Validation & Verification for Critical Heat Flux and CFD

Lead Research Organisation: Imperial College London
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The behaviour of nuclear reactors must be thoroughly analysed under a range of normal operation and (especially) fault conditions. Computer programmes that simulate the flow of fluids, (such as 'Computational Fluid Dynamics codes, or CFD codes') can in principle help with this. However, the complexities of the phenomena to be analysed are such that these codes need to be thoroughly validated against good measurements made in suitable experimental rigs. Under this proposal a team of UK researchers will collaborate with colleagues at BARC in India, where there are excellent such experimental facilities available. Experiments will be designed and analysed jointly, and used to validate such codes.

Planned Impact

Research outputs of the kind planned are important in view of the central role that nuclear power is expected to play over the next decades. New reactors and reactor types must meet ever higher economic and safety criteria, and assessing their ability to meet these relies more and more on advanced computational modeling. Such modelling can only be relied upon if it is supported by sound experimental validation and verification. Direct beneficiaries of this will be designers, assessors and operators of nuclear plant; better analysis tools, properly validated, are essential to realize the continuing benefits of nuclear new build. Society in general will gain too, as it benefits from the economical and carbon-free energy such nuclear plant provide. Adoption within the nuclear industry of new approaches is quite properly cautious, and the impact of the work proposed here will have a range of timescales of application. Better validated CFD models could be employed essentially immediately in (say) licensing assessment, whereas fundamental improvements in understanding of, and ability to predict, CHF phenomena will quite properly take longer to work through
 
Description The work has contributed to the ability to understand and predict natural circulation and critical heat flux in nuclear reactors.
Exploitation Route Further phenomenological methods development could be undertaken, to widen the scope of applicability.
Further validation, to provide confidence for nuclear application, is needed.
Sectors Energy

 
Description EPSRC Indo-UK Civil Nuclear (Grace Time)
Amount £681,131 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2016 
End 02/2020
 
Description EPSRC Indo-UK Civil Nuclear (Network)
Amount £204,533 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/M018296/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2015 
End 10/2018
 
Description Indo-UK Civil Nuclear III (OICHF)
Amount £112,729 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/M018261/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2016 
End 01/2018
 
Description Collaboration with Indian DAE BARC 
Organisation Bhabbha Atomic Research Centre
Country India 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution We are collaborating in a series of projects under the Indo-UK Civil Nuclear Programme
Collaborator Contribution We and BARC work together on developing measurements associated with various aspects of nuclear thermal hydraulics, and in the development and validation of models of these phenomena
Impact Multiple publications, multiple visits to BARC, multiple hostings of Indian scientists in the UK
Start Year 2015
 
Description Invited Lecture on the boiling, DNB, and its prediction, at BARC, Mumbai, February 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact An invited lecture on boiling, DNB, and its prediction, to scientists from the Indian DAE laboratory BARC, and the associated HBNI University Institute
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Invited lecture to Westinghouse (Sweden) Meeting og BWR fuel users 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I was invited to give a lecture on BWR fuel Critical Heat Flux prediction methods
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017