A system CFD model of the heat transfer in a prismatic block of a VHTR
Abstract
The conduction heat transfer through the prismatic blocks containing the fuel elements in a Very High Temperature
Reactor (VHTR) is of crucial importance for the proper operation of the reactor under normal operating conditions
and upset conditions. This paper discusses a system computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that simulates the
heat transfer and fluid flow in a single-channel fuel module of a prismatic block in a representative manner. The
model consists of a collection of one-dimensional solid conduction heat transfer, convection heat transfer and pipe
elements that are arranged in such a manner to represent the heat transfer and fluid flow in the single-channel fuel
module using a network approach. The current model represents one sixth of a single-channel fuel module. The
validity of the model was investigated by comparing the temperature distribution in the single-channel fuel module
for various scenarios with the corresponding values obtained using a detailed CFD model of the single-channel fuel
module. This model requires much less computational resources than the detail CFD and unit cell based models
and can form the basis of an integrated model for the entire core
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/33513https://www.vut.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Draft-SACAM-Book-of-abstracts-.pdf