Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of He-Xe gas mixture in 2×2 rod bundle wrapped with helical wires

  • Chenglong Wang (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University) ;
  • Siyuan Chen (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University) ;
  • Wenxi Tian (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University) ;
  • G.H. Su (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University) ;
  • Suizheng Qiu (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University)
  • Received : 2023.01.03
  • Accepted : 2023.04.10
  • Published : 2023.07.25
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Gas-cooled space reactor, which adopts He-Xe gas mixture as working fluid, is a better choice for megawatt power generation. In this paper, thermal-hydraulic characteristics of He-Xe gas mixture in 2×2 rod bundle wrapped with helical wires is numerically investigated. The velocity, pressure and temperature distribution of the coolant are obtained and analyzed. The results show that the existence of helical wires forms the vortexes and changes the velocity and temperature distribution. Hot spots are found at the contact corners between helical wires and fuel rods. The highest temperature of the hot spots reach 1600K, while the mainstream temperature is less than 400K. The helical wire structure increases the friction pressure drop by 20%-50%. The effect extent varies with the pitch and the number of helical wires. The helical wire structure leads to the reduction of Nusselt number. Comparing thermal-hydraulic performance ratios (THPR) of different structures, the THPR values are all less than 1. It means that gas-cooled space reactor adopting helical wires could not strengthen the core heat removal performance. This work provides the thermal-hydraulic design basis for He-Xe gas cooled space nuclear reactor.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12075182), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. xzy022020019) and the Innovative Scientific Program of CNNC.

References

  1. L. Summerer, K. Stephenson, Nuclear power sources: a key enabling technology for planetary exploration[J], Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. G J. Aerosp. Eng. 225 (2) (2011).
  2. N.E. Ponomarev-Stepnoi N N Kukharkin, V.A. Usov, Russian space nuclear power and nuclear thermal propulsion systems[J], Nucl. News 76 (13) (2000) 37-46.
  3. Zhuting Su, Jicai Yang, K.E. Guotu, Space Nuclear Power[M], Shang Hai Jiao Tong University Press, Shang Hai, 2016, pp. 25-27.
  4. Hui Wang, Chong Wang, A closed cycle helium gas turbine plant used for a high-temperature gas cooled reactor-based electric power generation unit[J], J. Eng. Therm. Energy Power 20 (4) (2005) 337-341, 439.
  5. M.S. El-Genk, J. Tournier, Noble-gas binary mixtures for closed-Brayton-cycle space reactor power systems[J], J. Propul. Power 23 (4) (2007) 863-873. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.27664
  6. H. Qin, R. Zhang, K. Guo, et al., Thermal-hydraulic analysis of an open-grid megawatt gas-cooled space nuclear reactor core[J], Int. J. Energy Res. 8 (45) (2020) 11616-11628. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.5329
  7. RongBin Hou, CFD Investigation for A Wire Wrapped Fuel Assembly[D], North China Electric Power University, Beijing), 2019.
  8. Energy, New Energy Study Findings Reported from Xi'an Jiaotong University (Thermal-hydraulic Analysis of an Open-Grid Megawatt Gas-cooled Space Nuclear Reactor Core)[J], Energy & Ecology, 2020.
  9. M.F. Taylor, K.E. Bauer, D.M. Mceligot, Internal forced convection to low-Prandtl-number gas mixtures[J], Int. J. Heat Mass Tran. 31 (1) (1988) 13-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/0017-9310(88)90218-9
  10. Li Zhi, Xiaoyong Yang, Jie Wang, et al., Thermodynamic analysis of a Brayton cycle system for a space power reactor[J], J. Tsinghua Univ. (Sci. Technol.) (5) (2017) 537-543.
  11. Qin H, Wang C, Wang M , et al. Numerical investigation on thermal-hydraulic characteristics of NaK in a helical wire wrapped annulus[J]. Int. J. Heat Mass Tran., 145.
  12. Li Yang-liu, Shou-zhi Zhao, Zheng Sun, et al., Development of single channel Program for helium and xenon mixture cooled reactor[J], Atomic Energy Sci. Technol. 51 (1) (2017) 41-45.
  13. T. Sreenivasulu, B.V.S.S.S. Prasad, Flow and heat transfer characteristics in an annulus wrapped with a helical wire[J], Int. J. Therm. Sci. 48 (7) (2009) 1377-1391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2008.11.023
  14. W. Raza, K.Y. Kim, Comparative analysis of flow and convective heat transfer between 7-pin and 19-pin wire-wrapped fuel assemblies[J], J. Nucl. Sci. Technol. 45 (7) (2008) 653-661. https://doi.org/10.1080/18811248.2008.9711465
  15. E. Merzari, W.D. Pointer, J.G. Smith, et al., Numerical simulation of the flow in wire-wrapped pin bundles: effect of pin-wire contact modeling[J], Nucl. Eng. Des. 253 (2012) 374-386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.09.030
  16. J.M.P. Tournier, M.S. El-Genk, Properties of noble gases and binary mixtures for closed Brayton cycle applications[J], Energy Convers. Manag. 49 (3) (2008) 469-492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2007.06.050
  17. B.R. Latimer, A. Pollard, Comparison of pressure-velocity coupling solution algorithms[J], Numer. Heat Tran. 8 (6) (1985) 635-652. https://doi.org/10.1080/01495728508961876