Liquid Sodium Stratication Prediction and Simulation in a Two-Dimensional Slice

dc.contributor.authorLanghans, Robert Florianen
dc.contributor.committeechairLiu, Yangen
dc.contributor.committeememberSchaefer, Michaelen
dc.contributor.committeememberHampe, Manfred J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberBohn, Jan Helgeen
dc.contributor.departmentMechanical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-29T08:00:29Zen
dc.date.available2017-03-29T08:00:29Zen
dc.date.issued2017-03-28en
dc.description.abstractIn light of rising global temperatures and energy needs, nuclear power is uniquely positioned to offer carbon-free and reliable electricity. In many markets, nuclear power faces strong headwinds due to competition with other fuel sources and prohibitively high capital costs. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), such as the proposed Advanced Fast Reactor (AFR) 100, have gained popularity in recent years as they promise economies of scale, reduced capital costs, and flexibility of deployment. Fast sodium reactors commonly feature an upper plenum with a large inventory of sodium. When temperatures change due to transients, stratification can occur. It is important to understand the stratification behavior of these large volumes because stratification can counteract natural circulation and fatigue materials. This work features steady-state and transient simulations of thermal stratification and natural circulation of liquid sodium in a simple rectangular slice using a commercial CFD code (ANSYS FLUENT). Different inlet velocities and their effect on stratification are investigated by changing the inlet geometry. Stratification was observed in the two cases with the lowest inlet velocities. An approach for tracking the stratification interface was developed that focuses on temperature gradients rather than differences. Other authors have developed correlations to predict stratification in three dimensional enclosures. However, these correlations predict stratified conditions for all simulations even the ones that did not stratify. The previous models are modified to reflect the two-dimensional nature of the flow in the enclosure. The results align more closely with the simulations and correctly predict stratification in the investigated cases.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:9827en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/76725en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectfast reactorsen
dc.subjectliquid sodiumen
dc.subjectComputational fluid dynamicsen
dc.subjectthermal stratificationen
dc.titleLiquid Sodium Stratication Prediction and Simulation in a Two-Dimensional Sliceen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineMechanical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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