3-D Turbulent Modeling of Fluid Flow in Primary Side of CANDU Steam Generators

Turbulent flow of heavy water through the primary loop of CANDU steam generators is associated with a number of known failure mechanisms such as flow accelerated corrosion, flow induced vibration and mechanical fatigue. The primary causes of these failures, or degradations, are interactions of the turbulence effect of fluid with the surrounding structure. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and heat transfer techniques the flow fields inside hot leg and cold side of the steam generator were analyzed to study the nature of the flow fields inside the 2 halves of the primary head. The model used to investigate the flow field was a three-dimensional k-omega turbulence flow model. The solutions of the analysis can be used to investigate the effects of flow on components close to the divider plate and tubesheet including locking tabs and skin fix inside the halves. The effect of turbulence was investigated by varying the inlet nozzle sizes and locations.