• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.826-833
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• 2022

A two-phase natural circulation test using SMART integral test loop (SMART-ITL) was conducted to explore thermo-hydraulic phenomena of two-phase natural circulation in the SMART reactor. Specifically, the test examined the natural circulation in the primary loop under a stepwise coolant inventory loss while keeping the core power constant at 5% of the scaled full power. Based on the test results, three flow regimes were observed: single-phase natural circulation (SPNC), two-phase natural circulation (TPNC), and boiler-condenser natural circulation (BCNC). The flow rate remained steady in the SPNC, slightly increased in the TPNC, and dropped abruptly and maintained in the BCNC. Using a natural circulation flow map, the natural circulation characteristic in the SMART-ITL was compared with those in pressurized water reactor simulators. In the SMART-ITL, a BCNC regime appeared instead of siphon condensation and reflux condensation regimes because of the use of once-through steam generators.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.810-818
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• 1987

A new method is proposed to identify two-phase flow regimes in horizontal gas-liquid flow, based upon a statistical analysis of instantaneous pressure drop curves at an orifice. The probability density functions of the curves indicate distinct patterns depending upon the two-phase flow regime. The transition region also could be identified by the distribution shape of the probability density function. The statistical properties of the pressure drop are analyzed for various flow regimes and transitions. Finally, the data of flow patterns determined by the proposed method are compared with the flow pattern maps suggested by other investigators.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.03b
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• pp.369-372
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• 2008

An experimental study is carried out to study two-phase vertically upward hydraulic transport of solid particles by water in a vertical and inclined (0${\sim}$60 degree) concentric annulus with rotation of the inner cylinder. Rheology of particulate suspensions in shear-thinning fluids is of importance in many applications such as particle removal from surfaces, transport of proppants in fractured reservoir and cleaning of drilling holes, and so on. Annular fluid velocities varied from 0.2 m/s to 1.5 m/s for the actual drilling operational condition. Macroscopic behavior of solid particles, averaged flow rate, and particle rising velocity are observed. Main parameters considered in this study were radius ratio, inner-pipe rotary speed, fluid flow regime, and particle injection rate. For both water and CMC solutions, the higher the concentration of the solid particles is, the larger the pressure gradients become

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.23-34
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• 2020

Two-phase flow and heat transfer characteristics during the reflood phase of a single heated rod in the KHU reflood experimental facility were examined. Two-phase flow behavior during the reflooding experiment was carefully visualized along with transient temperature measurement at a point inside the heated rod. By numerically solving one-dimensional inverse heat conduction equation using the measured temperature data, time-resolved wall heat flux and temperature histories at the interface of the heated rod and coolant were obtained. Once water coolant was injected into the test section from the bottom to reflood the heated rod of >700℃, vast vapor bubbles and droplets were generated near the reflood front and dispersed flow film boiling consisted of continuous vapor flow and tiny liquid droplets appeared in the upper part. Following the dispersed flow film boiling, inverted annular/slug/churn flow film boiling regimes were sequentially observed and the wall temperature gradually decreased. When so-called minimum film boiling temperature reached, the stable vapor film between the heated rod and coolant was suddenly collapsed, resulting in the quenching transition from film boiling into nucleate boiling. The moving speed of the quench front measured in the present study showed a good agreement with prediction by a correlation in literature. The obtained results revealed that typical two-phase flow and heat transfer behaviors during the reflood phase of overheated fuel rods in light water nuclear reactors are well reproduced in the KHU facility. Thus, the verified reflood experimental facility can be used to explore the effects of other affecting parameters, such as CRUD, on the reflood heat transfer behaviors in practical nuclear reactors.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.1882-1887
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• 2007

In the present experimental study, the effect of interfacial tensions on pressure drop of air-water two-phase flow in round mini-channels was investigated. A glass (highly wettable) tube and a Teflon (poorly wettable) tube, both in 350 mm length but 1.8 mm and 1.59 mm in inner diameters each, were used for the tests. All the experiments were performed only in the plug flow regime, confirmed by visualization. In the glass tube, the gas plugs were surrounded by the liquid film along the inner periphery. On the other hand, the inner wall remained dry at the gas portion in the Teflon tube. The pressure drop of the plug flow in the Teflon tube without the liquid film) appeared much larger than in the glass tube (with the liquid film) due to dissipation of energy by movement of the wetting lines. In this paper, various correlations on the two-phase pressure drop of plug flows were compared and a modified correlation was proposed, taking account of the surface wettability.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.12a
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• pp.217-228
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• 2000

Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustor(CFBC) has been used for the incineration of waste sewage sludge and for the power generation. In this study hydrodynamic characteristics of two phase flow have been studied in a riser section of CFBC. A lab-scale riser is designed and SiC (Geldart type B) is used for solid particles. Experiments are performed by controlling the fluidization parameters including superficial velocity and secondary air to primary air ratio for determination of solid holdup profiles in the riser. Superficial velocities of each fluidization regime are well agreed with results predicted by a theoretical model. The results show that the axial solid holdup distributions calculated by measuring differential static pressures in the riser are found to show a basic profile described by a simple exponential function. Our flow regime during experiments mainly belongs to fast fluidization regime for particle size of 300${\mu}m$. As the SA/PA ratio increases, solid holdup in the lower dense region of the riser increases.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.433-445
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• 2000

The interfacial area concentration (IAC) is one of the most important parameters in the two-fluid model for two-phase flow analysis. The IAC can be measured by a local conductivity probe method that uses the difference of conductivity between water and air/steam. The number of sensors in the conductivity probe may be differently chosen by considering the flow regime of two-phase flow. The four sensor conductivity probe method predicts the IAC without any assumptions of the bubble shape. The local IAC can be obtained by measuring the three dimensional velocity vector elements at the measuring point, and the directional cosines of the sensors. The five sensor conductivity probe method proposed in this study is based on the four sensor probe method. With the five sensor probe, the local IAC for a given referred measuring area of the probe can be predicted more exactly than the four sensor probe. In this paper, the mathematical approach of the five sensor probe method for measuring the IAC is described, and a numerical simulation is carried out for ideal cap bubbles of which the sizes and locations are determined by a random number generator.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 1997

The characteristics of the flow and energy conversion in OMACON liquid-metal MHD system are investigated. Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in the OMACON system without magnetic field was carried out by the Phoenics code and the energy conversion characteristics are studied in association with the fact that the mechanical energy loss at the nozzle of the OMACON system are to be converted into electrical energy. In this system, working fluid (gas) is injected through the mixer located at the bottom of the riser, and is mixed with hot liquid metal. Therefore in the riser two-phase flow is developed under the influence of the gravity. In this study, the interaction between the gas and liquid is considered by the use of IPSA(InterPhase Slip Algorithm) where standard drag coefficient has been used. It has been assumed that in the flow regime the liquid is continuous and the gas is dispersed. For the liquid and gas, the continuity equations, momentum equations and energy equations are solved respectively in association with void fraction in the flow field. In order to calculate the energy conversion efficiency, firstly the ratio of the mechanical energy loss of liquid metal flow at the nozzle to the input thermal energy is considered. Secondly flow pattern of liquid metal in the generator has been analyzed, and the characteristics of the conversion of the mechanical energy into the electrical energy has been investigated. For an representative case where Hartmann number is 540 and magnetic field is 0.35 T, the present analysis shows that the energy conversion efficiency is 0.653. This result is considered to be reasonable in comparison with published experimental results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.72-83
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• 2022

This paper presents a numerical investigation of two-phase natural circulation flows established when external reactor vessel cooling is applied to a severe accident of the APR1400 reactor for the in-vessel retention of the core melt. The coolability limit due to external reactor vessel cooling is associated with the natural circulation flow rate around the lower head of the reactor vessel. For an elaborate prediction of the natural circulation flow rate using a thermal-hydraulic system code, MARS-KS1.5, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is conducted to estimate the flow rate and pressure distribution of a liquid-state coolant at the brink of significant void generation. The CFD calculation results are used to determine the loss coefficient at major flow junctions, where substantial pressure losses are expected, in the nodalization scheme of the MARS-KS code such that the single-phase flow rate is the same as that predicted via CFD simulations. Subsequently, the MARS-KS analysis is performed for the two-phase natural circulation regime, and the transient behavior of the main thermal-hydraulic variables is investigated.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.529-561
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• 2014

The two-phase turbulent flow past an interface-piercing circular cylinder is studied using a high-fidelity orthogonal curvilinear grid solver with a Lagrangian dynamic subgrid-scale model for large-eddy simulation and a coupled level set and volume of fluid method for air-water interface tracking. The simulations cover the sub-critical and critical and post critical regimes of the Reynolds and sub and super-critical Froude numbers in order to investigate the effect of both dimensionless parameters on the flow. Significant changes in flow features near the air-water interface were observed as the Reynolds number was increased from the sub-critical to the critical regime. The interface makes the separation point near the interface much delayed for all Reynolds numbers. The separation region at intermediate depths is remarkably reduced for the critical Reynolds number regime. The deep flow resembles the single-phase turbulent flow past a circular cylinder, but includes the effect of the free-surface and the limited span length for sub-critical Reynolds numbers. At different Froude numbers, the air-water interface exhibits significantly changed structures, including breaking bow waves with splashes and bubbles at high Froude numbers. Instantaneous and mean flow features such as interface structures, vortex shedding, Reynolds stresses, and vorticity transport are also analyzed. The results are compared with reference experimental data available in the literature. The deep flow is also compared with the single-phase turbulent flow past a circular cylinder in the similar ranges of Reynolds numbers. Discussion is provided concerning the limitations of the current simulations and available experimental data along with future research.