Validation of A Transient Thermal-Fluid System CFD Model For A Packed Bed High Temperature Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor

2nd International Topical Meeting on HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
Beijing, CHINA, September 22-24, 2004 #Paper C07
VALIDATION OF A TRANSIENT THERMAL-FLUID SYSTEMS CFD

MODEL FOR A PACKED BED HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED
NUCLEAR REACTOR
PG Rousseau1, CG du Toit1 and WA Landman2

1 Energy Systems Research, Faculty of Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom
2520, South Africa
2 M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd, 5 Luke Street, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Corresponding author - PG Rousseau: Fax: +27 18 299 1320 Email: mgipgr@puk.ac.za
ABSTRACT: This paper provides an overview of the theoretical basis for a new thermal-fluid
systems CFD simulation model for high temperature gas-cooled reactors, contained in the Flownex
software code. Flownex provides for detailed steady state and transient thermal-fluid simulations of
the complete power plant, fully integrated with core neutronics and controller algorithms. The reactor
model is founded on a fundamental approach for the conservation of mass, momentum and energy for
the compressible fluid flowing through a fixed bed, as well as the heat transfer in the pebbles and core
structures. The time-wise integration of the resulting differential equations is based on an implicit
pressure correction algorithm. This allows for the use of rather large time steps making it very
suitable for simulating the slow transients that can be expected to follow incidents like reactor
shutdowns. The paper also compares the Flownex results for four transient tests with the measured
results from the SANA test facility as well as to the results of simulations with the Thermix/DIREKT
code that were done at the Research Centre Jlich. The Flownex results compare well with the
Thermix/DIREKT results for all the cases presented here. Good comparison was also obtained
between the simulated and measured results, except at two points within the pebble bed near the inner
wall. The fact that quick computer simulation times were obtained indicates that the new model
indeed achieves a fine balance between accuracy and simplicity. However, the discrepancies obtained
at the two points near the inner wall, together with the fact that additional uncertainty was introduced
in the original SANA test set-up by not being able to control the temperature of the outer wall,
highlight the need for additional systematic tests to be performed in order to better validate the new
model.
0. INTRODUCTION
The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) power plant is currently being developed by
PBMR (Pty) Ltd in South Africa in association with ESKOM and other industrial partners. This high
temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) plant is based on a Brayton gas turbine cycle with helium gas
as coolant. The complexity associated with the thermal-fluid design of the cycle requires the use of a
variety of analysis techniques and simulation tools. These range from simple one-dimensional models
that do not capture all the significant physical phenomena to large-scale three-dimensional CFD codes
that, for practical reasons, can not simulate the entire plant as a single integrated model.
One of the most prominent codes that provide a suitable compromise is the thermal-fluid systems CFD
or network simulation code Flownex [1]. Flownex allows detailed steady state and transient thermal-
fluid simulations of the complete power plant, fully integrated with core neutronics and controller
algorithms. The reactor model contained in the code is based on the fundamental equations for the
conservation of mass, momentum and energy for the compressible fluid flowing through a fixed bed,
as well as the equations for the conservation of energy for the pebbles and core structures.
Detailed comparisons of results obtained with the reactor model and measured results obtained from
the 1996 SANA test facility [2],[3], have recently been presented [4]. These included various steady-state
tests, covering a range of temperatures as well as two different fluids and different heating configurations.
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VALIDATION OF A TRANSIENT THERMAL-FLUID SYSTEMS CFD MODEL FOR A PACKED BED HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS-
COOLED NUCLEAR REACTOR #C07
The good comparison obtained between the simulated and measured results showed that the systems
CFD approach sufficiently accounts for all of the important phenomena encountered in the quasi-
steady natural convection driven flows that will prevail after critical events in a reactor. However, results
have not yet been presented for transient events. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of
the theoretical basis and present the simulated results for transient tests that were also carried out on the
SANA test facility. The Flownex results are once again compared to the measured results as well as to the
results of simulations carried out at Forschungszentrum Jlich as part of the SANA project.
1. THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
Reactor geometry. Figure 1 shows a simplified section through a part of what can typically be
expected in the reactor geometry. The fuel pebbles are located in the annular volume formed between
the central reflector and the core structures. The gas is fed into a ring-shaped inlet manifold. From
there it flows up through vertical riser channels situated at discrete intervals around the circumference.
The riser channels are intersected at the top by horizontal inlet slots that feeds the gas inward and into
the pebble bed at the top. Besides the riser channels and inlet slots, the core structures can also contain
vertical control rod channels. The control rod channels are also situated at discrete intervals around
the circumference, but alternating with the riser channels. Note that the gas flowing in the riser
channels does not mix with the gas contained in the control rod channels. The main core structures are
typically surrounded by an annular gas-filled cavity contained within the core barrel. The core barrel
in turn is contained within the reactor pressure vessel (RPV).
Control rod
channels
Horizontal
inlet slots
Central
reflector Vertical
riser
channels
Pebble bed
Core
structures
Gas inlet
manifold
Core barrel
annulus
Core barrel
Figure 1 Section through part of a typical reactor geometry.
Simulation methodology. The simulation philosophy on which the model is based is to achieve a
fine balance between accuracy and simplicity and to guard against simply developing another detailed
-- 2 --
HTR2004 Beijing, CHINA, 2004.9.
CFD code that does not allow quick integrated plant simulations. This means that the simplest
possible model was derived that can sufficiently account for all of the important phenomena.
The first simplification is that the model is based on a two-dimensional axi-symmetric coordinate
system rather than a full three-dimensional cylindrical coordinate system. This implies that all
variations in geometry or material properties around the perimeter of the reactor will be spread evenly
around the circumference to form a material with constant properties at each given height and radius.
For instance, the inlet slots situated at discrete intervals around the perimeter is represented by a
material with representative unidirectional radial flow permeability. Similarly the discrete vertical
control rod channels are represented by a material with representative unidirectional axial flow
permeability. The pebble bed in turn is represented by a porous medium with multidirectional
porosity rather than a unidirectional permeability. Note however, that the magnitude of the
permeability or porosity may vary between control volumes in both the radial and axial directions. By
employing this two-dimensional approach with representative permeability or porosity, all of the
desired phenomena may be simulated, although in less detail than would be the case in a traditional
CFD code. However, the reduction in the size of the required computational grid is substantial thus
resulting is much faster simulation times.
Convective heat
Pebble bed
transfer elements
void volumes
between solid and gas Inlet slot flow
resistance
Pebble bed elements
flow resistance
elements
Riser channel
flow resistance
elements
Inlet manifold
Pebble surface
temperature Core structure
Solid mass
temperatures
Effective
conduction Conduction
and radiation in elements
pebble bed
Pebble internal Control rod

channel flow
solid mass
resistance
temperatures
elements
Figure 2 Integrated network representation of the pebble-bed and core structure solids and flow paths
Governing differential equations. The reactor model is based on the fundamental equations for the
conservation of mass, momentum and energy for the compressible fluid flow, as well as the equations
for the conservation of energy for a pebble, energy transfer between the surfaces of adjacent pebbles,
and the solid materials comprising the core structure. Through a rigorous analysis [4] the equations
can be reduced and recast in a form that is suitable for incorporation in a network code. This
formulation of the equations results in a collection of one-dimensional nodes (control volumes) and
elements (models) that can be used to construct a comprehensive multi-dimensional model of the
reactor. The elements account for the pressure drop through the reactor; the convective heat transport
by the gas; the convection heat transfer between the gas and the solids; the radiative, contact and
-- 3 --
convection heat transfer between the pebbles and the heat conduction in the pebble and core structure
materials. A greatly simplified network presentation is shown schematically in Figure 2.
Du Toit et al. [4] have shown that the equations for the conservation of mass, momentum and energy
(total specific enthalpy) for the fluid can be expressed in axi-symmetric cylindrical coordinates as
1
( ) + ( rur ) + ( u z ) = 0 (1)
t r r z
ur V 2 To p po y
= g ur (2)
t 2To r po r r
u z V 2 To p po y
= g u z (3)
t 2To z po z z
1 1 T T
( ho ) + ( r hour ) + ( hou z ) = ( p ) + rk + k
t r r z t r r r z z (4)
+ ( g r ur + g z u z ) + qsf
Three energy equations can be distinguished in the case of the solids, i.e., the conduction in the core
structures, conduction in the pebbles and the heat transfer between the surfaces of the pebbles due to
contact, radiation and convection. Du Toit et al. [4] have shown that the respective energy
conservation equations can be expressed in axi-cylindrical coordinates as
1 T T
t
(1 ) s e = (1 ) r ks
r r + (1 ) ks + (1 ) ( qfs + qs) (5)
r z z
1 T
( cvT ) = 2 k p r 2 + qp (6)
t r r r
1 T T
0= rkeff + keff (7)
r r r z z
The variation in the porosity in the radial direction due to the influence of the walls is taken into
account by the correlation of Hunt and Tien [5], whilst the resistance coefficient due to the pebbles
is determined using the KTA Ergun equation [6]. The modified Zehner-Schlnder correlation [4] is
employed to determine the effective conductivity keff , whilst the heat transfer between the pebbles
and the fluid is modelled with the aid of the effectiveness-NTU method [4].
Integrated equations. Integrating equations (1) to (4) for the fluid over a control volume and over a
discrete time step leads to the following algebraic equations.
Integration of the equation for the conservation of mass gives
p ( p op )
Vp + ( ur )e Ae ( ur ) w Aw + ( u z )n An ( u z ) s As +
t (8)
(1 ) ( ur )e Ae ( ur )w Aw + ( u z )n An ( u z )s As
o
=0
-- 4 --
Integrating the equations for the conservation of momentum leads to
( u r ) p ( ur ) p p V p2
o
pp
p p Ar r + p Ar (To )e (To ) w + p A ( p ) ( po ) w
t 2 (To ) p ( po ) p r o e
p V p2
+ p p g Ar [ ye yw ] + p p ( ur ) p Ar r + (1 ) p } Ar (To )e (To ) w (9)
2 (To ) p
o
pp
+ p Ar ( po )e ( po ) w + p p g Ar [ ye yw ] + p p ( ur ) p Ar r = 0
( po ) p
( uz ) p ( uz ) p p V p2
o
p
p p Az z + p Az (To )n (To ) s + p Az ( po )n ( po ) s
t 2(To ) p po p
p V p2
+ p p g Az [ yn ys ] + p p ( u z ) p Az z} + (1 ) p Az (To )n (To ) s (10)
2(To ) p
o
p
+ p Az ( po )n ( po ) s + p p g Az [ yn ys ] + p p ( u z ) p Az z = 0
po p
The integration of the equation for the conservation of energy for the fluid gives
p p ( ho ) p p op ( ho ) p p ( p p p op )
o
Vp Vp + {( ho ur )e Ae ( ho ur ) w Aw
t t
T
+ ( ho ur )e Ae ( ho ur ) w Aw + ( ho u z )n An ( ho u z ) s As k Ae
r e
T T T
+ k Aw k An + k As p p ( g r ur + g z u z ) p V
r w z n z s p (11)
+ (1 ) {( ho ur )e Ae ( ho ur ) w Aw + ( ho ur )e Ae ( ho ur ) w Aw + ( ho u z )n An
T T T T
( ho u z ) s As k Ae + k Aw k An + k As
r e r w z n z s
p p ( g r ur + g z u z ) p V }
o
= qsf V p
Terms with the superscript o refer to the previous time step, whilst terms without a superscript refer to
the current time step. is weighting factor between the previous and the current time steps and can
vary between 0 and 1. When = 0 the scheme becomes fully explicit, with = 1 it becomes fully
implicit and when = 0.5 the time integration is equivalent to that of the so-called Crank-Nicholson
method. For = 1 the method is first-order accurate in time, whilst for = 0.5 it is second-order
accurate. For -values close to 0.5 the scheme sometimes becomes unstable and an -value of 0.6
offers a good compromise between accuracy and stability [7]. Integrating equations (5) to (7) for the
solids and the pebbles also leads to the following algebraic equations.
-- 5 --
The equation for the conservation of energy for the solids gives
[ e] p [ e] p
o
T T
V p (1 ) + (1 ) k s Ae + (1 ) k s Aw
t r e r w
T T T
(1 ) k s An + (1 ) ks As + (1 ) (1 ) ks A
z n z s r e (12)
o
T T T
+ (1 ) k s Aw (1 ) k s An + (1 ) k s As
r w z n z s
= (1 p )( qfs + qs) V p
The integration of the equation for the conservation of energy for a pebble results in
o
p e p p e p T T
Vp + k p Ae + k p Aw
t r e r w
(13)
o
T T
+ (1 ) k p Ae + k p Aw = qp V p
r e r w
and finally the equation for the transfer of heat between adjacent pebbles becomes
T T T T
keff r Ae keff r Aw + keff z An keff z As = 0 (14)
e w n s
The numerical formulation of the equations is based on a staggered grid approach with the pressures,
densities and temperatures defined at cell (control volume) centers (nodes) and the velocities are
defined at cell boundaries (elements). A computationally effective segregated implicit pressure
correction method [7] is employed to solve the resulting equations.
2. SANA TEST FACILITY AND COMPUTATIONAL MODEL

Having developed the theoretical basis for the new systems CFD model, it is important to prove its
validity by comparing the numerical results with that of experiments. Of particular importance is the
prediction of the pebble temperatures obtained in the case of power transients. Although limited, such
data does exist in the form of the experimental results obtained from the SANA test facility [2],[3].
The SANA test facility was installed at the Research Centre Jlich in Germany specifically to
investigate the heat transport mechanisms inside the core of a high temperature gas cooled reactor
(HTGR). Besides the physical tests, simulations were also conducted at Jlich with two software
models namely TINTE and Thermix/DIREKT, both of which allow both steady state and transient
simulations. Results of these simulations compared well with measurements.
SANA test facility. The test facility consisted of a heated pebble bed inside a furnace to simulate the
thermal conditions of such a HTGR-core. Different heater configurations were possible but Figure 3
shows a schematic of the test facility with a single central heating element. The diameter of the pebble
bed is 1.5 m and the height is 1.0 m. The overall height of the facility is 3.2 m and the maximum
heating capacity of the single central heating element is 35 kW. The top and bottom of the facility was
well-insulated while the outside of the furnace was open to atmosphere. More than 50 steady-state as
well as some transient tests were carried out on the facility. In these experiments all the main
parameters of a pebble bed were varied, such as pebble material, pebble diameter, gas type, heating
power and heating geometry.
-- 6 --
Figure 3. Schematic of SANA test facility taken from [2].
For the tests conducted with the 60 mm diameter graphite pebbles, measurements were taken of the
pebble temperatures at different radial positions close to the bottom of the pebble bed (height 90 mm)
as well as at the center (height 500 mm) and top (height 910 mm) as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Schematic of the temperature measuring points on the SANA test facility taken from [2].
-- 7 --
Adiabatic boundary
Top
Fixed ambient temperature boundary

Fixed heat input boundary
Centre
Bottom
Adiabatic boundary
Figure 5. Schematic of the discretization scheme used in all of the Flownex simulations.
Computational grid. In all of the Flownex simulations the pebble bed was discretised into control
volumes with equal heights of 100 mm and equal radial widths of 29.6 mm. Half control volumes
were employed at all the boundaries as shown in Figure 5. The bottom and top boundaries were
assumed to be adiabatic since in practice it was very well insulated. The heat input to the heating
element was distributed uniformly at the inner boundary and no allowance was made for conductive
heat transfer within the material of the heating element sheath. At the outer boundary a 5 mm thick
stainless steel wall with heat conduction and heat capacity was specified, connected to a fixed ambient
temperature through convective heat transfer elements. Due to the lack of detailed information from
the test reports, the ambient temperature was simply fixed at 26 C for all cases while values for the
convective heat transfer coefficient were fixed between 20 and 25 W/m2K. These values were
estimated based on inspection of the steady-state test results. This highlighted a shortcoming in the
original test set-up namely that the temperature of the outer wall could not be controlled and therefore
additional uncertainty is introduced in all of the measured results.
In all of the cases the simulations were based on 60-second time-steps, which provided a time-step
independent solution. The computer simulation time for obtaining the steady-state initial values were
all in the region of 4.5 seconds and the transient simulations for a sixty-hour period took in the order
of 450 seconds on a notebook computer with a 1.6 GHz Centrino processor and 512 Megabytes of
memory.
3. RESULTS
This section will present comparisons between results produced with Flownex and measured results
obtained with SANA facility as well as comparisons between the results of the Flownex and
Thermix/DIREKT computational models for four transient cases. In all four cases the furnace
-- 8 --
contained graphite pebbles with 60 mm diameter, which is naturally of particular interest to the PBMR
application. Heating was done within the central electrode along the full height of the pebble bed.
The first two cases involve a linear ramp-down of the power input, one with Helium as coolant and the
other with Nitrogen. The other two cases involve an instantaneous step-up of the power input, again
one with Helium as coolant and the other with Nitrogen. In all cases the calculated or measured
temperature distribution at different radial positions at the center along the height of the pebble bed (i.e.
height 500 mm) is compared.
Ramp-down of power input: The transient starts with a steady-state condition at a nominal power
input of 30 kW. The power input is linearly ramped down to 10 kW over a period of 50 hours, i.e. at
0.4 kW/h, after which it is kept constant to eventually again reach steady-state conditions.
Case 1. Ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours with Helium as coolant.
Figure 6 shows the comparison between the measured and simulated temperatures for different radial
positions in the center along the height of the pebble bed while Figure 7 shows the comparison
between the simulated Thermix/DIREKT and Flownex results.
From Figure 6 it can be seen that the Flownex results compare well with the measurements except for
two points along the radius i.e. at radius = 10 cm and radius = 22 cm. Although the general trend over
time is correct there seems to be an offset of approximately 60 C throughout. Note that this offset is
not only observed during transients but also at steady state conditions at the start of the transient. This
difference therefore does not indicate a discrepancy in the thermal mass calculation or in the time-
dependent numerical integration, but rather in the calculation of the effective thermal resistance in the
radial coordinate direction.
However, the Flownex results compare very well with the Thermix/DIREKT results at all of the points,
including the two points mentioned above. This raises the suspicion that the measuring points may
perhaps have been positioned differently in the test facility, for instance one ball diameter to the inside
of where it was supposed to be. Although it seems unlikely that such an error could have been made,
there is unfortunately no way to verify it at this time.
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Flownex (6.5) Sana (6.5 ) Flownex (22) Sana (22) Flownex (34) Sana (34 )
Flownex (46) Sana (46) Flownex (58) Sana (58) Flownex (70) Sana (70 )
Flownex (75) Sana (75) Flownex (10) Sana (10)
Figure 6. Results of measured (SANA) and simulated (Flownex) pebble temperatures for Helium with
a ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours.
-- 9 --
1200
1000
Temperature () 800
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Flownex (6.5) Thermix (6.5 ) Flownex (22) Thermix (22) Flownex (34) Thermix (34 )
Flownex (46) Thermix (46) Flownex (58) Thermix (58) Flownex (70) Thermix (70 )
Flownex (75) Thermix (75) Flownex (10) Thermix (10)
Figure 7. Results of pebble temperatures simulated with Thermix/DIREKT and Flownex respectively
for Helium with a ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours.
Case 2. Ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours with Nitrogen as coolant.

Figure 8 shows the comparison between the measured and simulated temperatures for different radial
positions at the center along the height of the pebble bed while Figure 9 shows the comparison
Figure 8 shows that the initial temperatures are on average higher in the case of Nitrogen than in the
case of Helium. Once again the Flownex results compare well with the measurements except at the
two points mentioned earlier. In this case the Thermix/DIREKT results are much closer to the
measured values at these two points. However, for all of the other points to the outside of
radius = 34 cm, the Flownex results compare better with the measurements than the Thermix/DIREKT
results.
-- 10 --
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Figure 8. Results of measured (SANA) and simulated (Flownex) pebble temperatures for Nitrogen with
a ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours.
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Figure 9. Results of pebble temperatures simulated with Thermix/DIREKT and Nitrogen respectively
for Helium with a ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours.
Step-up of power input: In the following cases the transient starts with a steady-state condition at a
nominal power input of 10 kW, which is then instantaneously stepped up to 25 kW.
Case 3. Instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW with Helium as coolant. Figure
10 shows the comparison between the measured and simulated temperatures for different radial
-- 11 --
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Figure 10. Results of measured (SANA) and simulated (Flownex) pebble temperatures for Helium with
an instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW.
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
for Helium with an instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW.
In this case the results for the innermost points compares exceptionally well with the measured values.
Discrepancies of as much as 100 C are again observed at radius = 10 cm and radius = 22 cm.
Fortunately, in almost all cases Flownex provides conservative results from the viewpoint of accident
analyses, i.e. where the predicted pebble temperatures are higher than the measured values. The
Flownex and Thermix/DIREKT results compare exceptionally well for all cases, except the inner wall
temperature, where the Flownex results are much closer to those of the measured values.
Case 4. Instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW with Nitrogen as coolant. Figure
10 shows the comparison between the measured and simulated temperatures for different radial
-- 12 --
These results show very much the same trends as those obtained for Helium with very good
correlation between the two numerical models and Flownex providing conservative results compared
to the measurements. However, in this case the Thermix/DIREKT results for the inner wall correlate
better with the measured values.
For all of the cases presented above, there seem to be systematic errors between the simulated and
measured values at two specific points along the radius. This either indicates that the effective thermal
resistance is not modelled correctly in the region near the inner wall, which may be related to an
incorrect prediction of the porosity distribution near the wall, or perhaps that the measuring probes
may have been positioned incorrectly in the test facility. However, besides these two points, the
Flownex results compare well with the measured values and generally provide conservative results
from the point of view of safety analyses. The temperature gradients with respect to time are modelled
correctly in all cases which indicates that the thermal storage effects are correctly accounted for and
also provides confidence in the time-wise numerical integration scheme. In almost all cases the
Flownex results compare well with that of the Thermix/DIREKT simulations.
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
Figure 12. Results of measured (SANA) and simulated (Flownex) pebble temperatures for Nitrogen
with an instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW.
-- 13 --
1200
1000
800
Temperature ()
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (h)
for Nitrogen with an instantaneous step-up of power input from 10 kW to 25 kW.
4. CONCLUSIONS
An overview of the theoretical basis and conceptual formulation of a comprehensive reactor model to
simulate the thermal-fluid phenomena of the PBMR reactor core and core structures was given.
Through a rigorous analysis the fundamental equations were recast in a form that is suitable for
incorporation in a systems CFD code. The formulation of the equations resulted in a collection of one-
dimensional elements (models) that can be used to construct a comprehensive multi-dimensional
network model of the reactor.
The time-wise integration of the resulting differential equations is based on an implicit pressure
correction algorithm that offers a good compromise between accuracy and stability. This allows for
the use of rather large time steps in the case of the slow transients that can be expected to follow
incidents like reactor shutdowns and other important transient events. The fact that computer
simulation times of less than 10 minutes were achieved on a standard notebook computer for all of the
simulations covering a 60-hour long transient also indicates that the new model indeed achieves a fine
balance between accuracy and simplicity.
Good comparison was obtained between the simulated and measured results for all cases, except at
two points within the bed near the inner wall. This indicates a systematic error but unfortunately it is
not entirely possible to pinpoint the causes given the data available from the original SANA tests. The
Flownex results compared well with the Thermix/DIREKT results for all the cases presented here.
However, the discrepancy pointed out above, together with the fact that additional uncertainty was
introduced in the original test set-up by not being able to control the temperature of the outer wall,
highlight the need for additional systematic tests to be performed in order to better validate the new
model.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank PBMR (Pty) Ltd. whose financial support made this work possible as well
as M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd., developers of the Flownex software.
-- 14 --
6. NOMENCLATURE
A area
cv specific heat capacity
gi gravitational acceleration component
ho specific total enthalpy

k thermal conductivity
L representative length
r
n outward pointing vector normal to surface
p static pressure
po total pressure
qbf heat flux from pebbles to coolant
q fb heat flux from coolant to pebbles
q fs heat flux from coolant to solid
r radial coordinate
T static temperature
To total temperature
t time
ui velocity component
V velocity magnitude
V volume
z axial coordinate
Greek Letters
resistance coefficient due to spheres
porosity of bed
density of fluid
ij shear stress component
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-- 15 --
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-- 16 --

Validation of A Transient Thermal-Fluid System CFD Model For A Packed Bed High Temperature Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor

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Validation of A Transient Thermal-Fluid System CFD Model For A Packed Bed High Temperature Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor

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2nd International Topical Meeting on HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTOR TECHNOLOGY

Beijing, CHINA, September 22-24, 2004 #Paper C07

VALIDATION OF A TRANSIENT THERMAL-FLUID SYSTEMS CFD

PG Rousseau1, CG du Toit1 and WA Landman2

Figure 1 Section through part of a typical reactor geometry.

Pebble internal Control rod

Integrating the equations for the conservation of momentum leads to

2. SANA TEST FACILITY AND COMPUTATIONAL MODEL

Figure 3. Schematic of SANA test facility taken from [2].

Fixed ambient temperature boundary

Case 2. Ramp-down of power input from 30 kW to 10 kW in 50 hours with Nitrogen as coolant.

ho specific total enthalpy

qbf heat flux from pebbles to coolant

q fb heat flux from coolant to pebbles

q fs heat flux from coolant to solid

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