Numerical investigation on deposition characteristics of ferroferric oxide particles fouling in 2 × 2 petal-shaped fuel rod

Abstract

The corrosion products migrate with the coolant and deposit on the surface of fuel elements during the operation of a pressurized water reactor, which have a significant impact on the safety and economics of pressurized water reactors. In this paper, the mathematical model was constructed to investigate flow deposition characteristics of ferroferric oxide (Fe₃O₄) particles in a 2 × 2 petal-shaped fuel rod bundle channel. The results show that the simulated results agree well with the experimental data. The particle fouling resistance converges to an asymptotic value with the increasing time. As the residence time of particles shortens and the fluid friction velocity amplifies, the fouling resistance exhibits a downward trend concomitant with the increase in flow rate. It decreases with the increases of the particle size and increases with the increasing particle concentration. However, the effect of fluid viscosity on fouling resistance may be ignored.