A new thermal-hydraulics/thermomechanics coupling methodology for the modeling of the behavior of sodium-cooled fast reactors fuel subassemblies under irradiation

Application and Benchmarking of a Novel Coupled Methodology for Simulating the Thermomechanical Evolution of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors Fuel Subassemblies

“…On the other hand, the methodology simulation employed in this paper, firstly introduced in [4], is based on the numerical coupling between a detailed RANS model of SFR subassemblies, implemented in the CFD code STAR-CCM+, and a SFR bundle thermomechanical model using the code DOMAJEUR2 (CEA inhouse code). In this novel approach, the cladding temperature distribution is computed by means of a detailed RANS model in which the diametral strain and the helical flexion of the claddings can be explicitly considered to compute the temperature field in the deformed geometry.…”

“…Traditionally, this coupling has been neglected in the numerical simulations since the temperature distribution used as input for the thermomechanical calculations is often determined from thermal-hydraulic simulations using the reference (non-deformed) fuel assembly geometry and lowresolution subchannel codes. In order to improve the accuracy of the subassembly deformation calculations, a new coupled simulation methodology has been developed at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) [4]. This new methodology is based on the coupling of a Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) thermal-hydraulics model developed in the CFD code STAR-CCM+ [5] and the in-house SFR bundle thermomechanical code DOMAJEUR2.…”

“…In Section 2, we introduce the main physical phenomena involved in the evolution of SFR subassemblies under irradiation, the deformation mechanisms that they induce and the thermomechanical models typically used to simulate their irradiation. Then, in Section 3, we describe the proposed coupled methodology and the thermomechanical models employed, which have been described in detail in a previous work [4]. In this paper, however, we introduce a new model which allows to improve the prediction of the evolution of the cladding temperature distribution, with respect to the model presented in [4], while limiting the number of required CFD simulations, and thus the computational cost.…”

“…Then, in Section 3, we describe the proposed coupled methodology and the thermomechanical models employed, which have been described in detail in a previous work [4]. In this paper, however, we introduce a new model which allows to improve the prediction of the evolution of the cladding temperature distribution, with respect to the model presented in [4], while limiting the number of required CFD simulations, and thus the computational cost. An application example of the coupled methodology is presented in Section 4, where the effects of considering the coupling in the numerical simulations of highly irradiated fuel bundles are evaluated, while the performance of the new temperature prediction model is evaluated in Section 5.…”

Heat Transfer Simulation and Analysis of Electron Collector Based on Real-time Uniformity Detection Device of Irradiation Accelerator

“…In 2019, Usman Raza et al [2] designed a special Faraday cup with an external water-cooling channel around the wall of the cup and test the beam intensity of LINAC's 6MeV industrial linear electron accelerator with a high current duty cycle. Francisco Acosta et al [3] conducted a two-way fluid-solid thermal coupling simulation on the heating of the cooling structure of the fuel rod bundle of a sodium-cooled fast reactor under irradiation conditions. The designed cooling structure played a key role in protecting the device.…”