of a 40 MW industrial gas turbine. Using the full 3-D CAD model of the blade, a CFD simulation that includes the hot gas flow around the blade, conjugate heat transfer from the fluid to the solid at the blade surface, heat conduction through the solid, and the coolant flow in the plenum is performed. The pressure losses through and heat transfer to the cooling channels inside the airfoil are captured with a 1-D code and the 1-D results are linked to the three-dimensional CFD analysis. The resultant three-dimensional temperature distribution through the blade provides the required thermal loading for the subsequent structural finite element analysis. The results of this analysis include the thermo-mechanical stress distribution, which is the basis for blade life assessment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Fraas ◽  
Tobias Glasenapp ◽  
Achmed Schulz ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer

Internal coolant passages of gas turbine vanes and blades have various orientations relative to the external hot gas flow. As a consequence, the inflow of film cooling holes varies as well. To further identify the influencing parameters of film cooling under varying inflow conditions, the present paper provides detailed experimental data. The generic study is performed in a novel test rig, which enables compliance with all relevant similarity parameters including density ratio. Film cooling effectiveness as well as heat transfer of a 10–10–10 deg laidback fan-shaped cooling hole is discussed. Data are processed and presented over 50 hole diameters downstream of the cooling hole exit. First, the parallel coolant flow setup is discussed. Subsequently, it is compared to a perpendicular coolant flow setup at a moderate coolant channel Reynolds number. For the perpendicular coolant flow, asymmetric flow separation in the diffuser occurs and leads to a reduction of film cooling effectiveness. For a higher coolant channel Reynolds number and perpendicular coolant flow, asymmetry increases and cooling effectiveness is further decreased. An increase in blowing ratio does not lead to a significant increase in cooling effectiveness. For all cases investigated, heat transfer augmentation due to film cooling is observed. Heat transfer is highest in the near-hole region and decreases further downstream. Results prove that coolant flow orientation has a severe impact on both parameters.


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wataru Nakayama

Since the advent of modern electronics technology, heat transfer science and engineering has served in the development of computer technology. The computer as an object of heat transfer research has a unique aspect; it undergoes morphological transitions and diversifications in step with the progress of microelectronics technology. Evolution of computer's hardware manifests itself in increasing packing density of electronic circuits, modularization of circuit assemblies, and increasing hierarchical levels of system internal structures. These features are produced by the confluence of various factors; the primary factors are the pursuit of ever higher processing performance, less spatial occupancy, and higher energy utilization efficiency. The cost constraint on manufacturing also plays a crucial role in the evolution of computer's hardware. Besides, the drive to make computers ubiquitous parts of our society generates diverse computational devices. Concomitant developments in heat generation density and heat transfer paths pose fresh challenges to thermal management. In an introductory part of the paper, I recollect our experiences in the mainframe computers of the 1980s, where the system's morphological transition allowed the adoption of water cooling. Then, generic interpretations of the hardware evolution are attempted, which include recapturing the past experience. Projection of the evolutionary trend points to shrinking space for coolant flow, the process commonly in progress in all classes of computers today. The demand for compact packaging will rise to an extreme level in supercomputers, and present the need to refocus our research on microchannel cooling. Increasing complexity of coolant flow paths in small equipment poses a challenge to a user of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation code. In highly integrated circuits the paths of electric current and heat become coupled, and coupled paths make the electrical/thermal codesign an extremely challenging task. These issues are illustrated using the examples of a consumer product, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a many-core processor chip.


Author(s):  
Anthony G. Dixon ◽  
Michiel Nijemeisland ◽  
Hugh Stitt

Modeling of fluid flow, heat transfer and reaction in fixed beds is an essential part of their design. This is especially critical for highly endothermic or exothermic reactions in low tube-to-particle diameter ratio (N) tubes, such as are used in steam reforming and partial oxidation. In the simulations a near-wall section of an entire bed is used to create a simulation geometry that can be handled in the available computational domain. A full bed model was also available for validation of the wall-segment model. In the wall-segment approach a section of the bed is modeled in more detail, allowing for a relatively smaller control volume size and a more detailed view of the flow and heat transfer patterns. A simple model of a steam reforming process is used in the CFD simulation to incorporate the effect of reaction rate on temperature profiles in the bed. Simulations were performed under realistic industrial conditions of high temperature, pressure and gas flow rate, with gas properties corresponding to those of steam reforming. A constant wall heat flux was imposed, and various shapes of particles studied with heat sinks on the surface to simulate the reforming endothermic reaction, which is mainly confined to the surface of the pellet. Results will be presented showing the existence and effect of temperature profiles on the catalyst particles, and the effect on the local heat transfer rates of different gas compositions, corresponding to conditions at different locations along the catalyst tube. Local deactivation of catalyst particles can also lead to wall hot spots, or 'giraffe-necking' which can be well-reproduced by the simulations.


Author(s):  
Lei Chen ◽  
Junjie Gao ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
Cheng Chen

The temperature drop of waxy crude oil after a shutdown is the basic premise for restarting relative mechanical calculation. However, computational accuracy has been paid much more attention excessively in the relevant techniques proposed in the previous researches for this calculation but ignoring the practicability of the calculation results. In this paper a new mathematical model is established for a buried hot crude oil pipeline during shutdown with the simplified complex physical process of oil cooling process reasonably, in which the heat transfer mode of crude oil is divided into pure convection heat transfer and pure heat conduction with stagnation point temperature neglecting the difference of radial temperature. The quasi periodic property theory of soil temperature field is referenced to be as the boundary condition for the thermal influence region. A numerical solution with a structured grid and an analytical solution under polar coordinate are respectively applied for the soil region and other regions including pipe wall, wax layer and insulation layer. The finite volume method is adopted to discretize the heat transfer control equation at the same time the boundary conditions are treated by the additional source term method. The simulation results of the new model are verified by a temperature field tested experiment, especially analyzing the temperature deviation between the simulation and the equivalent mean value of actual oil temperature. At last the effect of buried depth of pipeline on the temperature profiles during normal operation and the temperature drop process of crude oil were investigated based on the simplified model.


Author(s):  
Xiang Zhao ◽  
Trent Montgomery ◽  
Sijun Zhang

In this paper, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gas flow simulations are carried out for the pebble bed reactor. In CFD calculations, geometry modeling and physical modeling are crucial to CFD results. The effects of the treatments of the interpebble contacts on gas flow fields and heat transfer are examined. A sensitivity analysis for the gap size is conducted with two spherical pebbles, in which the interpebble region is modeled by means of two types of interpebble gap and two kinds of direct contact. Both large eddy simulation and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes models are employed to investigate the turbulent effects. It is found that the flow fields and relevant heat transfer are significantly dependent on the modeling of the interpebble region. The calculations indicate the complex flow structures present within the voids between the fuel pebbles.


1972 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. H. Back ◽  
P. F. Massier ◽  
E. J. Roschke

Heat transfer and pressure measurements obtained in the separation, reattachment, and redevelopment regions along a tube and nozzle located downstream of an abrupt channel expansion are presented for a very high enthalpy flow of argon. The ionization energy fraction extended up to 0.6 at the tube inlet just downstream of the arc heater. Reattachment resulted from the growth of an instability in the vortex sheet-like shear layer between the central jet that discharged into the tube and the reverse flow along the wall at the lower Reynolds numbers, as indicated by water flow visualization studies which were found to dynamically model the high-temperature gas flow. A reasonably good prediction of the heat transfer in the reattachment region where the highest heat transfer occurred and in the redevelopment region downstream can be made by using existing laminar boundary layer theory for a partially ionized gas. In the experiments as much as 90 percent of the inlet energy was lost by heat transfer to the tube and the nozzle wall.


2018 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 02033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Naď ◽  
Zdeněk Jegla ◽  
Tomáš Létal ◽  
Pavel Lošák ◽  
Jiří Buzík

Industrial boiler damage is a common phenomenon encountered in boiler operation which usually lasts several decades. Since boiler shutdown may be required because of localized failures, it is crucial to predict the most vulnerable parts. If damage occurs, it is necessary to perform root cause analysis and devise corrective measures (repairs, design modifications, etc.). Boiler tube bundles, such as those in superheaters, preheaters and reheaters, are the most exposed and often the most damaged boiler parts. Both short-term and long-term overheating are common causes of tube failures. In these cases, the design temperatures are exceeded, which often results in decrease of remaining creep life. Advanced models for damage evaluation require temperature history, which is available only in rare cases when it has been measured and recorded for the whole service life. However, in most cases it is necessary to estimate the temperature history from available operation history data (inlet and outlet pressures and temperatures etc.). The task may be very challenging because of the combination of complex flow behaviour in the flue gas domain and heat transfer phenomena. This paper focuses on estimating thermal load non-uniformity on superheater tubes via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of flue gas flow including heat transfer within the domain consisting of a furnace and a part of the first stage of the boiler.


Author(s):  
Pavani Sreekireddy ◽  
T. Kishen Kumar Reddy ◽  
Venugopal Dadi ◽  
P. Bhramara

In the present work, the performance of Steam Ejector System in High Altitude Test (HAT) facility is numerically studied, in the absence of the condenser. Steam is used as secondary fluid to eject the burnt gases into atmosphere. Experimental visualization of mixing of burnt gas and steam and subsequent flow pattern is difficult, hence numerical simulation using FLUENT was done and the resulting flow stream lines, static and total pressures, shock patterns are computed along the ejector system to understand the physics of the problem. Three burnt gas flow rates of 9.17, 27.5 and 45.8 kg/s corresponding to lower, mid and upper limits of ejection from the HAT facility with the steam flow rate of 50 kg/s from Ejector I and 130 kg/s from Ejector II are studied. This corresponds to three cases of Entrainment Ratios for each of the ejector. Results show that for a burnt gas flow rate of 27.5 and 45.8 kg/s with the given dimensions of the HAT facility provided by ASL, DRDO, the gas and steam start mixing in the converging duct, pass through the mixing tube and attains atmospheric pressure at the exit of the HAT facility. For the burnt gas flow rate of 9.17 kg/s, reverse flow is observed in the Ejector II, indicating the malfunction mode of the system for the given design parameters.


Author(s):  
Amirhosein Moonesi Shabestary ◽  
Eckhard Krepper ◽  
Dirk Lucas ◽  
Thomas Höhne

The current paper comprises CFD-modelling and simulation of condensation and heat transfer inside horizontal pipes. Designs of future nuclear boiling water reactor concepts are equipped with emergency cooling systems which are passive systems for heat removal. The emergency cooling system consists of slightly inclined horizontal pipes which are immersed in a tank of subcooled water. At normal operation conditions, the pipes are filled with water and no heat transfer to the secondary side of the condenser occurs. In the case of an accident the water level in the core is decreasing, steam comes in the emergency pipes and due to the subcooled water around the pipe, this steam will condense. The emergency condenser acts as a strong heat sink which is responsible for a quick depressurization of the reactor core when any accident happens. The actual project is defined in order to model all these processes which happen in the emergency cooling systems. The most focus of the project is on detection of different morphologies such as annular flow, stratified flow, slug flow and plug flow. The first step is the investigation of condensation inside a horizontal tube by considering the direct contact condensation (DCC). Therefore, at the inlet of the pipe an annular flow is assumed. In this step, the Algebraic Interfacial Area Density (AIAD) model is used in order to simulate the interface. The second step is the extension of the model to consider wall condensation effect as well which is closer to the reality. In this step, the inlet is pure steam and due to the wall condensation, a liquid film occurs near the wall which leads to annular flow. The last step will be modelling of different morphologies which are occurring inside the tube during the condensation via using the Generalized Two-Phase Flow (GENTOP) model extended by heat and mass transfer. By using GENTOP the dispersed phase is able to be considered and simulated. Finally, the results of the simulations will be validated by experimental data which will be available in HZDR. In this paper the results of the first part has been presented.


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