Investigation of lead oxide particulate formation and dissolution in lead-bismuth eutectic rod-bundle flow channels

IF 6.6 2区工程技术 Q1 THERMODYNAMICS

Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-02 DOI:10.1016/j.csite.2026.107893

Maoran Zhao , Dawei Cui , Renwen Zhang , Huanpeng Liu , Svetlana Ponomareva , Guodong Liu

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Abstract

Precise oxygen control in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic is essential for the safe and efficient operation of lead-cooled fast reactors. Insufficient oxygen accelerates the corrosion of structural materials, while excessive oxygen leads to the formation of solid PbO particles, which pose risks of flow blockages and degraded heat transfer. This study employs a coupled computational fluid dynamic–population balance model to simulate the nucleation, growth, and dissolution of PbO particles within a wire-wrapped fuel assembly during heating. The impact of key operational and geometric parameters—including Reynolds number, heat flux, and sub-channel position—on the spatiotemporal evolution of oxygen concentration and PbO particle characteristics are systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that lower Reynolds numbers and higher heat fluxes substantially accelerate the onset and progression of PbO nucleation and dissolution. Simulated oxide particles predominantly fall within the range of 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁸ m. These findings offer new insights for optimizing oxygen control strategies and mitigating impurity-driven risks in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic cooled reactor systems.

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铅铋共晶棒束流道中氧化铅颗粒形成和溶解的研究

铅铋共晶液中氧的精确控制是保证铅冷快堆安全高效运行的关键。氧气不足会加速结构材料的腐蚀，而过量的氧气会导致固体PbO颗粒的形成，从而造成流动堵塞和传热退化的风险。本研究采用耦合计算流体动力学-种群平衡模型来模拟加热过程中金属丝包裹燃料组件内PbO颗粒的成核、生长和溶解。系统地研究了关键操作参数和几何参数（包括雷诺数、热流密度和子通道位置）对氧浓度时空演变和PbO粒子特征的影响。结果表明，较低的雷诺数和较高的热通量大大加速了PbO成核和溶解的发生和发展。模拟的氧化物颗粒主要落在10−9 ~ 10−8 m范围内。这些发现为优化氧控制策略和减轻液态铅铋共晶冷却反应堆系统中杂质驱动的风险提供了新的见解。

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

Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Chemical Engineering-Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

11.80%

发文量

812

审稿时长

76 days

期刊介绍： Case Studies in Thermal Engineering provides a forum for the rapid publication of short, structured Case Studies in Thermal Engineering and related Short Communications. It provides an essential compendium of case studies for researchers and practitioners in the field of thermal engineering and others who are interested in aspects of thermal engineering cases that could affect other engineering processes. The journal not only publishes new and novel case studies, but also provides a forum for the publication of high quality descriptions of classic thermal engineering problems. The scope of the journal includes case studies of thermal engineering problems in components, devices and systems using existing experimental and numerical techniques in the areas of mechanical, aerospace, chemical, medical, thermal management for electronics, heat exchangers, regeneration, solar thermal energy, thermal storage, building energy conservation, and power generation. Case studies of thermal problems in other areas will also be considered.