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Radiation Heat Transfer Analysis in Two-Phase Mixture Associated with Liquid Metal Reactor Accidents

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2020, Doctor of Engineering, University of Dayton, Mechanical Engineering.
Analytical study associated with liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) has been investigated by using scattering and non-scattering mathematical radiation models. In the nonscattering model, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) was solved together with the continuity equations of mixture components under local thermodynamic equilibrium. A MATLAB code was used to solve these equations. This application employed a numerical integration to compute the temperature distribution within the bubble and the transient wall heat flux. First, in Rayleigh nonscattering model the particle size was 0.01 µm [6], and according to Mie theory principle, the absorption coefficient for small particle –size distribution was estimated (k = 10 m-1 was used) from reference [7] at complex refractive index of UO2 at λ = 600 µm and x = 0.0785. A MATLAB code was used to solve the radiative heat equation (RTE) in spherical coordinates. The mixture is in local thermodynamic equilibrium inside the bubble which has a black body surface boundary. The mixture in the bubble contains three components: the non-condensable gas Xenon, Uranium dioxide vapor, and fog. To simulate fuel bubble’s geometry as realistically as possible, according to experimental observation, the energy equation in a spherical coordinate system has been solved with the radiative flux heat transfer equation (RTE) to obtain the effect of fuel bubble’s geometry on the transient radiative heat flux and to predict the transient temperature iv distribution in the participating medium during a hypothetical core disruptive accident (HCDA) for liquid metal fast breeding reactor (LMFBR) for FAST. The transient temperature distribution in fog region was used to predict the amount of condensable UO2 vapor. The conclusion that can be drawn from the present study, is that the Fuel Aerosol Simulant Test (FAST) facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has a larger margin of safety since the bubble rising time is greater than the bubble collapse time. Second in the scattering model, the spherical harmonics method was used to solve the radiative heat transfer equation (RTE) in spherical coordinates, and the particle size was 0.07 µm [6]. The scattering coefficient of UO2 particles (σ = 1.24 m-1 ), was calculated using Mie theory at the same number of stable nuclei N (2.9 E15 nuclei/m3 ) that resulted from the absorption coefficient k = 0.082 m-1 [7]. The P1 approximation method was used to solve the radiative transfer equation (RTE) in spherical coordinates of participating medium confined between two concentric spheres. The surfaces of the spheres are assumed to be gray, diffusely emitting and diffusely reflecting boundaries, and isothermal boundary conditions were assumed at these surfaces. Marsak’s boundary condition was used to compute the net radiative heat flux, q(τ), and the incident radiation, G(τ), to analyze and interpret CVD experiments data that were conducted in the FAST facility at ORNL [8] and Fast Flux Test Facility reactor (FFTF) at ANL. From this study, it can be concluded that there is greater margin of safety when the bubble rise time is a greater than the bubble collapse time since the bubble collapses (UO2 condenses) before it can reach the top of the vessel. In addition, the work transfer by itself can’t completely eliminate the super-heated vapor, as the bubble contains noncondensable species which hinder condensation. However, it is reasonable to assume that work transfer could decrease the amount of UO2 vapor contained in the bubble as it reached the covergas [63].
Jamie Ervin, Ph.D (Committee Chair)
Kevin Hallinan, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Andrew Chiasson, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Elizabeth Ervin, Ph.D (Committee Member)

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Citations

  • Mohamed, H. A. (2020). Radiation Heat Transfer Analysis in Two-Phase Mixture Associated with Liquid Metal Reactor Accidents [Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1588950530150298

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mohamed, Hmza. Radiation Heat Transfer Analysis in Two-Phase Mixture Associated with Liquid Metal Reactor Accidents. 2020. University of Dayton, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1588950530150298.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mohamed, Hmza. "Radiation Heat Transfer Analysis in Two-Phase Mixture Associated with Liquid Metal Reactor Accidents." Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1588950530150298

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)