CFD Calculation of Natural Convection Heat Transmission in a Three-Dimensional Pool with Hemispherical Lower Head

Zhangliang Mao, Yuqing Chen, Wei Wang (), Qi Cai, Xianbao Yuan, Jianjun Zhou, Xiaochao Du, Binhang Zhang, Yonghong Zhang and Renzheng Xiao
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Zhangliang Mao: College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan 430223, China
Yuqing Chen: College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan 430223, China
Wei Wang: College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan 430223, China
Qi Cai: College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan 430223, China
Xianbao Yuan: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Jianjun Zhou: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Xiaochao Du: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Binhang Zhang: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Yonghong Zhang: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China
Renzheng Xiao: College of Mechanical & Power Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443005, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: The integrity of a pressure vessel (PRV) is affected by the decay heat of the molten pool in the lower head, so it is very important to study the natural convection heat transmission in the lower head. Scholars from all over the world have carried out a lot of experimental studies and calculations to determine the convection mechanism and heat transmission characteristics of the molten pool. Most of them were based on the empirical formula of convective heat transmission on the wall of a hemispherical molten pool based on two-dimensional slice experiments and simulation calculations. In this study, FLUENT 2021R1 software was used to simulate the three-dimensional convective heat transmission process of the hemispherical molten pool, and the temperature, velocity and wall heat transmission coefficients of the flow field were analyzed. The results were in good agreement with experimental data from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Through research on the heat transmission of the lower head, the results showed that in the region where the wall angle was θ between approximately 72 and 90 degrees, heat transmission coefficients had larger fluctuations, and a more reasonable empirical relation was proposed. Comparing between the simulation results of CFD and the two-dimensional empirical formula, it was found that the latter one was smaller under the same θ angle condition. Finally, the convection phenomena of different external temperatures were simulated, and the main factors affecting the flow field by temperature were analyzed.

Keywords: lower head; CFD; natural convection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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