Numerical analysis of natural convective heat transfer with porous medium using JUPITER

Uesawa, Shinichiro; Yamashita, Susumu; Sano, Yoshihiko*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(6), p.523 - 541, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2451023

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a numerical method with the JUPITER code with a porous medium model to calculate the thermal behavior in PCVs of 1F. In this study, we performed an experiment and numerical simulation of the natural convective heat transfer with the porous medium to validate JUPITER with the porous medium model. In comparison of the temperature and velocity distributions between the experiment and simulation, the temperature distribution in the simulation was in good agreement with the distribution in the experiment except the temperature near the top surface of the porous medium. The velocity distribution also agreed qualitatively with the experimental result. In addition, we also performed the numerical simulations with various effective thermal conductivity models to discuss the effect of the conductivity based on the internal structure of porous media on the natural convective heat transfer. The result indicated that the temperature distribution in the porous medium and the velocity distribution of the natural convection were significantly different for each model, and thus the conductivity of the fuel debris was one of the key parameters of in the thermal behavior analysis in 1F.

Development of advanced AI-based segmentation and prediction method for air entrainment in plunging water jets

Zhou, W.*; Miwa, Shuichiro*; Yamashita, Susumu; Okamoto, Koji*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 177, p.105441_1 - 105441_17, 2024/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105441

Understanding air entrainment phenomena induced by plunging water jets is critical in the fields of nuclear and hydraulic engineering. Air entrainment is one of the key safety design parameters for nuclear systems. However, most existing studies rely on empirical correlations or curve-fitting models to estimate bubble penetration depth, and no agreed-upon calculation principle exists for varying jet conditions. To address these limitations, this research developed two advanced AI approaches: an improved YOLOv5 for segmenting air entrainment and the NSGA-III-BPNN method for predicting penetration depth. The improved YOLOv5 enables real-time segmentation and extraction of air entrainment motion and dynamics under diverse conditions, demonstrating high scalability and robustness. The penetration depth estimated using the improved YOLOv5 shows greater accuracy compared to conventional empirical correlations and is more efficient than traditional image post-processing techniques for classifying shape regimes based on dynamic air entrainment patterns. To overcome the limitations of object segmentation, which typically relies on video or image data, the NSGA-III-BPNN method predicts maximum penetration depths with greater accuracy than YOLOv5, offering a more effective prediction model for air entrainment penetration depth. By leveraging advanced AI techniques, the research not only provides valuable segmentation data for refining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling but also paves the way for significant advancements in both nuclear and hydraulic engineering.

Bubble flow analysis using multi-phase field method

Sugihara, Kenta; Onodera, Naoyuki; Sitompul, Y.; Idomura, Yasuhiro; Yamashita, Susumu

EPJ Web of Conferences, 302, p.03002_1 - 03002_10, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202430203002

In simulations of gas-liquid two-phase flows using conventional interface capture methods, we observed that when bubbles come close to each other, they tend to merge numerically, despite experimental evidence indicating that they would repel each other. Given the significant impact of sequential numerical coalescence on flow patterns, it is necessary to regulate the merging behavior of close bubbles. To address this issue, we introduced the Multi- Phase Field (MPF) method, which mitigates bubble coalescence by applying an independent fluid fraction function to each bubble. In this study, we employed the MPF based on the N-phase model to minimize numerical errors associated with surface interactions at triple junction points. Additionally, we implemented the Ordered Active Parameter Tracking (OAPT) method to efficiently store several hundreds of fluid fraction functions. To validate the MPF method, we conducted analysis of turbulent bubbly pipe flows and compared the results against experimental data from Colin et al. The validation results showed reasonable agreements with respect to the bubble distribution and the flow velocity profiles.

Evaluation of interface capturing schemes of VOF method through application to bubble flows with single orifice

Fukuda, Takanari; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 14th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation, and Safety (NTHOS-14) (Internet), 12 Pages, 2024/08

The VOF method is a type of CFDs that is most widely applied to multiphase flow analysis involving advective interfaces, and several interface-capturing schemes have been developed for an accurate advection of VOF values. However, the performance of these schemes has typically been evaluated only for limited numerical problems where velocity fields are spatially orderly and fixed in time. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of these schemes for more realistic and complex conditions, such as gas-liquid two-phase flows in nuclear reactors. Therefore, in this study, three-dimensional analysis of bubble flows has been conducted using the interface-capturing schemes of THINC and THINC/WLIC, which have been developed relatively recently. Evaluation is performed using more engineering indicators such as the number, volume, and trajectory of bubbles, which can influence the void fraction distribution in reactor cores. The results of these comparisons showed that the VOF value could be significantly diffused, leading to numerical brake-up and dissipation of the bubbles, with the influence of interface-capturing scheme.

Benchmark simulation code for the thermal-hydraulics design tool of the accelerator-driven system; Validation and benchmark simulation of flow behavior around the beam window

Yamashita, Susumu; Kondo, Nao; Sugawara, Takanori; Monji, Hideaki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(6), p.740 - 761, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2268676

To confirm the validity of the thermal-hydraulics design tool based on the Ansys Fluent, we used a detailed computational fluid dynamics code named JAEA Utility Program for Interdisciplinary Thermal-hydraulics Engineering and Research (JUPITER) for the thermal-hydraulics around the beam window (BW) of the Accelerator-Driven System (ADS). The Fluent uses the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model and can quickly calculate the turbulent flow around the BW as a BW design tool. At first, we compared the results of JUPITER with the experimental results using a mock-up BW system in water to confirm the validity of JUPITER. As a result, we confirmed that numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Thus, we showed that JUPITER could be used as a benchmark code. We also performed a benchmark simulation for the Fluent calculation using validated JUPITER to show the applicability of JUPITER as an alternative of experiments. As a result, the mean values around the BW agreed with each other, e.g., the mean velocity profile for stream and horizontal directions. Therefore, we confirmed that JUPITER showed a good performance in validating the thermal-hydraulics design tool as a fluid dynamics solver. Moreover, Fluent has enough accuracy as a thermal-hydraulics design tool for the ADS.

Development of an electrochemical measurement method for carbon steels in radiation source dissolved solution and a corroded specimen analysis method using an imaging plate

Yamashita, Naoki; Aoyama, Takahito; Kato, Chiaki; Sano, Naruto; Tagami, Susumu

JAEA-Technology 2023-028, 22 Pages, 2024/03

JAEA-Technology-2023-028.pdf:1.9MB

At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), which is currently undergoing decommissioning, there is growing interest in the effects of radiation-emitting radionuclides such as Sr and Cs on the structural integrity. In particular, the corrosion behavior of carbon steel, which is used in many parts of 1F, is known to change depending on metal cations in solution, but the effects of Sr and Cs on corrosion are not yet understood. In addition, it is important to investigate the distribution of Sr and Cs in the rust layer in order to understand the corrosion behavior, but the method has not yet been established. In this study, a glove box was prepared to conduct corrosion tests of carbon steel in NaCl containing Sr and Cs in the glove box. In addition, in order to clarify the influence of Sr and Cs, which exist as metal cations in the solution, on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel, we attempted to establish a detection method for radioactive materials in the rust layer using an imaging plate.

Optimized phase-field modeling using a modified conservative Allen-Cahn equation for two-phase flows

Sugihara, Kenta; Onodera, Naoyuki; Idomura, Yasuhiro; Yamashita, Susumu

JAEA-Research 2023-006, 47 Pages, 2023/10

JAEA-Research-2023-006.pdf:3.28MB

This report presents a new surface capturing method based on the phase field model for gas-liquid two-phase flows simulation. In the conventional phase field model, the interface correction strength parameter was determined from the maximum flow velocity in the computational domain, but because the interface correction was applied uniformly to the entire space, it was also applied to locations that did not require correction. In the new method, the phase field parameter or the intensity of the phase field model is extended to have a spatial distribution, allowing us to set the optimal parameters depending on the local flow velocity fields. We also propose a method to derive the optimal phase field parameter based on systematic parameter scans using error analysis of the interface advection test and bubble rising calculations. Through benchmark tests of gas-liquid two-phase flows, the proposed model is verified, and it is shown that the proposed model has higher accuracy than the conventional phase field model.

Development of a numerical simulation method for air cooling of fuel debris by JUPITER

Yamashita, Susumu; Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 10(4), p.22-00485_1 - 22-00485_25, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.22-00485

A detailed evaluation for air cooling of fuel debris in actual reactors will be essential in fuel debris retrieval under dry conditions. To understand the heat transfer in and around fuel debris, which is assumed as a porous medium in the primary containment vessel (PCV) mechanistically, we newly applied the porous medium model to the multiphase and multicomponent computational fluid dynamics code named JUPITER (JAEA Utility Program for Interdisciplinary Thermal-hydraulics Engineering and Research). We applied the Darcy-Brinkman model as for the porous medium model. This model has high compatibility with JUPITER because it can treat both a pure fluid and a porous medium phase simultaneously in the same manner as the one-fluid model in multiphase flow simulation. We addressed the case of natural convection with a high-velocity flow standing out nonlinear effects by implementing the Forchheimer model, including the term of the square of the velocity as a nonlinear effect to the momentum transport equation of JUPITER. We performed some simple verification and validation simulations, such as the natural convection simulation in a square cavity and the natural convective heat transfer experiment with the porous medium, to confirm the validity of the implemented model. We confirmed that the result of JUPITER agreed well with these simulations and experiments. In addition, as an application of the updated JUPITER, we performed the preliminary simulation of air cooling of fuel debris in the condition of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station unit 2 including the actual core materials. As a result, JUPITER calculated the temperature and velocity field stably in and around the fuel debris inside the PCV. Therefore, JUPITER has the potential to estimate the detailed and accurate thermal-hydraulics behaviors of fuel debris.

Development of numerical simulation method of natural convection around heated porous medium by using JUPITER

Uesawa, Shinichiro; Yamashita, Susumu; Shibata, Mitsuhiko; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2023/05

For contaminated water management in decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Stations, reduction in water injection, intermittent injection water and air cooling are considered. However, since there are uncertainties of fuel debris in the PCV, it is necessary to examine and evaluate optimal cooling methods according to the distribution state of the fuel debris and the progress of the fuel debris retrieval work in advance. We have developed a method for estimating the thermal behavior in the air cooling, including the influence of the position, heat generation and the porosity of fuel debris. Since a large-scale thermal-hydraulics analysis of natural convection is necessary for the method, JUPITER developed independently by JAEA is used. It is however difficult to perform the large-scale thermal-hydraulics analysis with JUPITER by modeling the internal structure of the debris which may consist of a porous medium. Therefore, it is possible to analyze the heat transfer of the porous medium by adding porous models to JUPITER. In this study, we report the validation of JUPITER applied the porous model and discuss which heat transfer models are most effective in porous models such as series, parallel and geometric mean models. To obtain validation data of JUPITER for the natural convective heat transfer analysis around the porous medium, we performed the heat transfer and the flow visualization experiments of the natural convection in the experimental system including the porous medium. In the comparison between the experiment and the numerical analysis with each model, the numerical result with the geometric mean model was the closest of the models to the experimental results. However, the numerical results of the temperature and the velocity were overestimated for those experimental results. In particular, the temperature near the interface between the porous medium and air was more overestimated.

Development of a test method for electrochemical measurements of stainless steel in nitric acid solution containing neptunium-237 under gamma-ray irradiation

Yamashita, Naoki; Irisawa, Eriko; Kato, Chiaki; Sano, Naruto; Tagami, Susumu

JAEA-Technology 2022-035, 29 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Technology-2022-035.pdf:2.54MB

In the treatment process of the current commercial reprocessing plant (Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant), the high-level liquid waste concentrator is the equipment that treats the most corrosive solution. In the high-level liquid waste concentrator, the extracted liquid waste after separation of uranium and plutonium is heated, concentrated, and reduced in volume. Therefore, the amount of gamma- rays emitted from fission products and the concentration of corrosive metal ion species such as neptunium-237 (Np) are the highest in the reprocessing process, and the amount of corrosion in the high-level liquid waste concentrate canner is expected to be large. In this study, in order to clarify the effect of gamma-rays on the corrosion reaction of stainless steel in nitric acid solutions containing Np from the electrochemical viewpoint, the corrosion test apparatus for heat transfer surfaces in an airtight concrete cell at the Waste Safety TEsting Facility (WASTEF) of Nuclear Science Research Institute was modified to enable electrochemical measurements under gamma-ray irradiation. The effect of gamma-rays on the corrosion reaction taking place on the stainless steel surface was discussed from the electrochemical test results obtained. As a result, changes in the immersion potentials of stainless steel and the polarization curves due to chemical species caused by radiolysis of gamma-ray irradiation were confirmed.