PROBLEMS OF ATOMIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants

since 1971

Русский (РФ)

ISSN 2414-1038 (online)

DOI: 10.55176/2414-1038-2021-2-139-166

Authors & Affiliations

Sorokin A.P., Kuzina Ju.A., Denisova N.A.
A.I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia

Sorokin A.P. – Chief Researcher of Nuclear Energetic Department, Dr. Sci. (Techn.). Contacts: 1, pl. Bondarenko, Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249033. Tel.: +7 (484) 399-84-47; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kuzina Ju.A. – Deputy Director General – Director of Nuclear Energetic Department. Cand. Sci. (Techn.).
Denisova N.A. – Leading Engineer of Nuclear Energetic Department.

Abstract

The article describes the factors under the influence of which the formation of thermohydraulic characteristics occurs in the fuel assemblies of the core of fast reactors with liquid metal cooling. It is shown that one of the most important factors is a complex multiply connected geometry of a stochastic nature, subject to deformation during the campaign under the influence of temperature irregularities and radiation effects. The paper presents and analyzes the results of experimental and computational studies of the velocity field and shear stress, the microstructure of turbulence, momentum transfer in the central and peripheral regions of fuel assemblies without and with displacers, as well as in the case of deformation of the lattice of rods. The intensification of turbulent momentum transfer in the channels in the azimuthal direction in the area of the gaps between the rods is demonstrated. The anisotropy coefficient of turbulent momentum transfer reaches 30–40 units. The performed analysis indicated a significant difference in the calculated in the framework of semi-empirical models of turbulent transfer and experimental dependences of the coefficients of turbulent transfer of momentum in the radial and azimuthal directions and the coefficients of anisotropy of turbulent transfer of momentum in rod bundles. The results of an open benchmark on the thermohydraulics of fuel assemblies showed that common commercial computational thermohydraulic codes only approximately describe the experimental data. It is shown that the intensification of turbulent momentum transfer in the channels of rod assemblies is due to the appearance of large-scale turbulent momentum transfer (secondary flows). The contribution of large-scale turbulent momentum transfer to the kinetic energy of turbulent pulsations, azimuthal turbulent shear stresses, and turbulent momentum transfer coefficients in rod assemblies is calculated. An empirical dependence of the coefficient of interchannel turbulent impulse exchange in bundles of smooth rods is obtained, on the basis of a semi-empirical model, data on interchannel turbulent impulse exchange in assemblies of smooth rods are generalized, and the intensification of interchannel turbulent exchange in close lattices of rods is explained. Data on hydraulic resistance in bundles of smooth rods are analyzed. The tasks of further research are discussed.

Keywords
hydrodynamics, fast reactors, core, assembly of rods, shape change, velocity, shear stress, pulsations, turbulent transfer, momentum, anisotropy, experiment, semi-empirical theories of turbulence, computational codes, benchmark, interchannel exchange, hydraulic resistance

Article Text (PDF, in Russian)

References

UDC 532.5.072.12

Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2021, issue 2, 2:10