U-RANS simulation of triple elbow flow with a 1/7 scale experimental loop simulating cold-leg piping of an advanced loop-type sodium-cooled fast reactor

Yamano, Hidemasa   ; Tanaka, Masaaki  ; Ebara, Shinji*; Hashizume, Hidetoshi*

In this study, Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equation (U-RANS) approach with the Reynolds Stress Model using commercial CFD code has been applied to the flow through triple short-elbows under a high Re (1.010). This numerical simulation has utilized a 1/7 scaled water experiment of the advanced SFR cold-leg piping in order to investigate the flow structure in a three-dimensionally connected triple elbows. As a result, applicability of the U-RANS numerical simulation method was confirmed by comparison between the numerical and experimental results under Re = 1.010 condition. The simulation has also shown that flow fields in the 1st elbow was different from that in the 2nd elbow and pressure fluctuation in the 2nd elbow was slightly larger than that in the 1st elbow because of the presence of their large vortex flow structure. This large vortex was generated due to a short distance between two elbows. On the other hand, the flow structure in the 3rd elbow was similar to that in the 1st elbow because the swirling flow formed in the 2nd elbow was alleviated in the 3rd elbow inlet which was located long way away from the 2nd elbow.