• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 2021

The analysis of the fluid flow characteristics in reactor pressure vessel is an important part of the hydraulic design of nuclear power plant, which is related to the structure design of reactor internals, the flow distribution at core inlet and the safety of nuclear power plant. The flow distribution and mixing characteristics in the pressurized reactor vessel for the 1000MWe advanced pressurized water reactor is analyzed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method in this study. The geometry model of the full-scaled reactor vessel is built, which includes the cold and hot legs, downcomer, lower plenum, core, upper plenum, top plenum, and is verified with some parameters in DCD. Under normal condition, it is found that the flow skirt, core plate holes and outlet pipe cause pressure loss. The maximum and minimum flow coefficient is 1.028 and 0.961 respectively, and the standard deviation is 0.019. Compared with other reactor type, it shows relatively uniform of the flow distribution at the core inlet. The coolant mixing coefficient is investigated with adding additional variables, showing that mass transfer of coolant occurs near the interface. The coolant mainly distributes in the 90° area of the corresponding core inlet, and mixes at the interface with the coolant from the adjacent cold leg. 0.1% of corresponding coolant is still distributed at the inlet of the outer-ring components, indicating wide range of mixing coefficient distribution.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.71-81
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• 2017

When an integral pressurized water reactor is operated under low power conditions, once-through steam generator group operation strategy is applied. However, group operation strategy will cause nonuniform coolant flow distribution at the core inlet and lower plenum. To help coolant flow mix more uniformly, a flow mixing chamber (FMC) has been designed. In this paper, computational fluid dynamics methods have been used to investigate the coolant distribution by the effect of FMC. Velocity and temperature characteristics under different low power conditions and optimized FMC configuration have been analyzed. The results illustrate that the FMC can help improve the nonuniform coolant temperature distribution at the core inlet effectively; at the same time, the FMC will induce more resistance in the downcomer and lower plenum.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.121-128
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• 2000

Simple design methods were developed to control the coolant flow rates through cylinder head gasket holes. Applying the concept of flow through an obstruction the ratio of intake to exhaust side flow rates could be easily controlled while maintaining the flow rates per cylinder of the original model. Flow distribution in the coolant passage of the original model was calculated by CFD and the flow rates at the gasket holes were modified based on the calculation results. The calculated flow rated of the modified gasket holes were reasonably close to target values. For more accurate control of the flow rate distribution, a design method with iterative CFD calculations was also suggested. The final size of gasket holes for the target flow rates were obtained just after a few optimization iterations. These methods can be very useful for the optimization of heat transfer characteristics in engine cylinder head and block.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.3553-3558
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• 2009

This study has been conducted to improve coolant flow pattern in the gasoline engine. Flow field has been calculated for the coolant passage mainly around the exhaust ports and valves. For the original model, a flow stagnant region has existed between exhaust valves of the second cylinder. To improve coolant flow characteristics, coolant passage area has been re-modeled and optimized. Furthermore, for the improved coolant core model, coolant passage under the exhaust manifold has been added to reduce exhaust-gas temperature. It was found that the flow through a gasket plays a critical role for the flow in the cylinder head and around exhaust valves. Finally, coolant flow around exhaust valves and in the cylinder head has been improved in terms of flow rate distribution.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.341-344
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• 2006

In this analytical study on the engine coolant flow of a heavy-duty diesel engine with 4 valves and linear-type 8 liter 6 cylinders, the characteristics of pressure drop and engine cooling performance with the additional coolant passages between cylinder blocks have been investigated. Since the most part of pressure drop is caused by the coolant flow passages inside a cylinder head and cylinder blocks for this type of heavy-duty diesel engines, the advantage of pressure drop is just 2.6% and the characteristics of heat transfer and the distribution of coolant velocities in the head part show little differences in case of additional coolant passages. Thus the coolant flow passages between cylinder blocks make little contribution on the cooling performance of heavy-duty diesel engines

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.17-23
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• 1995

A numerical analysis on engine coolant is made by the use of FVM based general purpose 3 dimensional Navier-Stokes solver, TURB-3D. Numerical solutions are verified by comparison with the experimental data of Lotus model. The results show a good qualitative as well as quantitative comparison. Coolant flow rate control is attempted through adjusting the cross section area of passage base on the results of an original coolant passage. It is concluded from the results that the flow rate control is possible as attempted, and thus can be used in the real engine design.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.64-69
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• 2008

The spatial fuel distribution of the stratified charge of a high pressure 6-hole injector was examined in a single cylinder optical direct injection spark ignition(DISI) engine. The effects of in-cylinder charge motion, and fuel injection pressure, and coolant temperature were investigated using a planar LIF(Laser Induced Fluorescence) technique. It was confirmed that the in-cylinder tumble flow played more effective role in the spatial fuel distribution of the stratified charge than the swirl flow during the compression stroke and the fuel distribution area increased due to the activation of the fuel vaporization by the increase of the coolant temperature. But, the increase of the fuel supplying pressure could not change the pattern of the fuel vapor distribution against the expectation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.8-14
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• 2003

A cooling performance analysis has been made in the 8-channel calorimeter based on sub-scale KSR-III engine. Three-dimensional heat transfer analysis in cooling channels has been performed using the heat flux distribution through the chamber wall predicted from axi-symmetric compressible flow inside the combustion chamber. The heat flux distribution is verified against the published literature. Presented for the development and operation of the calorimeter are the coolant pressure drop, coolant temperature rise and the maximum chamber wall temperature. Required coolant flow rate is determined for given chamber pressure. Cooling performance is also predicted for temperature dependant coolant properties.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.368-378
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• 2018

Understanding of turbulent flow in the reactor coolant pump (RCP) is a premise of the optimal design of the RCP. Flow structures in the RCP, in view of the specially devised spherical casing, are more complicated than those associated with conventional pumps. Hitherto, knowledge of the flow characteristics of the RCP has been far from sufficient. Research into the nonintrusive measurement of the internal flow of the RCP has rarely been reported. In the present study, flow measurement using particle image velocimetry is implemented to reveal flow features of the RCP model. Velocity and vorticity distributions in the diffuser and spherical casing are obtained. The results illuminate the complexity of the flows in the RCP. Near the lower end of the discharge nozzle, three-dimensional swirling flows and flow separation are evident. In the diffuser, the imparity of the velocity profile with respect to different axial cross sections is verified, and the velocity increases gradually from the shroud to the hub. In the casing, velocity distribution is nonuniform over the circumferential direction. Vortices shed consistently from the diffuser blade trailing edge. The experimental results lend sound support for the optimal design of the RCP and provide validation of relevant numerical algorithms.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.95-103
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• 2011

In the block type VHTR core, there are inevitable gaps among core blocks for the installation and refueling of the fuel blocks. These gaps are called bypass gap and the bypass flow is defined as a coolant flows through the bypass gap. Distribution of core bypass flow varies according to the reactor operation since the graphite core blocks are deformed by the fast neutron irradiation and thermal expansion. Furthermore, the cross-flow through an interfacial gap between the stacked blocks causes flow mixing between the coolant holes and bypass gap, so that complicated flow distribution occurs in the core. Since the bypass flow affects core thermal margin and reactor efficiency, accurate prediction and evaluation of the core bypass flow are very important. In this regard, experimental and computational studies were carried out to evaluate the core bypass flow distribution. A multi-block experimental apparatus was constructed to measure flow and pressure distribution. Multi-block effect such as cross flow phenomenon was investigated in the experiment. The experimental data were used to validate a CFD model foranalysis of bypass flow characteristics in detail.