反应堆下腔室湍流形态及流体脉动特性分析研究

Turbulent Conformation and Flow Fluctuation Analysis in Reactor Lower Chambers

  • 摘要: 反应堆下腔室流场的均匀性和稳定性是确保堆芯冷却效率与运行安全性的关键因素。本研究基于剪切应力输运(SST)湍流模型结合尺度自适应模拟(SAS)方法,采用计算流体动力学(CFD)技术对3种典型结构的反应堆下腔室流场开展瞬态数值模拟,系统研究了不同结构反应堆内的湍流形态与流体脉动特性,并通过能量串级理论对脉动功率谱密度(PSD)进行了定量分析。数值结果表明:由多组支承柱与能量吸收器构成“柱状组件”的结构1,其下腔室内冷却剂形成空间分布均匀的小尺度涡系,流体脉动PSD呈中等水平,高能量频域截止频率达5~10 Hz;采用全覆盖式半球形流量分配装置的结构,通过狭窄间隙设计有效抑制了大尺度涡结构的形成,显著降低了流体脉动强度,PSD较低,高能量频域约为5 Hz;未完全覆盖堆芯的局部流量分配结构,其底部空腔区域存在特征频率约为1 Hz的大尺度高能涡结构。研究表明,结构2(四环路反应堆结构)的低频水力激励可能引发燃料组件低频振荡,易导致核功率波动幅值增大及定位格架异常磨损等潜在风险。基于此,建议在运行期间实时监测,并在必要时进行结构优化以调控下腔室湍流特性及脉动强度,从而为反应堆安全运行提供可靠保障。

     

    Abstract: The uniformity and stability of the flow field in the reactor lower plenum are crucial factors for ensuring the core cooling efficiency and operational safety. This study is based on the shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model combined with the scale-adaptive simulation (SAS) method. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology was adopted to conduct transient numerical simulations of the flow fields in the lower plenums of three typical reactor structures. The turbulence characteristics and fluid pulsation properties in reactors with different structures were systematically investigated, and the pulsation power spectral density (PSD) was quantitatively analyzed through the energy cascade theory. The numerical results show that in the lower plenum of Structure 1 reactor, there are “columnar structures” such as support columns and energy absorbers, which cause the coolant to generate a large number of small-scale vortices inside the lower plenum. From the power spectral density analysis results, its power spectral density is at a medium level, and the high-energy cutoff frequency is relatively high, about 5-10 Hz. For Structure 3 with a full-coverage hemispherical flow distribution device, the coolant entering the lower plenum is “squeezed” into the narrow gap close to the lower plenum wall, effectively suppressing the formation of large-scale vortices, and the turbulence energy is low. According to the power spectral density analysis results, its maximum PSD value is only 1/100 of that of Structure 2. The high-energy cutoff frequency is at a medium-high level, about 5 Hz. It can be seen that the “hemispherical” structure plays a key role in reducing the fluid pulsation energy and stabilizing the flow field. In the lower plenum of Structure 2 reactor, the flow distribution components only cover the central area of the core, and a “cavity” is formed at the edge position. The coolant generates a significant large-scale vortex below the radial support key, making the fluid pulsation in the edge area obvious. The power spectral density analysis shows that its fluid pulsation PSD value is the highest, about 10 times and 100 times that of Structure 1 and Structure 3 respectively, and the high-energy cutoff frequency is relatively low, about 1 Hz. Such high-energy, low-frequency large-scale vortices are extremely likely to generate large hydraulic excitations on the core fuel assemblies, which may trigger low-frequency oscillations of the fuel assemblies, and then lead to problems such as large fluctuations in nuclear power and grid wear. Therefore, during the power operation period, Structure 2 needs to be closely monitored, and structural modifications should be carried out when necessary to improve the turbulence pattern and pulsation conditions inside the lower plenum and ensure the safe operation of the reactor.

     

/

返回文章
返回