Numerical Study of Fluid–Structure Interaction With Heat Transfer at Supercritical Pressure in a Fuel Rod Assembly

Abstract

Irregular temperature profiles inside nuclear reactors cause the deformation of fuel rods. Due to difficulties in implementing this phenomenon, it is usually neglected in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses. Thermoelasticity effect was analyzed in this study for a 7rod test fuel assembly. The overall problem was simplified on both the fluiddynamical and the structural side. Existing technology is capable of executing such analysis; although for reliable results, improvement in the mesh deformation algorithm is needed. The deflection proves to have a distinct impact on surface temperature in a limited area. To obtain reliable results, more thorough analysis regarding both domains is necessary.