Germination

Geomorphology

Nuclear engineering

Optics

Physics

Geology

Engineering

Composite material

Thermal hydraulics

Materials science

Stratification (seeds)

Turbulence

Thermal

Lead (geology)

Liquid metal

Boiler (water heating)

Natural circulation

Condenser (optics)

Light source

Thermal stratification

Dormancy

Environmental science

Plenum space

Heat transfer

Mechanics

Botany

Mechanical engineering

Biology

Seed dormancy

Coolant

Thermodynamics

Annals of Nuclear Energy

Lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) adopts the liquid metal lead as the coolant and is beneficial to the fuel sustainability and high safety. LFR is suffering from the serious thermal stratification due to the pool type design and high operation temperature, leading to the threatening thermal stress on the structure. In this paper, the three-dimensional CFD model of ELSY lead pool is established and the thermal stratification phenomena under the forced and natural circulations are investigated. The results show that under steady-state conditions, ELSY has temperature stratification along the wall in the upper lead pool where the steam generator is located, and a high temperature concentration zone and a speed stagnant zone in the lower plenum. Under natural circulation conditions, when the water decay heat removal system (W-DHR), isolation condenser (IC) and reactor vessel air cooling system (RVACS) are put into operations, there is also obvious temperature stratification in the steam generator area. This paper puts forward some corresponding optimization suggestions on the problems in the simulation. The above results can provide an appropriate and effective reference for the design of ELSY in the future.

Numerical simulation on the thermal stratification in the lead pool of lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR)