Study on simulation code for dilute bubbly flow

Ito, Kei; Takata, Takashi*; Ohno, Shuji  ; Kogawa, Hiroyuki  ; Kamide, Hideki ; Imai, Yasutomo*; Kawamura, Takumi*

In a sodium-cooled fast reactor, inert gas exists in the primary coolant system as bubbles or dissolved gas. Similarly, small bubbles exist also in the mercury target loop in J-PARC to suppress cavitation erosion. To simulate these inert gas behaviors in liquid metal flows, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a plant dynamics code VIBUL. In this study, new models, i.e. the bubble release and bubble carry under models, are introduced to simulate the bubble behaviors in the fast reactor and mercury target system. Then, the small bubble behavior in the mercury target system is simulated to check the validity of the new models.