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Title: Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Wire-Wrapped 61-Pin Hexagonal Fuel Bundle

Abstract

Liquid metal fast reactor fuel assemblies using sodium as a coolant typically utilize a tightly packed triangular lattice of fuel pins enclosed in a hexagonal duct. The fuel pins are typically wrapped with a helical wire spacer. The primary function of the wire spacers is to maintain a gap between neighboring fuel pins. They also mitigate vortex-induced vibration and enhance sub-channel mixing to increase convective heat transfer. Many experiments have been performed to study thermal-hydraulic characteristics, primarily pressure drops, of the wire-wrapped fuel bundles. Novendstern developed a semi-empirical model to predict pressure losses in a hexagonal array of wire-wrapped pins in the turbulent flow regime. Rehme proposed pressure drop correlations for a wide range of geometrical parameters, such as pitch-to-diameter ratio P/D from 1.125 to 1.417, lead-to-wire diameter ratio H / dm from 6 to 45, and number of pins n from 7 to 61. Cheng and Todreas introduced their hydrodynamic models for subchannel friction factors and mixing parameters in a 37-pin fuel bundle, which covered the laminar, transition and turbulent flow regimes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers an opportunity to validate the above correlations and investigate the flow characteristics in the subchannels. Several numerical studies of the wire-wrapped fuelmore » bundles have been performed and most of them are Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based simulations with various turbulence models. Ahmad and Kim performed RANS simulations of 7- and 19-pin bundles using the k-omega SST turbulent model, while Gajapathy et al. performed RANS simulations on 7-pin bundles using the k-epsilons model. Recently, Fischer et al. carried out large-eddy simulation (LES) calculations on wire-wrapped fuel bundles to obtain higher-resolution numerical solutions of subchannel behavior. The geometrical complexity of the hexagonal wire-wrapped fuel bundle has limited experimental activities to pressure drop measurements. A database of pressure drops and flow-field measurements in a 61-pin wire-wrapped hexagonal fuel bundle is not available to benchmark the existing correlations and validate the CFD calculations. Texas A and M University is conducting isothermal flow experiments in a wire-wrapped 61-pin hexagonal fuel bundle to support the research on advanced nuclear fuel development sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of these tests is to perform high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of the flow and pressure measurements at different locations in the fuel bundle. The experimental facility employs matched-index-of-refraction (MIR) techniques and laser diagnostic velocity measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The result of this experimental activity will be an experimental database of pressure and flow-field measurements that will be suitable for validating CFD computer codes. (authors)« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Texas A and M Nuclear Engineering: 3133 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
23042877
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 115; Conference: 2016 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 6-10 Nov 2016; Other Information: Country of input: France; 15 refs.; available from American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (US); Journal ID: ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; FRICTION FACTOR; FUEL ELEMENT CLUSTERS; FUEL PINS; HEAT TRANSFER; HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL; HYDRODYNAMICS; LARGE-EDDY SIMULATION; LASERS; LMFBR TYPE REACTORS; NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS; NUCLEAR FUELS; NUMERICAL ANALYSIS; NUMERICAL SOLUTION; PRESSURE DROP; PRESSURE MEASUREMENT; REFRACTIVE INDEX; REYNOLDS NUMBER; SODIUM; THERMAL HYDRAULICS; TURBULENT FLOW

Citation Formats

Goth, N., Childs, M., Jones, P., Lee, S., Nguyen, D. T., Vaghetto, R., and Hassan, Y. A. Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Wire-Wrapped 61-Pin Hexagonal Fuel Bundle. United States: N. p., 2016. Web.
Goth, N., Childs, M., Jones, P., Lee, S., Nguyen, D. T., Vaghetto, R., & Hassan, Y. A. Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Wire-Wrapped 61-Pin Hexagonal Fuel Bundle. United States.
Goth, N., Childs, M., Jones, P., Lee, S., Nguyen, D. T., Vaghetto, R., and Hassan, Y. A. 2016. "Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Wire-Wrapped 61-Pin Hexagonal Fuel Bundle". United States.
@article{osti_23042877,
title = {Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements in a Wire-Wrapped 61-Pin Hexagonal Fuel Bundle},
author = {Goth, N. and Childs, M. and Jones, P. and Lee, S. and Nguyen, D. T. and Vaghetto, R. and Hassan, Y. A.},
abstractNote = {Liquid metal fast reactor fuel assemblies using sodium as a coolant typically utilize a tightly packed triangular lattice of fuel pins enclosed in a hexagonal duct. The fuel pins are typically wrapped with a helical wire spacer. The primary function of the wire spacers is to maintain a gap between neighboring fuel pins. They also mitigate vortex-induced vibration and enhance sub-channel mixing to increase convective heat transfer. Many experiments have been performed to study thermal-hydraulic characteristics, primarily pressure drops, of the wire-wrapped fuel bundles. Novendstern developed a semi-empirical model to predict pressure losses in a hexagonal array of wire-wrapped pins in the turbulent flow regime. Rehme proposed pressure drop correlations for a wide range of geometrical parameters, such as pitch-to-diameter ratio P/D from 1.125 to 1.417, lead-to-wire diameter ratio H / dm from 6 to 45, and number of pins n from 7 to 61. Cheng and Todreas introduced their hydrodynamic models for subchannel friction factors and mixing parameters in a 37-pin fuel bundle, which covered the laminar, transition and turbulent flow regimes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers an opportunity to validate the above correlations and investigate the flow characteristics in the subchannels. Several numerical studies of the wire-wrapped fuel bundles have been performed and most of them are Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based simulations with various turbulence models. Ahmad and Kim performed RANS simulations of 7- and 19-pin bundles using the k-omega SST turbulent model, while Gajapathy et al. performed RANS simulations on 7-pin bundles using the k-epsilons model. Recently, Fischer et al. carried out large-eddy simulation (LES) calculations on wire-wrapped fuel bundles to obtain higher-resolution numerical solutions of subchannel behavior. The geometrical complexity of the hexagonal wire-wrapped fuel bundle has limited experimental activities to pressure drop measurements. A database of pressure drops and flow-field measurements in a 61-pin wire-wrapped hexagonal fuel bundle is not available to benchmark the existing correlations and validate the CFD calculations. Texas A and M University is conducting isothermal flow experiments in a wire-wrapped 61-pin hexagonal fuel bundle to support the research on advanced nuclear fuel development sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of these tests is to perform high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of the flow and pressure measurements at different locations in the fuel bundle. The experimental facility employs matched-index-of-refraction (MIR) techniques and laser diagnostic velocity measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The result of this experimental activity will be an experimental database of pressure and flow-field measurements that will be suitable for validating CFD computer codes. (authors)},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/23042877}, journal = {Transactions of the American Nuclear Society},
issn = {0003-018X},
number = ,
volume = 115,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}