Title: CFD analysis of primary and secondary sodium flows and associated heat transfer on performance of an intermediate heat exchanger in LMFBR

Authors: S. Suyambazhahan; T. Sundararajan; Sarit K. Das

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Easwari Engineering College, Anna University, Ramapuram, Chennai 600089, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: CFD analysis was performed in IHX to find the pressure drop and heat transfer between primary and secondary sodium flow using ANSYS 18.1. A similar anisotropic porous technique was used for both primary and secondary flow inside and outside the bank of tubes. A decoupled analysis was performed with prescribed heat source/sink distribution. The distributors and baffles are attached to achieve uniform flow and heat removal in secondary flow. A coupled analysis of the primary and secondary sodium heat exchange is also performed by using the flow field obtained with the distributor. The flow distributor reduced the radial temperature variation <20 K within the bundle region. A 3D sectoral model was analysed and estimated the effects of a mixing device in the secondary flow. The temperature difference again reduced to 7 K at the secondary flow exit, by mixing hot sodium of outer region with that of the inner region.

Keywords: LMFBR; enhancement of IHX performance; primary and secondary flow; flow mal-distribution; decoupled; coupled; combined CFD analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2022.126054

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2022 Vol.15 No.3/4, pp.201 - 223

Received: 22 Jul 2021
Accepted: 11 Feb 2022
Published online: 10 Oct 2022 *

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