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A Note on Thermal-Hydraulics
*** Single Phase Single Heated Channel Problem ***
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CONTENT
CONTENT ........................................................................................................................................... 3
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. 4
THE PROBLEM OF SINGLE HEATED CHANNEL ........................................................................ 5
Governing Equations ........................................................................................................................ 5
Solution Method ............................................................................................................................... 6
Thermodynamic Equations of State for Liquid Sodium ................................................................. 11
Computer Code ............................................................................................................................... 12
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. The problem of single heated channel..................................................................................5
Figure 2. Axial nodalization...............................................................................................................11
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THE PROBLEM OF SINGLE HEATED CHANNEL
The system that we are going to analyzed is one the most basic thermal-hydraulics problems: the
case of single heated channel, in which a single phase fluid flows inside a heated pipe, as depicted
on the following figure:
F
l
u
i
d

f
l
o
w
H
e
a
t
e
d
H
e
a
t
e
d
Figure 1. The problem of single heated channel
We are mainly interested in temperature and pressure of the fluid along the channel.
Governing Equations
To perform the analysis, we will use three balance equations in steady state form as described
below.
Mass balance:
Eq. 1 0
G
z

2
mass flux [kg/m s] G
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Momentum balance:
Eq. 2
2
2
h
G G
G p
f g
z z D


| `



. ,
2
3
2
mass flux [kg/m s]
fluid density [kg/m ]
pressure [Pa]
equivalent hydraulic diameter [m]
friction coefficient
gravity acceleration [m/s ]
e
G
p
D
f
g

Energy balance:
Eq. 3
( )
'( )
p
c T dT
m q z
dz
&
mass flow rate [kg/s]
specific heat capacity [J/kg.K]
' linear power density [W/m]
temperature [K]
p
m
c
q
T

&
The mass balance equation implies that the mass flux (and mass flow rate for constant area channel)
is constant under steady state condition. The energy equation will be solved for coolant temperature,
and the momentum equation will be solved for pressure.
Solution Method
Integrating Eq. 3:
Eq. 4
1 1
( ) '( )
zj zj
p
zj zj
m c T dT q z dz
+ +

&
Applying trapezoid rule:
Eq. 5
, , 1 1
1 1
' '
2 2
p j p j j j
j j j j
c c q q
m T T z z
+ +
+ +
] ] + +
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
&
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Equation of state for
p
c
is as follow:
Eq. 6
2
0 1 2
( )
p
c T a a T a T + +
Where
n
a are some empirical constants.
Substituting Eq. 6 into Eq. 5:
Eq. 7
( ) ( )
2 2
0 1 2 0 1 1 2 1
1
1 1
' '
2 2
j j j j
j j
j j j j
a a T a T a a T a T
q q
m T T z z
+ +
+
+ +
]
+ + + + + ] +
] ] ]
]
] ]
] ]
]
]
&
By rearranging Eq. 7, we get the following equation:
Eq. 8
2 3
0 1 1 2 1 3 1
0
j j j
b b T b T b T
+ + +
+ + +
1 2 3
0 0 1 2 1
2
1 0 2
2 1 2
3 2
' '
2
2
j j
j j j j j
i
i
q q
b a T a T a T z z
m
b a a T
b a a T
b a
+
+
] +
]
]
]
]
]
+

&
Eq. 8 is a nonlinear equation that we need to solve to obtain coolant temperature. We will use the
Newton-Raphson technique to iteratively solve it.
Now lets define
e
F as Energy Function for this case:
Eq. 9 ( )
2 3
1 0 1 1 2 1 3 1
0
e j j j j
F T b b T b T b T
+ + + +
+ + +
Then the derivative of
e
F respect to
1 i
T
+
is:
Eq. 10
2
1 2 1 3 1
1
2 3
e
j j
j
F
b b T b T
T
+ +
+

+ +

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The Newton-Raphson iteration is then performed as follow:
Eq. 11
( )
1
1
1 1
1 old
j
old
e j
new old
j j
e
j
T
F T
T T
F
T
+
+
+ +
+

We perform the iteration until the following condition is achieved:

Eq. 12 ( )
1 e j
F T
+

Where

is a small number as a criterion of iteration convergence ( )

9
~10

. We take the initial

guess for
1
old
j
T
+
as simply the value of
j
T
, which is already known.
Once we obtain coolant temperature at axial plane
1 j +
, we can obtain the following quantities:
Empirical correlation for dynamic viscosity:
Eq. 13
1
10
j

+

2
1 3 1
1
log
dynamic viscosity [kg/m.s]
j
j
c
c c T
T

+
+
+ +

Reynolds number:
Eq. 14
1
1
Re
h
j
j
GD

+
+

hydraulic diameter [m]

h
D
Friction factor:
Eq. 15
( )
1
1
64
Darcy correlation for Re 2100
Re
j
j
f
+
+
<
Eq. 16 ( )
0.25
1
0.316Re Blasius correlation for Re 2100
j
f

+

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Note that for simplicity, we have ignored the transition region. We will need the above quantities to
solve the momentum equation as described below.
Now lets move to the momentum equation. Integrating Eq. 2:
Eq. 17
1 1 1 1
2
1
2
zj zj zj zj
h zj zj zj zj
G G
f
dp dz g dz G d
D


+ + + +
| `


. ,

Applying trapezoid rule:
Eq. 18
1 1
1 1 1
1
2
1
1
2 2 2
1 1

j j j j
j j j j j j
h j j
j j
f f G G
p p z z g z z
D
G



+ +
+ + +
+
+
] ] +
] ] +
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

]
]
]
Equation of state for

is as follow:
Eq. 19
2 3
0 1 2 3 4
( , ) T p a a T a T a T a p + + + +
Where
n
a are some empirical constants.
Then coolant densities for axial plane
j
and
1 j +
are as follow, respectively:
Eq. 20
2 3
0 1 2 3 4 j j j j j
a a T a T a T a p + + + +
Eq. 21
2 3
1 0 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 j j j j j
a a T a T a T a p
+ + + + +
+ + + +
By substituting Eq. 20 and Eq. 21 into Eq. 18, and rearranging the resulting equation, we will obtain
the following equation:
Eq. 22
1
0 1 1 2 1 2 1
0
j j
b b p b p

+ +
] + + +
]
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( ) ( )
( )
( )
( )
2 3
1 0 1 1 2 1 3 1
2 4
2
1 1
0 1
2 1
1
1 1
2
2
4 2
1
2
4
j j j
j j i j j
j j
j h j
j j
j j j
h
a a T a T a T
a
z z f g z z
G G
G
b p
D
g z z
b
G G z z f
b G
D

+ + +
+ +
+
+ +
+ + +

]

] + +
]
]

+
Eq. 20 is a highly nonlinear equation, and we will use the Newton-Raphson method again to solve
it. Lets define
k
F as Momentum Function for this case:
Eq. 23 ( )
1
1 0 1 1 2 1 2 1
0
k j j j
F p b b p b p

+ + +
] + + +
]
Then the derivative of
k
F respect to
1 j
p
+
is:
Eq. 24
2
1 2 2 1 2 1
1
k
j
j
F
b b p
p


+
+

] +
]

The Newton-Raphson iteration is then performed as follow:

Eq. 25
( )
1
1
1 1
1 old
j
old
k j
new old
j j
k
j
p
F p
p p
F
p
+
+
+ +
+

We perform the iteration until the following condition is achieved:

Eq. 26 ( )
1 k j
F p
+

Where

is a small number as a criterion of iteration convergence ( )

9
~10

. We take the initial

guess for
1
old
j
p
+
as simply the value of
j
p
, which is already known.
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The calculation is carried out sequentially from bottom to top of the pipe in a marching fashion. So
once the quantities at the inlet have been specified, their values at every axial position are
determined from the solution.
j = 1
j-1
j
j+1
j = n
Figure 2. Axial nodalization
To perform the calculation, first we need to specify the following quantities:
Coolant mass flux
Pipe diameter
Pressure and coolant temperature at inlet (cell
1 j
)
Linear heat rate at every cell
Pipe length
Number of cell
Then the calculation is carried out start from
2 j
to
1 j n
.
Thermodynamic Equations of State for Liquid Sodium
The following are some equations applicable to liquid sodium, one of the typical coolants for Fast
Breeder Reactors (FBRs).
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Liquid density:
Eq. 27
2 3
0 1 2 3 4
( , ) [kg/m3] T p a a T a T a T a p + + + +
0
1
5
2
9
3
7
4
370.9 1644.2
1011.597
0.22051
1.92243 10
5.63769 10
2.26 10
K T K
a
a
a
a
a

Liquid specific heat capacity:
Eq. 28
2
0 1 2
( ) [J/kg.K]
p
c T a a T a T + +
0
1
4
2
1630.22
0.83354
4.62838 10
a
a
a

Liquid dynamic viscosity:
Eq. 29 ( ) 10 [kg/m.s] T


220.65
2.4892 0.4925logT
T
+
Saturation temperature:
Eq. 30
6
12130
( ) [K]
ln(9.869 10 ) 10.51
s
T p
p

Computer Code
The method explained on this paper has been programmed in Fortran language, it is freely available
from the following URL: http://wp.me/p61TQ-w8
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