AIR INGRESS ANALYSIS: PART 2 – COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC MODELS
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy, is performing research and development that focuses on key phenomena important during potential scenarios that may occur in very high temperature reactors (VHTRs). Phenomena Identification and Ranking Studies to date have ranked an air ingress event, following on the heels of a VHTR depressurization, as important with regard to core safety. Consequently, the development of advanced air ingress-related models and verification and validation data are a very high priority. Following a loss of coolant and system depressurization incident, air will enter the core of the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor through the break, possibly causing oxidation of the in-the core and reflector graphite structure. Simple core and plant models indicate that, under certain circumstances, the oxidation may proceed at an elevated rate with additional heat generated from the oxidation reaction itself. Under postulated conditions of fluid flow and temperature, excessive degradation of the lower plenum graphite can lead to a loss of structural support. Excessive oxidation of core graphite can also lead to the release of fission products into the confinement, which could be detrimental to a reactor safety. Computational fluid dynamic model developed in this study will improve our understanding of this phenomenon. This paper presents two-dimensional and three-dimensional CFD results for the quantitative assessment of the air ingress phenomena. A portion of results of the density-driven stratified flow in the inlet pipe will be compared with results of the experimental results.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1005340
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-10-18146; TRN: US1101107
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 241, Issue 1; ISSN 0029-5493
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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AIR INGRESS ANALYSIS: COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC MODELS
STUDY ON AIR INGRESS MITIGATION METHODS IN THE VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS COOLED REACTOR (VHTR)
Related Subjects
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONFINEMENT
DEPRESSURIZATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GRAPHITE
LOSS OF COOLANT
OXIDATION
REACTOR SAFETY
SAFETY
VALIDATION
VERIFICATION
Air ingress
computational fluid dynamic model
Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project
NGNP