Countercurrent Gas-Liquid Flow in a PWR Hot Leg under Reflux Cooling (II) Numerical Simulation of 1/15-Scale Air-Water Tests

Noritoshi Minami, Michio MURASE, Akio Tomiyama

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology · 2010 · 25 citations · 13 references

Concepts

Abstract

When reflux cooling is executed in the case of loss of residual heat removal systems under mid-loop operation of PWR, steam generated in the reactor core and water condensed in the steam generator may form a complicated countercurrent flow in the hot leg. Numerical simulations of air-water countercurrent flows in a 1/15-scale model of the hot leg are carried out in this study to examine the capability of predicting two-phase flow patterns and CCFL characteristics in the hot leg. A three-dimensional two-fluid model implemented in FLUENT6.3.26 is used in the simulations. Good agreements between measured and predicted flow patterns and CCFL characteristics are obtained by using an appropriate set of correlations for the interfacial friction coefficient in the momentum equation of the two-fluid model.

References

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