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Title: Large-scale large eddy simulation of nuclear reactor flows: Issues and perspectives

Journal Article · · Nuclear Engineering and Design
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  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Mathematics and Computer Science Division
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division
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Numerical simulation has been an intrinsic part of nuclear engineering research since its inception. In recent years a transition is occurring toward predictive, first-principle-based tools such as computational fluid dynamics. Even with the advent of petascale computing, however, such tools still have significant limitations. In the present work some of these issues, and in particular the presence of massive multiscale separation, are discussed, as well as some of the research conducted to mitigate them. Petascale simulations at high fidelity (large eddy simulation/direct numerical simulation) were conducted with the massively parallel spectral element code Nek5000 on a series of representative problems. These simulations shed light on the requirements of several types of simulation: (1) axial flow around fuel rods, with particular attention to wall effects; (2) natural convection in the primary vessel; and (3) flow in a rod bundle in the presence of spacing devices. Finally, the focus of the work presented here is on the lessons learned and the requirements to perform these simulations at exascale. Additional physical insight gained from these simulations is also emphasized.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1374567
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1397965
Journal Information:
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 312, Issue C; ISSN 0029-5493
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 26 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

Direct Numerical Simulation and Wall-Resolved Large Eddy Simulation in Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics journal June 2019

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Related Subjects

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CFD
Large Eddy Simulation
Exascale
Large-Scale Simulations