Pebble flow in the HTR-PM reactor core by GPU-DEM simulation: Effect of friction

Zuoyi Zhang; Quan Zou; Nan Gui; Bing Xia; Zhiyong Liu; Xingtuan Yang

Nuclear Engineering and Technology (Sep 2024)

Pebble flow in the HTR-PM reactor core by GPU-DEM simulation: Effect of friction

Zuoyi Zhang,
Quan Zou,
Nan Gui,
Bing Xia,
Zhiyong Liu,
Xingtuan Yang

Affiliations

Zuoyi Zhang: Corresponding author.; Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Quan Zou: Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Nan Gui: Corresponding author.; Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Bing Xia: Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Zhiyong Liu: Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Xingtuan Yang: Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 56, no. 9
pp. 3835 – 3850

Abstract

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The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) with spherical fuel elements contains complex pebble flow. The flow behavior of pebbles is influenced by various factors, such as pebble density, friction coefficient, wall structure, and discharge port size. Using a GPU-DEM numerical model, the effects of the friction coefficient on the cyclic loading and unloading of pebbles in the full-scale HTR-PM are studied. Numerical simulations with up to 420,000 spherical pebbles are conducted. Four sets of friction coefficient values are determined for comparative analysis based on experimental measurements. Discharging speed, residence time, stress, porosity, and velocity distribution are quantitatively analyzed. In addition, a comparison with the CT-PFD experiment is carried out to validate the numerical model. The results show that near-wall retention phenomena are observed in the reactor core only when using large friction coefficients. However, using friction coefficient values closer to the measured experimental values, the pebble bed in HTR-PM exhibited good flow characteristics. Furthermore, the friction coefficient also influences the porosity and velocity distribution of the pebble bed, with lower friction coefficients resulting in lower overall stress in the bed. The discharge outlet's influence varies with different friction coefficient values. In summary, this study demonstrates that the value of the friction coefficient has a complex influence on the pebble flow in HTR-PM, which provides important insights for future numerical and experimental studies in this field.

Published in Nuclear Engineering and Technology

ISSN: 1738-5733 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Korea, Republic of
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering: Nuclear engineering. Atomic power
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/nuclear-engineering-and-technology

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