Abstract
The European Scaled Pool Experiment (E-SCAPE) is a 1/6th-scale thermal hydraulic model of the MYRRHA reactor and has been developed within the European
framework programs THINS and MYRTE. MYRRHA is a multi-purpose hybrid pool-type research reactor cooled with lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) that is under design
at the Belgian nuclear research center SCK•CEN.
The experiments from the E-SCAPE facility are essential for the design and licensing of MYRRHA. On the one hand, the experimental data from E-SCAPE directly
provide information to the designers on the flow patterns and heat transport in the LBE in the upper and lower plena of the reactor. On the other hand, the
experimental data from E-SCAPE enable qualification of thermal hydraulic computer codes used for analyzing the flow and heat transport in the MYRRHA reactor.
The accuracy of codes rely on the underlying modelling approaches, whose validity can only be assessed by comparing them with relevant experimental data. Given
the rare conditions present in heavy liquid cooled nuclear reactors, the possibility to compare complete pool simulations with experimental data is a unique
opportunity.
This paper presents the modelling approaches and first results of the pre-test analyses performed for E-SCAPE by NRG, SCK•CEN and VKI using Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The CFD analyses of NRG are performed with the STAR-CCM+code, at SCK•CEN with the ANSYS CFX code and at VKI OpenFOAM is used. A
first comparison of the results obtained with three different CFD codes for flow and heat transport in the E-SCAPE pool is presented and, where possible, validated
against experimental results.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 110436 |
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Number of pages | 10 |
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Journal | Nuclear Engineering and Design |
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Volume | 358 |
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DOIs | |
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Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2020 |
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