Numerical thermal hydraulic analysis of supercritical natural circulation loop

IF 2.1 3区工程技术 Q1 NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Nuclear Engineering and Design Pub Date : 2025-09-20 DOI:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2025.114457

A.K. Vias , V.K. Garg , P.K. Vijayan , G. Dutta

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Abstract

In the present numerical study, a supercritical natural circulation loop (SCNCL) with a closed configuration is analyzed from a thermal-hydraulic (TH) perspective. An in-house model is developed to capture the axial variation of TH field variables considering a single channel in the heated section. This TH model efficiently accounts for local property variations at supercritical pressures and is integrated with models for the pressurizer, cooling heat exchanger (CHX), and wall heat conduction to accurately represent the behavior of a closed SCNCL. To evaluate the predictive capability of the integrated TH model, validation is performed against both experimental data and numerical results available in the literature, covering steady state and transient scenarios. Steady state simulations are then conducted to assess the SCNCL performance and determine the mass flow rate under various operating conditions, with an emphasis on identifying the underlying physical mechanisms. Finally, transient simulations are carried out to investigate the risk of density wave oscillations (DWOs) and to determine the marginal stability boundary (MSB). A comprehensive parametric study is performed to explore the influence of different factors on the MSB.

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超临界自然循环回路数值热水力分析

本文从热工水力的角度分析了具有封闭构型的超临界自然循环回路（SCNCL）。考虑到加热段中的单一通道，开发了一个内部模型来捕捉TH场变量的轴向变化。该TH模型有效地解释了超临界压力下的局部特性变化，并与增压器、冷却热交换器（CHX）和壁面热传导模型相结合，准确地代表了封闭SCNCL的行为。为了评估集成TH模型的预测能力，对文献中可用的实验数据和数值结果进行了验证，包括稳态和瞬态情景。然后进行稳态模拟，以评估SCNCL的性能，并确定各种操作条件下的质量流量，重点是确定潜在的物理机制。最后，进行了瞬态模拟，研究了密度波振荡（dwo）的风险，并确定了边缘稳定边界（MSB）。通过综合参数研究，探讨了不同因素对MSB的影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nuclear Engineering and Design 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

11.80%

发文量

377

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Nuclear Engineering and Design covers the wide range of disciplines involved in the engineering, design, safety and construction of nuclear fission reactors. The Editors welcome papers both on applied and innovative aspects and developments in nuclear science and technology. Fundamentals of Reactor Design include: • Thermal-Hydraulics and Core Physics • Safety Analysis, Risk Assessment (PSA) • Structural and Mechanical Engineering • Materials Science • Fuel Behavior and Design • Structural Plant Design • Engineering of Reactor Components • Experiments Aspects beyond fundamentals of Reactor Design covered: • Accident Mitigation Measures • Reactor Control Systems • Licensing Issues • Safeguard Engineering • Economy of Plants • Reprocessing / Waste Disposal • Applications of Nuclear Energy • Maintenance • Decommissioning Papers on new reactor ideas and developments (Generation IV reactors) such as inherently safe modular HTRs, High Performance LWRs/HWRs and LMFBs/GFR will be considered; Actinide Burners, Accelerator Driven Systems, Energy Amplifiers and other special designs of power and research reactors and their applications are also encouraged.