Nuclear thermal-hydraulics. [ LMECA2648 ]

> https://icampus.uclouvain.be/claroline/course/index.php?cid=MECA2648

• Reactor heat generation
•  Transport equations (single-phase & two-phase flow)
• Thermal analysis of fuel elements
• (Single-phase fluid mechanics and heat transfer)'usually already known
• Two-phase flow dynamics
• Two-phase heat transfer
• Single heated channel; steady state analysis
• Single heated channel; transient analysis
• Flow loops
• Utilisation of established codes and introduction to advanced topics (modelling and thermalhydraulics for GEN4 reactors)

• To be familiarised with various reactor types and their main design and operational characteristics
• To learn how to estimate the volumetric heat generation rate in fission reactor cores under normal operation and shutdown conditions
• To learn how to analyse the thermal performance of nuclear fuel elements
• To learn the basic fluid mechanics of single phase reactor cooling systems
• To learn to calculate pressure drop in reactor systems, including tube bundles, and spacer grids
• To learn to analyse the heat transfer characteristics of single phase reactor cooling systems
• To learn the basic fluid mechanics of two-phase systems, including flow regime maps, void-quality relations, pressure drop, and critical flow
• To learn the fundamentals of boiling heat transfer, and its implications for reactor design
• To learn the fundamentals of core thermal design, with attention to design uncertainty analysis and hot channel factors.

Closed book - oral

• 2 t.m.: 40h teaching + seminar and 15h practical works in classroom
• SCK.CEN guidance for demonstrations with codes
• SCK.CEN + UCL TA for practical works

The course takes place at the Nuclear Research Centre of Belgium (SCK.CEN) in gthe framework of the BNEN interuniversity programme (see: http://www3.sckcen.be/bnen/). One makes use of the software available at the research centre.

Courses taking place at SCK.CEN are condensed over a period of 1 to 3 intensive weeks of courses, according to the number of ECTS.

• Reactor heat generation
•  Transport equations (single-phase & two-phase flow)
• Thermal analysis of fuel elements
• (Single-phase fluid mechanics and heat transfer)'usually already known
• Two-phase flow dynamics
• Two-phase heat transfer
• Single heated channel; steady state analysis
• Single heated channel; transient analysis
• Flow loops
• Utilisation of established codes and introduction to advanced topics (modelling and thermalhydraulics for GEN4 reactors)

REFERENCE BOOKS ON THE CONTENT

• Todreas, N.E. and Kazimi, M.S. Nuclear System I: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., New York, 1990
• Todreas, N. E. and Kazimi, M.S. Nuclear Systems II: Elements of Thermal Hydraulic Design, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., New York, 1990.