Predicting large deflections of multiplate fuel elements using a monolithic FSI approach

Franklin G. Curtis, James D. Freels, Kivanc Ekici

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

As part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is evaluating conversion of fuel for the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) from high-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium. Currently, multiphysics simulations that model fluid-structure interaction phenomena are being performed to ensure the safety of the reactor with the new fuel type. A monolithic solver that fully couples fluid and structural dynamics is used to model deflections in the new design. A classical experiment is chosen to validate the capabilities of the current solver and the method. A single-plate simulation with various boundary conditions as well as a five-plate simulation are presented. Use of the monolithic solver provides stable solutions for the large deflections and the tight coupling of the fluid and structure and the maximum deflections are captured accurately.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)82-92
Number of pages11
JournalNuclear Science and Engineering
Volume189
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2018

Funding

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. DOE. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

FundersFunder number
U.S. DOE
U.S. Department of EnergyDE-AC05-00OR22725

    Keywords

    • Fluid-structure interaction
    • High flux isotope reactor
    • Thermal hydraulics

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