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Title: Simulation of Boiling Two-Phase Flow in a Helical Coil Steam Generator Using the Spectral Element Code Nek-2P

Journal Article · · Nuclear Technology
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [1]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)
  2. AER Consulting, Half Moon Bay, CA (United States)
  3. Aristotle Univ. of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki (Greece)
  4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
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To enable the design of a light water small modular reactor, the boiling flow inside a helical coil steam generator has been simulated with the two-fluid model in Nek-2P. Nek-2P is the multiphase branch of the spectral element code Nek5000. Details of the implementation of the two-fluid model and the included closure models are discussed. The presented closure models include interactions for momentum, heat, and mass transfer between phases. Models for the drag, lift, and turbulent dispersion forces are included. The complete model is fully consistent in the limits of both phasic volume fractions approaching zero and is able to simulate flows of dispersed vapor, continuous liquid, dispersed liquid, continuous vapor, or any combination thereof. The closure models and their implementation in Nek-2P have been validated by comparing to experimental data for a boiling flow, demonstrating excellent agreement. Results from the simulation of the helical coil indicate strong phasic separation driven by the effects of buoyancy and inertia. Significant differences were observed in the results compared to simulations performed using Star-CCM+, although these differences were somewhat expected.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1607420
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1657993
Journal Information:
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 206, Issue 2; ISSN 0029-5450
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 2 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (7)

Simulation of high-Reynolds number vascular flows journal June 2007
Experimental investigation of boiling heat transfer in helically coiled tubes at high pressure journal March 2018
On the consistency of mechanistic multidimensional modeling of gas/liquid two-phase flows journal May 2009
Drag coefficient and relative velocity in bubbly, droplet or particulate flows journal September 1979
Experimental and numerical study of the laminar flow in helically coiled pipes journal September 2014
A Quasi-Two-Dimensional Benchmark Problem for Low Mach Number Compressible Codes journal November 1998
A general correlation for flow boiling in tubes and annuli journal March 1986

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22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
helical coil steam generator
multiphase computational fluid dynamics
spectral elements