Publication detail

CFD analysis of coolant flow in the nuclear reactor VVER440

KATOLICKÝ, J. FRÉLICH, J. JÍCHA, M.

Czech title

CFD analýza proudění chladiv v jaderném reaktoru VVER440

English title

CFD analysis of coolant flow in the nuclear reactor VVER440

Type

journal article - other

Language

en

Original abstract

The paper introduces results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of water flow at the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) outlet and under the RPV head. Several CFD calculations of the steady-state and dynamic processes involving forced and natural circulation of coolant are presented in the paper. In the steady-state re-gime, several calculations were performed for various number of the reactor coolant system (RCS) loops con-nected to the reactor and the results have been used to analyse the effect of the RCS configuration to the coolant flow at the reactor outlet and under the reactor vessel head. General flow patterns are described in the outlet part of the reactor and under the reactor vessel head and, also, the influence of a lower flow rate through the reactor on thermal homogeneity of coolant under the vessel head. Simultaneously, we discuss the influence of the cool-ant flow rate at the core outlet on the heat transfer from the under-head space. Unsteady calculation was also done for a reactor cool-down in the regime of natural circulation. The calculation conditions correspond with the data obtained from the experiments led in the frame of the cool-down process of VVER440 reactor at Mochovce nuclear power plant in 2003. In the calculations, the main attention was applied to establishing the basic trends in the cool-down of water content at the outlet part of the reactor and under the head of the reactor vessel.

Czech abstract

The paper introduces results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of water flow at the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) outlet and under the RPV head. Several CFD calculations of the steady-state and dynamic processes involving forced and natural circulation of coolant are presented in the paper. In the steady-state re-gime, several calculations were performed for various number of the reactor coolant system (RCS) loops con-nected to the reactor and the results have been used to analyse the effect of the RCS configuration to the coolant flow at the reactor outlet and under the reactor vessel head. General flow patterns are described in the outlet part of the reactor and under the reactor vessel head and, also, the influence of a lower flow rate through the reactor on thermal homogeneity of coolant under the vessel head. Simultaneously, we discuss the influence of the cool-ant flow rate at the core outlet on the heat transfer from the under-head space. Unsteady calculation was also done for a reactor cool-down in the regime of natural circulation. The calculation conditions correspond with the data obtained from the experiments led in the frame of the cool-down process of VVER440 reactor at Mochovce nuclear power plant in 2003. In the calculations, the main attention was applied to establishing the basic trends in the cool-down of water content at the outlet part of the reactor and under the head of the reactor vessel.

English abstract

The paper introduces results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of water flow at the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) outlet and under the RPV head. Several CFD calculations of the steady-state and dynamic processes involving forced and natural circulation of coolant are presented in the paper. In the steady-state re-gime, several calculations were performed for various number of the reactor coolant system (RCS) loops con-nected to the reactor and the results have been used to analyse the effect of the RCS configuration to the coolant flow at the reactor outlet and under the reactor vessel head. General flow patterns are described in the outlet part of the reactor and under the reactor vessel head and, also, the influence of a lower flow rate through the reactor on thermal homogeneity of coolant under the vessel head. Simultaneously, we discuss the influence of the cool-ant flow rate at the core outlet on the heat transfer from the under-head space. Unsteady calculation was also done for a reactor cool-down in the regime of natural circulation. The calculation conditions correspond with the data obtained from the experiments led in the frame of the cool-down process of VVER440 reactor at Mochovce nuclear power plant in 2003. In the calculations, the main attention was applied to establishing the basic trends in the cool-down of water content at the outlet part of the reactor and under the head of the reactor vessel.

Keywords in Czech

chladící systém reaktoru

Keywords in English

reactor coolant system, nuclear reactor

RIV year

2007

Released

02.11.2007

Publisher

ZČU Plzeň

Location

Plzeň

ISSN

1802-680X

Journal

Applied andComputational Mechanics

Volume

1

Number

2

Pages from–to

499–506

Pages count

8

BIBTEX


@article{BUT44696,
  author="Jaroslav {Katolický} and Jan {Frélich} and Miroslav {Jícha},
  title="CFD analysis of coolant flow in the nuclear reactor VVER440",
  journal="Applied andComputational Mechanics",
  year="2007",
  volume="1",
  number="2",
  month="November",
  pages="499--506",
  publisher="ZČU Plzeň",
  address="Plzeň",
  issn="1802-680X"
}