OpenFoam application for numerical simulation of thermal drive effect on gas flow in a gas centrifuge for total reflux

Abstract

The performance of a uranium gas centrifuge which is used in the uranium enrichment industry depends strongly on the gas flow field. The computer simulation is vital to examine the gas flow field. Therefore, in the present study, the capabilities of OpenFoam software for simulating the gas flow inside the rotor for total reflux thermal drive-in axisymmetric mode has been investigated. The results corresponding to the OpenFoam ssimulation have been validated with those of analytical Olander’s model, numerical solution of the Harada’s study, and simulation using Fluent. The simulation results for gas flow inside the rotor of centrifuge showed that the density-based solver was properly chosen and the number of cells, 160×170, was compatible with mesh. The numerical results show that OpenFoam software was capable to examine the gas flow inside the rotor. Also, the simulation of the distribution of Knudsen number confirms the presence of the molecular region near the axis of rotation. OpenFoam is open-source software and there is the ability to solve the molecular region as well as the coding for coupling the continuous and molecular region, the feature which does not exist in the fluent software. The use of open foam is therefore recommended to simulate gas flow inside the rotor.

Keywords

• gas centrifuge
• thermal drive
• circulation flow
• numerical simulation
• openfoam