Permeability and Forchheimer coefficient of packed beds with different particles sizes

Kawabe, Tomosaburo*; Sano, Yoshihiko*; Kuwahara, Fujio*; Uesawa, Shinichiro  ; Yoshida, Hiroyuki  

To estimate the thermal behavior of fuel debris inside the Primary Containment Vessels (PCVs) of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, a simulation method has been developed using the JUPITER code with porous medium models. However, it has been found that the selection of models and parameters according to the internal structure of the porous media significantly affects the accuracy of simulation results, highlighting the need for appropriate model selection strategies. In this study, we focus on packed beds with particles as one form of porous media and investigate a methodology for determining model parameters that characterize their flow behavior. Systematic knowledge of packed beds with heterogeneous particle size ratios and packing structures remains limited, and comprehensive organization accounting for structural differences has not yet been fully established. Therefore, numerical simulations were employed to evaluate the permeability and Forchheimer coefficient of packed beds with different particle size ratios and packing structures. Based on the obtained results, a method for appropriately determining these parameters according to the structural characteristics of packed beds is proposed, and insights are provided that contribute to improving the accuracy of flow analysis models in porous media.