COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL COOLANT FLOW IN THE SODIUM-COOLED FAST REACTOR DURING COOLING THROUGH THE INTER-WRAPPER SPACE OF THE CORE USING THE FLOWVISION COMPUTER PROGRAM

Authors & Affiliations

Didenko D.V.¹, Nikanorov O.L.¹, Rogozhkin S.A.¹, Shepelev S.F.¹, Aksenov A.A.², Zhestkov M.N.², Shcheliaev A.E.²
¹Afrikantov Experimental Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
²TESIS Ltd, Moscow, Russia

Didenko D.V.¹ – Design Engineer. Contacts: 15, Burnakovsky proezd, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 603074. Tel.: +7 (831) 246-94-31; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nikanorov O.L.¹– Head of Design Group, Cand. Sci. (Eng.).
Rogozhkin S.A.¹– Head of the Department, Cand. Sci. (Eng.).
Shepelev S.F.¹– Chief Designer of BN Reactor Plants, Cand. Sci. (Eng.).
Aksenov A.A.² – Technical Director, Cand. Sci. (Phys. and Math.).
Zhestkov M.N.² – Technical Support Center Specialist.
Shcheliaev A.E.² – Deputy Director for Projects and Sales.

Abstract

A computational study of three-dimensional coolant flow in the sodium-cooled fast reactor during cooling through the inter-wrapper space of the core was performed using the FlowVision computer program.
Based on the FlowVision computer program, a methodical approach and a computer model were developed that allow studying the characteristics of three-dimensional coolant flow in the reactor with an acceptable accuracy using proved simplifications. The cooling process was simulated taking into account the thermal inertia of intermediate heat exchangers. The operation of autonomous heat exchangers ensuring the main heat removal during cooling was simulated using a one-dimensional mathematical model executed in the form of the program module which was connected to FlowVision. In the connected program module calculation of intermediate and air circuit of system of emergency heat removal was carried out.
Computational studies were performed for the reactor rated operation mode and cooling mode. The results obtained for the rated mode were used as the initial state for further reactor cooling mode.
The article presents the task definition, brief description of computer model and computational modes as well as the results of numerical simulation of three-dimensional coolant flow in the reactor which allowed assessing the level of temperatures in different reactor segments and tracing the process of formation of characteristic coolant circulation paths during the entire cooling process.

Keywords
computational study, FlowVision, computational fluid dynamics, CFD, heat exchange, sodium-cooled fast reactor, reactor cooling, inter-wrapper space, emergency heat removal system, computer model, integral layout, reactor core

Article Text (PDF, in Russian)

References

1. Baluev D.E., Gaidukova E.V., Nikanorov O.L., Osipov S.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Shepelev S.F. Obosnovanie kompleksa raschetno-eksperimental`nykh issledovaniy obratnogo klapana [Justification of the complex of computational and experimental studies of the check valve]. Nauchno-tekhnicheskii seminar “Problemy primeneniya i verifikatsii CFD kodov v atomnoy energetike”. Sbornik tezisov [Proc. of the Scientific and Technical Seminar “Problems of Application and Verification of CFD Codes in the Nuclear Industry”]. Nizhniy Novgorod, 2012, pp. 53–54.

2. Baluev D.E., Gusev D.V., Meshkov S.I., Nikanorov O.L., Osipov S.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Rukhlin S.V., Shepelev S.F. Issledovanie funktsional`nykh kharakteristik obratnogo klapana sistemy bezopasnosti na masshtabnoy modeli [Study of functional characteristics for safety system check valve using scaled model]. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2015, no. 1, pp. 103–110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2015.1.11.

3. Baluev D.E., Nikanorov O.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Shepelev S.F. Eksperimentalnye i raschetnye issledovaniya obratnogo klapana s sharovym zaprayushchim elementom [Experimental and computational studies of a check valve with a ball locking element]. Trudy NGTU – Proc. of NNSTU, 2019, vol. 1 (124), pp. 67–73.

4. Baluev D.E., Didenko D.V., Nikanorov O.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Shepelev S.F. Issledovaniya sharovogo obratnogo klapana v sostave stenda [Researches of the spherical check valve as a part of the stand]. Trudy NGTU – Proc. of NNSTU, 2020, vol. 1 (128), pp. 45–52.

5. Pakholkov V.V., Rogozhkin S.A., Shepelev S.F. Validation of the CFD Model for the Study of Natural Circulation in Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors. Computational Fluid Dynamics for Nuclear Reactor Safety (CFD4NRS-8), 2020, Paris, France.

6. Pakholkov V.V., Anfimov A.M., Baluev D.E., Nikanorov O.L., Osipov S.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Rukhlin S.V., Shepelev S.F. Integrated R&D to validate innovative emergency heat removal system for BN-1200 reactor. International conference on fast reactors and related fuel cycles: next generation nuclear systems for sustainable development (FR-17). Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, 2017, Paper IAEA-CN245-416.

7. Didenko D.V., Baluev D.Ye., Nikanorov O.L., Rogozhkin S.A., Shepelev S.F., Aksenov A.A., Zhestkov M.N., Shchelyaev A.Ye. Development of a methodological approach for the computational investigation of the coolant flow in the process of the sodium cooled reactor cooldown. Nuclear Energy and Technology, vol. 7(1), pp. 61–66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/nucet.7.65442.

8. Rogozhkin S.A., Aksenov A.A., Zhluktov S.V., Osipov S.L., Sazonova M.L., Fadeev I.D., Shepelev S.F., Shmelev V.V. Razrabotka modeli turbulentnogo teploperenosa dlya zhidkometallicheskogo natrievogo teplonositelya i ego verifikatsiya [Development of a turbulent heat transfer model for a liquid-metal sodium coolant and its verification]. Vychislitel`naya mehanika sploshnyh sred – Computational Continuum Mechanics, 2014, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 306–316.

9. Programma dlya EVM FlowVision [Computer program FlowVision]. Attestation passport. Registration No. 492 from 19.12.2019.

10. Ozturk U., Soğancı S., Akimov V., Tutkun M., Aksenov A. Validation of FlowVision CFD on ICCS2015 Test Case: Application of Gap Model and SGGR for Leakage Flow Prediction in a Dry Screw Compressor. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2019, vol. 604(012010). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/604/1/012010.

UDC 621.039.5:(532+536) БН+621.039.513:621.039.526

Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2022, no. 3, 3:18

BROND-3.1

ISSUES

2022, Issue 3

COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL COOLANT FLOW IN THE SODIUM-COOLED FAST REACTOR DURING COOLING THROUGH THE INTER-WRAPPER SPACE OF THE CORE USING THE FLOWVISION COMPUTER PROGRAM