Numerical simulation of a nuclear spent fuel pool

Details

Supervisors

Bartosiewicz, Yann ; Marichal, Joauma

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil mécanicien, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Nuclear spent fuel pools plays are an important part of every nuclear site. They are used as storage facilities for fuel assemblies after they have been removed from reactors. In designed condition, these pools are fed with the adequate mass flow rate of cool water. In case of a loss of cooling accident, the water present in the pool is the only mean to keep the fuel rods cold enough to maintain their integrity. Understanding the flow dynamics, heat transfer and evaporation rate in such configuration is crucial for security purposes. Lots of numerical studies are conducted using direct numerical simulations (DNS) or large eddie simulation (LES), on simplified model, to gain insight into these phenomena. These simulations are quite expensive, limit the domain size/Rayleigh number (Ra) of the flow. Indeed, as the Ra increase, namely the parameter that quantifies the intensity of thermal driving in convection, the turbulence increase and resolution needs become harder to meet. In this master thesis, the goal is to use the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) and compare the results to the ones found in the literature obtained by DNS or LES as well as with experimental data. We want to simulate flows with an evaporation model coupled with a domain decrease, to take into account the water lost to the environment.