Intracore Natural Circulation Study in the High Temperature Test Facility

• Published in: Journal of Nuclear Engineering 2024-11, Vol.5 (4), p.500-517
• Main Authors: Gutowska, Izabela, Kile, Robert, Woods, Brian G., Brown, Nicholas R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents; Boilers; CFD; Circulation; Computational fluid dynamics; Convection cooling; Coolants; Cooling systems; Equilibrium flow; Flow distribution; Fluid flow; Free convection; Gas flow; Geometry; Graphite; Heat transfer; Helium; High temperature; High temperature gas cooled reactors; High temperature tests; HTTF; K-omega turbulence model; Mesh generation; natural circulation; Nuclear reactors; Parameter sensitivity; PCC; Reactor technology; Sensitivity analysis; Steady state models; Test facilities; VHTR
• ISSN: 2673-4362; 2673-4362
• DOI: 10.3390/jne5040031

The development of the Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor is a significant milestone in advanced nuclear reactor technology. One of the concerns for the reactor’s safe operation is the effects of a loss-of-flow accident (LOFA) where the coolant circulators are tripped, and forced coolant flow through the core is lost. Depending on the steam generator placement, loop or intracore natural circulation develops to help transfer heat from the core to the reactor cavity, cooling system. This paper investigates the fundamental physical phenomena associated with intracore coolant natural circulation flow in a one-sixth Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the Oregon State University High Temperature Test Facility (OSU HTTF) following a loss-of-flow accident transient. This study employs conjugate heat transfer and steady-state flow along with an SST k-ω turbulence model to characterize the phenomenon of core channel-to-channel natural convection. Previous studies have revealed the importance of complex flow distribution in the inlet and outlet plenums with the potential to generate hot coolant jets. For this reason, complete upper and lower plenum volumes are included in the analyzed computational domain. CFD results also include parametric studies performed for a mesh sensitivity analysis, generated using the STAR-CCM+ software. The resulting channel axial velocities and flow directions support the test facility scaling analysis and similarity group distortions calculation.