343017 Simulation Studies of Coolant Flow Past Fuel Rod Bundles and Vibrational Lock-In Conditions in a Small Modular Reactor

Wednesday, November 6, 2013: 2:30 PM
Union Square 11 (Hilton)
Vivek M. Rao, Energy Research & Development Center, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO and Joseph D. Smith, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falss, ID

Coolant flow past fuel rods and rod bundles in a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) was simulated using ANSYS FLUENT 14.0. Over a range of transient flow conditions, the influence of the Strouhal number on vortex shedding past the fuel rods and corresponding patterns is studied in detail. The onset of the lock-in condition for cylindrical fuel rods in different fuel rod bundle arrays within an operating range of Strouhal numbers and the consequent variation in thermal profiles has been reported.

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See more of this Session: Multiscale Modeling: Methods and Applications
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