• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1802-1813
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• 2023

Conjugate heat transfer between liquid metal and solid is a common phenomenon in a liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor's fuel assembly and heat exchanger, dramatically affecting the reactor's safety and economy. Therefore, comprehensively studying the sophisticated conjugate heat transfer in a liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor is profound. However, it has been evidenced that the traditional Simple Gradient Diffusion Hypothesis (SGDH), assuming a constant turbulent Prandtl number (Pr_t,, usually 0.85 - 1.0), is inappropriate in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of liquid metal. In recent decades, numerous studies have been performed on the four-equation model, which is expected to improve the precision of liquid metal's CFD simulations but has not been introduced into the conjugate heat transfer calculation between liquid metal and solid. Consequently, a four-equation model, consisting of the Abe k - ε turbulence model and the Manservisi k_𝜃 - ε_𝜃 heat transfer model, is applied to study the conjugate heat transfer concerning liquid metal in the present work. To verify the numerical validity of the four-equation model used in the conjugate heat transfer simulations, we reproduce Johnson's experiments of the liquid lead-bismuth-cooled turbulent pipe flow using the four-equation model and the traditional SGDH model. The simulation results obtained with different models are compared with the available experimental data, revealing that the relative errors of the local Nusselt number and mean heat transfer coefficient obtained with the four-equation model are considerably reduced compared with the SGDH model. Then, the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of liquid metal turbulent pipe flow obtained with the four-equation model are analyzed. Moreover, the impact of the turbulence model used in the four-equation model on overall simulation performance is investigated. At last, the effectiveness of the four-equation model in the CFD simulations of liquid sodium conjugate heat transfer is assessed. This paper mainly proves that it is feasible to use the four-equation model in the study of liquid metal conjugate heat transfer and provides a reference for the research of conjugate heat transfer in a liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.11 s.282
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• pp.703-717
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• 2005

The infiltration of ceramics by liquid metals to fabricate ceramic-metal composites is discussed. In particular, the complexity of infiltrating ceramics by liquid metals at high temperatures due to interfacial reactions, metal oxidation, pore modulation and closure, and transient capillary forces has been highlighted. The role of these factors is discussed in the context of reactive infiltration with examples from ceramic/metal composites of practical interest. In addition to flow through porous ceramics, reactive penetration of dense ceramics via chemical dissolution and reaction is also discussed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.2638-2641
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• 2007

The magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) pressure drop along a liquid sodium flow was measured in a rectangular duct under a transverse magnetic field. The test section was made of a 3 mm thick stainless steel SUS304 with a $74{\times}5mm^2$ rectangular flow channel. The range of experimental parameters was roughly B=0${\sim}$0.18T and U=0${\sim}$0.9m/s at around $200^{\circ}C$. The differential pressure was measured by a diaphragm seal-type pressure transmitter filled with a high temperature silicon oil within 0.1MPa. The experimental results show a similar pressure drop with the theoretical estimation according to a change of the flow velocity and the magnetic field.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06b
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• pp.386-391
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• 2001

In this paper, the vibration characteristics of IHTS(Intermediate Heat Transfer System) piping system of LMR(Liquid Metal Reactor) conveying hot liquid sodium are investigated to eliminate the pipe supports for economic reasons. To do this, a 3-dimensional straight pipe element and a curved pipe element conveying fluid are formulated using the dynamic stiffness method of the wave approach and coded to be applied to any complex piping system. Using this method, the dynamic characteristics including the natural frequency, the frequency response functions, and the dynamic instability due to the pipe internal flow velocity are analyzed. As one of the design parameters, the vibration energy flow is also analyzed to investigate the disturbance transmission paths for the resonant excitation and the non-resonant excitations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.83-102
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• 2015

The present paper analyses the radiation effects of mass transfer on steady nonlinear MHD boundary layer flow of a viscous incompressible fluid over a nonlinear porous stretching surface in a porous medium in presence of heat generation. The liquid metal is assumed to be gray, emitting, and absorbing but non-scattering medium. Governing nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed to nonlinear ordinary differential equations by utilizing suitable similarity transformation. The resulting nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically using Runge-Kutta fourth order method along with shooting technique. Comparison with previously published work is obtained and good agreement is found. The effects of various governing parameters on the liquid metal fluid dimensionless velocity, dimensionless temperature, dimensionless concentration, skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are discussed with the aid of graphs.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.47-50
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• 2002

The numerical simulation of a 271-rod fuel assembly of nuclear Liquid-Metal Fast Reactor (LMFR) with an infernal blockage has been carried out. Internal blockage within a subassembly is addressed in the safety assessment because it potentially has very serious consequences for the reactor as a whole. Three dimensional calculations were performed using the SABRE4 computer code for the range of blockage positions and sizes to investigate the seriousness and detectability of the internal blockage. The magnitude and location of the peak temperatures together with the temperature distribution at the subassembly exit were calculated in order to look at the potential for damage within the subassembly, and the possibility of blockage detection. The analysis result shows that the 6-subchannel blockage causes large temperature rise within a assembly with practically no change in mixed mean temperature at the assembly exit.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.253-260
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• 2021

Metal pipes are used in a wide range of applications, from plumbing systems of large construction sites to small devices such as medical tools. When a liquid is enforced to flow through a metal pipe, a higher flow rate is beneficial for higher efficiency. Using high pressures can enhance the flow rate yet can be harmful for medical applications. Thus, we consider an optimal geometrical design to increase the flow rate in medical devices. In this study, we focus on cannulas, which are widely used small metal pipes for surgical procedures, such as liposuction. We characterize the internal flow rate driven by a negative pressure and explore its dependence on the key design parameters. We quantitatively analyze the suction characteristics for each design variable by conducting computational fluid dynamics simulations. In addition, we build a suction performance measurement system which enables the translational motion of cannulas with pre-programmed velocity for experimental validation. The inner diameter, section geometry, and hole configuration are the design factors to be evaluated. The effect of the inner diameter dominates over that of section geometry and hole configuration. In addition, the circular tube shape provides the maximum flow rate among the elliptical geometries. Once the flow rate exceeds a critical value, the rate becomes independent of the number and width of the suction holes. Finally, we introduce a slippery liquid-infused nanoporous surface (SLIPS) coating using nanoparticles and hydrophobic lubricants that effectively improves the flow rate and antifouling property of cannulas without altering the geometrical design parameter.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.1081-1090
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• 2024

The liquid Lead-bismuth eutectic is used as the coolant for Gen-IV reactor concepts. However, due to its strong corrosive and high operating temperature, it is difficult to accurately measure the flow rate in long-term operating conditions. Venturi flowmeter is a simple structured flowmeter, which plays a very important role in the flow measurement of high-temperature liquid metals, especially since the existing flowmeters are difficult to be competent. It has the advantages of easy maintenance and stable operation. Therefore, it is necessary to study the operating conditions of the venturi flowmeter under high-temperature conditions. This work performs a series of simulations of the fluid-solid interaction between the flow liquid metal and venturi flowmeter with COMSOL software, including the dimensional sensitivity analysis of the venturi flowmeter to explore the most suitable structure and parameters for liquid heavy metal, the sensitivity analysis of the geometric parameters of the venturi tube on the varying conditions. It shows that when the contraction angle of the venturi flowmeter is 33°, the diffusion angle is 13°, the diameter of the throat is 8 mm, and the temperature of the lead-bismuth eutectic is 733.15 K, it is most suitable for the measurement in the lead-bismuth circuit.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.233-240
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• 1996

Analyses of the viscous and end effects on electromagnetic (EM) pumps of annular linear induction type for the sodium coolant circulation in Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors have been carried out based on the MHD laminar flow analysis and the electromagnetic field theory. A one-dimensional MHD analysis for the liquid metal flowing through an annular channel has been performed on the basis of a simplified model of equivalent current sheets instead of three-phase currents in the discrete primary windings. The calculations show that the developed pressure difference resulted from electromagnetic and viscous forces in the liquid metal is expressed in terms of the slip, and that the viscous loss effects are negligible compared with electromagnetic driving forces except in the low-slip region where the pumps operate with very high flow velocities comparable with the synchronous velocity of the electromagnetic fields, which is not applicable to the practical EM pumps. A two-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis based on an equivalent current sheet model has found the vector potentials in closed form by means of the Fourier transform method. The resultant magnetic fields and driving forces exerted on the liquid metal reveal that the end effects due to finiteness of the pump length are formidable. In addition, a two-dimensional numerical analysis for vector potentials has been performed by the SOR iterative method on a realistic EM pump model with discretely-distributed currents in the primary windings. The numerical computations for the distributions of magnetic fields and developed pressure differences along the pump axial length also show considerable end effects at both inlet and outlet ends, especially at high flow velocities. Calculations of each magnetic force contribution indicate that the end effects are originated from the magnetic force caused by the induced current ( u x B ) generated by the liquid metal movement across the magnetic field rather than the one (E) produced by externally applied magnetic fields by three-phase winding currents. It is concluded that since the influences of the end effects in addition to viscous losses are extensive particularly in high-velocity operations of the EM pumps, it is necessary to find ways to suppress them, such as proper selection of the pump parameters and compensation of the end effects.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2007.04c
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• pp.141-143
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• 2007

This paper presents the MHD characteristics of the liquid metal flow. The electromagnetic force was calculated by the equivalent circuit method. This Lorentz force was used as a source term for the fluid flow equations. The modified Navier-Stokes equation was solved to give the velocity distributions of the liquid metal flow.