1st Workshop for IAEA ICSP on

“HWR Moderator Subcooling Requirements to Demonstrate Backup

Heat Sink Capabilities of Moderator during Accidents”

Preliminary study on double-blind calculation

with design initial/boundary condition

Hyoung Tae Kim

Joo Hwan Park, Jin Ho Song
Severe Accident and PHWR Safety Research Division, KAERI

1
 Outlines
 Introduction

 Methodology and work plan

 Preliminary calculation results

 Summary and conclusion

 Suggestions on the ICSP activities

2
1. Introduction
 Important design features present in CANDU reactors
 The subcooled heavy water moderator surrounding all horizontal fuel
channels
 The pressure tube in the fuel channel is normally separated from the
surrounding calandria tube by a CO2-filled gap

Heavy Water Moderator

Calandria Tube Pressure Tube

Annulus Gas Fuel Channel Coolant Annulus Spacer

3
 During normal operating
 CO2 circulates in the annulus gap between PT and CT, and
thermally isolates PT from CT
 During some postulated accidents (e.g. large break LOCA)
 PT may strain radially and contact to CT; the moderator acts
as a heat sink
 Fuel channel integrity
 CANDU industry had widely accepted that fuel channel
integrity could be ensured if the moderator available
subcooling at the onset of a large LOCA is greater than the
subcooling requirements
 The premise of this approach is based on a series of contact
boiling experiments
 They derived the subcooling requirements to preclude a sustained
calandria tube dryout by the minimum available moderator subcooling and
the pressure tube/calandria tube contact temperature

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 Contact boiling experiment
 Heated and Pressurized PT section deformed through a CO2
gas gap into contact with its CT in an open tank of heated
stirred water

Fig. 1 Test apparatus for contact boiling experiment

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 Moderator subcooling limits
 Fuel channel integrity is ensured by avoiding dryout conditions
on the surface of calandria tube
 Contact boiling curve
 generated from data collected in contact boiling experiments
performed in 1980s
 related moderator subcooling and pressure-tube contact
temperature to the occurrence of immediate quench, patchy film
boiling or extensive film boiling

Fig. 2 Moderator Subcooling Requirement Using Smooth CTs

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 Contact boiling tests using glass-peened CT
 Improvement in the extent of dryout observed (less severe extent of film
boiling) when a glass-peened calandria tubes is tested at the same test
conditions as a smooth calandria tube
 The same extent of dryout may be achieved at a lower subcooling when a
glass-peened calandria tube is used
 The new boiling curve is applied to safety analysis of refurbished Wolsong
unit-1 (Korea)

Fig. 3 Moderator Subcooling Requirement using glass-peened CTs

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2. Methodology and work plan
 Objective and relevant analysis models
 Radiation heat transfer to the pressure tube
 Surface to surface radiation heat transfer through transparent medium
 Pressure tube deformation or failure
 Thermal expansion and Young’s modulus upon the pressure difference
 Pressure tube to Calandria tube heat transfer
 Gap conductance of CO2 and radiation heat transfer between PT and CT
 Calandria tube to moderator heat transfer
 Convective heat transfer to surrounding water
 Calandria tube deformation or failure
 Thermal stress model
 Simulation code
 COMSOLTM Multiphysics ver. 4.3
 User friendly for numerical modeling of physical concept
 Technical support by Prof. S.M. Chang (School of Mechanical and Automotive Eng.,
Kunsan National Univ.)
 Peripheral use of CATHENA code
 Implementation of the CATHENA PT deformation model if necessary
 Code validation for basic heat transfer calculation 8
  COMSOLTM Multiphysics
 Governing equations
 The thermal stress model in structural dynamics and the energy equation in
heat transfer are simultaneously solved in each numerical time step

 Structural equation: −∇ ⋅ σ = Fv

 ∂T  
 Energy equation: ρ C p  + u ⋅∇T  = ∇ ⋅ ( k ∇T ) + Q
 ∂t 

σ = E (ε − α∆T )

Pressure load Thermal Expansion Deformation

γ −1
=p ρ=
RT ρ C pT
γ 9
 Work plan
 Present work for 1st workshop
 COMSOL simulation setup for 2D problem
 Benchmark test for radiation heat transfer
 PT deformation simulation using the basic thermal stress model of COMSOL
 Double-blind calculation
 COMSOL simulation setup for 3D problem
 Investigation of mechanical properties of Zircaloy
 Sensitivity study on the mechanical properties of Zircaloy
 Implementation of the CATHENA PT deformation model to COMSOL, if necessary
 Define the CT dryout conditions and modeling of heat transfer from CT to surrounding
water
 Define the PT/CT failure criteria and modeling
 Blind calculation
 Identification of the modeling limit of COMSOL and production of a
compromizing model
 Simulation test using real initial/boundary conditions
 Open calculation
 Comparison of the blind calculation results with test data
 Identification of the model effect on the improvement of code prediction
 New simulation for better prediction

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3. Preliminary calculation results
 Definition of problem
 The main geometrical conditions are identified from the ICSP information
document
 The dominant mode of heat transfer is thermal radiation
 The conduction heat transfer occurs in the solid wall and CO2 medium.
However the gap conduction heat transfer is ignored in the preliminary
simulation for modeling simplicity
 Initial conditions
 Solid temperature: 20℃
 Rapid heat up from zero heater power
CT
PT
Heated length: 900 mm CT ID: 129 mm

PT ID: 103.6 mm
Graphite heater (Diameter: 38 mm)

PT thickness: 4.4 mm
CT thickness: 1.42 mm
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 Computational domain
 Concentric configuration is assumed for of heater, PT, and CT

2-D View
Pressure: 3.5 MPa
Heat Power: 150 kW
Calandria
Tube: Zircaloy

CO2 gas
~ 1 atm

Pressure
Tube: Zircaloy
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 Boundary condition
Surface-to-Surface
ε = 0.8
Radiation Pressure: 0.1 MPa
nˆ ⋅ ( k ∇T = (
) ε G −σT 4 )
(1 − ε ) G =J 0 − εσ T 4 Pressure: 3.5 MPa

ε = 0.34 Heat Power:

150 kW
Ambient
Fixed
Water:
Subcooling: 30 oC
T_inf = 70 oC

Prescribed
 σ
ur= α (T − T0 ) +  r0
 E 13
  Physical properties for Zircaloy
 Zircaloy thermodynamic Table 1 Zircaloy thermodynamic properties
properties
Temperature Thermal Conductivity Thermal Capacity
 In CANDU-6 reactor PT and CT consist of (K) k (W/m-K) Cp (J/kg-K)
Zr-2.5 Nb and Zircaloy-2, respectively.
300 12.68 281
 However, the material properties of
400 14.04 302
Zircaloy are assumed to be the same both
for PT and CT 640 16.96 331
1090 23.00 375
 Reference:
1093 23.05 502
1113 23.38 590
 T.G. Beuthe, and B.N. Hanna (editors),
“CATHENA MOD-3.5c/Rev 0 Theoretical 1133 23.73 615
Manual”, CANDU Owners Group Report, COG- 1153 24.09 719
99-007, 1999. 1173 24.45 816
 MATPRO-Version 11 (Revision 1) a handbook 1193 24.83 770
of material properties for use in the analysis of
light water reactor fuel rod behavior, 1980, 1213 25.22 619
NUREG/CR-0497, TREE-1280. 1233 25.61 469
1248 25.92 356
1300 27.03 356
1500 32.12 356
1700 38.82 356
1900 47.48 356
2100 58.49 356
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  Zircaloy thermodynamic properties - cont’d

Cp(J/kgK)
k(W/mK)

T(K) T(K)

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  Mechanical properties of Zircaloy
 6595 − 0.1477T [1/ K ], T < 1, 083K
ρ[kg / m3 ] = 
1.52 ×10 − 8.79 ×10 T [1/ K ], 1, 083K ≤ T ≤ 1,800 K
11 7

 1.24 × 1011 − 6.22 × 107 T [1/ K ], T ≤ 1, 090 K


E[ Pa=
] 1.52 × 1011 − 8.79 ×107 T [1/ K ], 1, 090 K < T < 1255 K
 9.21×1010 − 4.05 ×107 T [1/ K ], 1, 255 K ≤ T

 Reference
ν = 0.4
 K. J. Geelhood, C. E. Beyer, and WG
Luscher, “PNNL Stress/Strain
Correlation for Zircaloy”, Pacific ε = 4.95 ×10−6 T [1/ K ] − 1.49 ×10−3
Northwest National Laboratory, PNNL- 
p
, T < 1, 083K
17700, 2008. ε
 a = 1.26 × 10 −5
T [1/ K ] − 3.78 × 10 −3

 W.G. Luscher and K.J. Geelhood ,

“Material Property Correlations:
  T [1/ K ] − 1, 083  
Comparisons between FRAPCON-3.4, εp =
εa =
 2.77763 + 1.09802 cos  π   ×10−3 ,
FRAPTRAN 1.4, and MATPRO,”   161 
(NUREG/CR-7024) PNNL-19417, NRC,
U. S. 2011. 1, 083K ≤ T ≤ 1, 244 K

ε = 9.70 ×10−6 T [1/ K ] − 1.04 ×10−2


p
, 1, 244 K < T
ε
 a = 9.76 × 10 −6
T [1/ K ] − 4.40 × 10 −3

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 
Thermal Exp_xy(/K) E(Pa)

Thermal Exp_z(/K) Density(kg/m^3)

Mechanical properties of Zircaloy - cont’d

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 Benchmark test results for radiation heat transfer
 No strain calculation
 Normal concentric configuration

2π r1 (T14 − T24 )
 Analytic solution: Q12 =
1 1 − ε 2  r1 
+  
nˆ ⋅ ( k ∇T = (
) ε G −σT 4 ) ε1 ε 2  r2 
(1 − ε ) G =J 0 − εσ T 4

A1 r1
=
A2 r2
1
F12 = 1
1
2

2
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 Benchmark test results for radiation heat transfer – cont’d
 Comparison of a simulation result with an analytic solution

ε1 = 0.8
ε 2 = 0.3 5.67e − 8 W / ( m 2 ⋅ K 4 )
σ=
r1 = 0.3 m Q0 = 150 kW (Volumetric heat source)
r2 = 0.5 m

From Simulation, 2π r1 (T14 − T24 )

= Q12 = 149.1 kW
T1 = 1456.5 K 1 1 − ε 2  r1 
+  
T2 = 946.5 K ε1 ε 2  r2 
Error = 0.6 %
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 PT deformation simulation results
 Radial expansion of PT

40 s 80 s

160 s

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 PT deformation simulation results – cont’d
 Temperature

Time variation

40 s 80 s 160 s

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 PT deformation simulation results – cont’d
 Transient temperature variation

Heater

PT

CT

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 Enhancement of Thermal Expansion in the 2D Problem
 3D shape is integrated to 2D
 The mean expansion should be enhanced to describe real bending
effect of PT in 3D
 Thermal expansion coefficient ~ 20 times enhanced on the 2D plane
 ~ 5×10-6 [K-1] (nearly constant region < 1083 K) →100×10-6 [K-1]
 The outer surface of PT is expanded to contact with the inner
surface of CT

Time variation

Using reference
property data α

After enhancement of α 23
4. Summary and Conclusion
 COMSOL Multiphysics code is used to simulate the
PT/CT radiation heat transfer and deformation
 Thermal stress model by COMSOL is compatible to simulate the multiple
heat transfers and stress strain in the ICSP experiment
 2D problem for ICSP test conditions is set up
 Mechanical property data for Zircaloy has discontinuity in a certain
temperature range and more investigation is needed for the solid
properties used in the experiment

 Preliminary calculation results

 Benchmark calculation results for radiation heat transfer are in good
agreement with the analytical solutions
 PT deformation simulation result show that the ballooning of PT is limited
within the inner radius of CT
 When 3D shape is integrated to 2D the mean expansion should be enhanced to describe real bending
effect of PT in 3D
 Thermal stress model by COMSOL needs to be more investigated and validated by code comparison
(e.g. CATHENA)

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5. Suggestions on the ICSP activities
 Assessment of the CATHEA PT deformation model
 Circular PT deformation model by Shewfelt and Godin
 The model assumes that the tube remains circular and that only membrane stresses
need be considered. The local transverse creep (strain) rate is given by

 Phenomena identification and discussion on

 Effect of mechanical properties on PT/CT deformation
 Convective heat transfer from PT to surrounding water and dry out

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