Evaluation of RANS vs. LES simulation of fluid flow through 3 × 3 rod bundle with a simple spacer grid as a precursor to coupled fluid–structure interaction simulations

Brockmeyer, Landon; Saini, Nadish; Tentner, Adrian; Fang, Jun; Merzari, Elia

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113662

Evaluation of RANS vs. LES simulation of fluid flow through 3 × 3 rod bundle with a simple spacer grid as a precursor to coupled fluid–structure interaction simulations

Journal Article · Fri Nov 22 23:00:00 EST 2024 · Nuclear Engineering and Design

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113662· OSTI ID:3003120

Brockmeyer, Landon ^[1]; Saini, Nadish ^[1]; Tentner, Adrian ^[1]; ^[1]; Merzari, Elia ^[2]

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

The research literature on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) of coolant flow through rod bundles with spacer-grids and mixing vanes is replete, ranging from high fidelity Large Eddy Simulation (LES)/Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) simulations to Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) modeled studies. The mixing of flow between subchannels and the pressure drop through the bundle are fundamental quantities useful for comparing and evaluating CFD methods. Less commonly observed and compared are the forces exerted onto the structure by the fluid. The present study seeks to evaluate the use of RANS simulations for predicting the structural response to fluid flow. Wall resolved RANS simulations are benchmarked against LES simulations of fluid flow at a Reynolds number of 15,000 through a 3 × 3 fuel rod bundle with a simple spacer grid. Velocity line-plots are compared showing good agreement between RANS and LES results, ascertaining that the former is capable of capturing the essential time-averaged velocity profile. Additionally, the distribution of forces on the spacer grid and fuel rods are collected as a function of time and space. The RANS methods are evaluated using the frequency and magnitude of the fluctuating forces on various portions of the structure as compared to LES. In conclusion, the power spectral density evaluation of the models reveal underprediction of force amplitude on the rod walls by RANS and also discrepancy in the prediction of high frequency spectra, especially in the immediate vicinity of spacer-grid structure, which may be attributed to the lack of random turbulence fluctuation or insufficient modeling of small-scale eddies in RANS simulation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 3003120

Journal Information:: Nuclear Engineering and Design, Journal Name: Nuclear Engineering and Design Vol. 430; ISSN 0029-5493

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Evaluation of RANS vs. LES simulation of fluid flow through 3 × 3 rod bundle with a simple spacer grid as a precursor to coupled fluid–structure interaction simulations

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