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Two-phase slug flow is a common occurrence in wells, riser pipes and pipelines of crude oil and natural gas systems. Current predictive tools for two-phase flow are based on either the mixture model or the mechanistic two-fluid model. The latter one, also called phenomenological model, requires the use of closure relations to solve the transfer of mass, momentum and energy between the phases, in the respective conservation equations, so that integral flow parameters such as liquid holdup (or void fraction) and pressure gradient can be predicted. How ever, these closure relations carry the highest uncertainties in the model, since they are obtained empirically or through the use of overly simplified assumptions. In particular, significant discrepancies have been found between experimental data and closure relations for the Taylor bubble velocity in slug flow, which has been determined through an in-house study to strongly affect the pressure gradient and liquid holdup predicted by the mechanistic models of (Orell and Rembrand, 1986), (Ansari et al., 1994), and (Petalas and Aziz, 2000). In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and the Level Set (LS) interface tracking method(ITM), implemented in the commercial code TransAT®, are mployed to simulate the motion of Taylor bubbles in slug flow. Therefore, a numerical database is being generated to develop a new, high-fidelity closure relation for the Taylor bubble velocity as a function of the fluid properties and flow conditions, rendered non-dimensional through the use of the Froude, Reynolds, Eötvös and Morton numbers, and pipe inclination angle. The simulations suggest that in inclined pipes the Taylor bubble velocity is strongly reduced if there is no lubricating liquid film between the bubble and the wall. A simple analytical model predicting the drainage of this lubricating film is also presented. .

Particle transport and bed formation in gas and condensate pipelines could occur under various flow regimes, from dilute flows to high mass-loading conditions, to conditions where particle beds form in the pipeline. Proper modelling requires a comprehensive approach that can handle all the different regimes. A range of complex phenomena have to be accounted for, including turbulence of the carrier phase, particle-turbulence and particle-wall interactions, surface roughness effects, particle-particle interactions, particle agglomeration, deposition, saltation and re-suspension. We present here recent results of TransAT’s particle transport predictions to conditions of one-way, two-way and four-way particle-flow coupling, spanning the three flow regimes evoked: (i) dilute suspensions, (ii) high mass-loading conditions, and (iii) particle beds in the pipeline.

An overview on the activities on thermal hydraulics with in the NURESAFE project is given in this presentation.

NURESIM and NURISP are two successive European Projects of the 6th and 7th Framework Program with the objective of building a multi-physics and multi-scale platform for numerical simulation of nuclear reactors. It includes core physics and thermalhydraulics with sensitivity and uncertainty methods and coupling of thermalhydraulics with fuel thermomechanics and neutron kinetics. The NURISP European Collaborative Project (FP7) includes 22 organizations from 14 European countries. This paper summarizes some achievements and ongoing developments of the platform in Thermal-Hydraulics. Within the NURESIM project the development and validation of two-phase-CFD in open medium addressed mainly Departure from Nucleate Boiling, Dry-Out, Direct Contact Condensation and Pressurized Thermal Shock. Within NURISP, CFD use is now extended to some investigations related to LOCA such as flashing flow, and steam-droplet flow in a core during reflooding. The NEPTUNE-CFD code developed by EDF and CEA and sponsored by AREVA-NP and IRSN was first implemented in the NURESIM platform and The TRansaT code developed by ASCOMP is now also in the platform. New physical models have been developed, validation calculations were performed and NEPTUNE-CFD was benchmarked with commercial codes. DNS–ITM techniques (e.g. Lattice Boltzman Method or DNS of the TransAT code) were also used as numerical experiments to obtain information on smaller scale flow processes. The paper summarizes the achievements, updates the state of the art in two-phase-CFD, and presents the future activities

This contribution aims at introducing a new multiscale, multicomponent CFD/CMFD approach for the simulation of thermal-hydraulics flows evolving in complex component-scale configurations. In this novel approach, the flow system could involve one or two fluids, convective and conductive heat transfer in solids, and phase-change heat transfer. This is made possible thanks to the Immersed Surfaces Technology (IST), a methods inspired from Interface Tracking techniques for two-phase flow, whereby solid bodies contained in the system are defined using a solid level set function to describe their surfaces, transcending conventional unstructured and body-fitted grids (BFC). In a typical two-phase flow, material properties of the fluids and the solid are segregated based on the gas-liquid and solid Level-Set functions. The technique helps solve conjugate heat transfer problems without resorting to explicit jump conditions. Selected validation test-cases are presented here. The main application includes steady and transient solutions of the boron dilution in the ROCOM test case.

Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) and Direct Contact Condensation (DCC) were identified by the European project EUROFASTNET as two of the most important industrial needs related to nuclear reactor safety where CFD may bring a real benefit. One typical PTS scenario limiting the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) lifetime is cold water Emergency Core Cooling (ECC) injection into the cold leg during a hypothetical SB-LOCA. The injected water mixes with the hot fluid present in the cold leg and the mixture flows towards the downcomer where further mixing with the ambient fluid takes place. Such a scenario may lead to high thermal gradients in the structural components and consequently to thermal stresses. Therefore, the loads upon the RPV must be reliably assessed. The NURESIM sub-project 2 (Thermohydraulics) Work Package 2.1 focuses on a two-phase flow configuration resulting from a partially or fully uncovered cold leg. In the case of a partially uncovered cold leg, a stratification of cold water on the bottom of the cold leg with counter-current flow of hot water and steam on top of this cold-water layer may occur. There is mixing between hot and cold water. Condensation takes place at the free surfaces between steam and water, e.g. at the cooling water jet. Mixing and condensation are strongly dependent on the turbulence in the fluids. Reliable numerical simulations are required. Two-phase PTS constitutes one of the most challenging exercises for a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. Presently available CFD tools are not yet able to reproduce all the separate phenomena taking place in the cold leg and the downcomer during the ECC injection, let alone an accurate simulation of the whole process. Improvements of the two-phase modelling capabilities have to be undertaken to qualify the codes for the simulation of such flows. A really accurate simulation of all the phenomena that occur in the scenario will only be possible in the far future and a step-by-step improvement of the quality of the forecasts is necessary. However, a reasonable prediction of the most important phenomena may be reached in a short or medium term and the use of CFD in industrial studies related to PTS is already possible in the frame of some limitations.

Within the European Integrated Project NURESIM, the simulation of PTS is investigated. Some accident scenarios for Pressurized Water Reactors may cause Emergency Core Coolant injection into the cold leg leading to PTS situations. They imply the formation of temperature gradients in the thick vessel walls with consequent localized stresses and the potential for propagation of possible flaws present in the material. This paper focuses on two-phase conditions that are potentially at the origin of PTS. It summarizes recent advances in the understanding of the two-phase phenomena occurring within the geometric region of the nuclear reactor,that is, the cold leg and the downcomer, where the “PTS fluid-dynamics" is relevant. Available experimental data for validation of two-phase CFD simulation tools are reviewed and the capabilities of such tools to capture each basic phenomenon are discussed. Key conclusions show that several two-phase flow subphenomena are involved and can individually be simulated at least at a qualitative level, but the capability to simulate their interaction and the overall system performance is still limited. In the near term, one may envisage a simplified treatment of two-phase PTS transients by neglecting some effects which are not yet well controlled, leading to slightly conservative predictions.

This report summarizes the results of the NURESIM project for the work package 2.1 “Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS)”. It includes summaries of the single tasks done by the partners involved in this work package. In the Introduction chapter some more general information on the PTS issue is given, which should help to clarify the integration of the single activities. Since the PTS scenario involves different flow situations, for which also different modelling approaches are necessary, the tasks are sorted according to these flow situations. The relation of the work done to the general aim of the NURESIM project, which is to establish a new code platform, is indicated by assigning the activities to 6 different types. The results achieved in the PTS work package are in agreement with the expectations to the NURESIM project. The conclusion drawn from the single investigations and recommendations for future work are discussed in a separate chapter. It was shown, that for further improvement of the CFD-code capabilities for the two-phase PTS case new well-instrumented experimental data are needed especially for condensation at the surface of a sub-cooled liquid jet in a steam environment as well as on free surfaces, turbulence production and bubble entrainment below the jet and mixing in a stratified flow. Integral experiments, which reflect the PTS flow situations, are important to test the interplay between all the sub-models. Some of the local flow situations can be already captured quite well by presently available CFD codes, for other still many open questions exist. In general more flexible models are required which allow switching between different approaches within one flow domain but for the different local flow situations. Examples for such model approaches are the Large Scale Simulation (LSS) which should allow the application of a two-fluid model for dispersed flows and Interface Tracking Methods for large surfaces and the Scale Adaptive Simulations (SAS) which allow the simulation of large eddies while modelling the turbulence at the unresolved scales. The work done leads to a clear improvement of the simulation capabilities regarding a two-phase PTS situation, but caused by the complexity of the issue it will still be a long way to enable predictive simulations for all the different phenomena that occur in this application. In the near term, one may envisage a simplified treatment of two-phase PTS transients by neglecting some effects which are not yet controlled.

This paper reports some activity about the Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) performed within the European Integrated Project NURESIM. The PTS phenomenon is expected to take place in some water cooled nuclear reactors equipped with pressure vessels during selected accident scenarios. The PTS implies the formation of temperature gradients in the thick vessel walls with consequent localized stresses and the potential for propagation of possible flaws present in the material. Current generation Pressurized Water Reactors, PWR (including the Russian VVER types), are primarily affected by the phenomenon which is investigated within three broad areas: material damage originated by irradiation, thermal-hydraulics (including single and two-phase flow conditions in the region of the ‘shock’) and structural mechanics with main reference to fracture mechanics. The present paper, in the area of thermal-hydraulics, focuses on the study of two-phase conditions that are potentially at the origin of PTS. Within the above context, the paper summarizes recent advances in the understanding of the two-phase phenomena occurring within the geometric region of the nuclear reactor, i.e. the cold leg and the downcomer, where the ‘PTS fluid-dynamics’ is relevant. Available experimental data for validation of two-phase CFD simulation tools are reviewed and the capabilities of such tools to capture each basic phenomenon are discussed. Key conclusions show that several two phase mechanisms (or sub-phenomena) are involved and can individually be simulated at least at a qualitative level, but the capability to simulate their interaction and the overall system performance (case of two phase flow) is presently not available.

This report identifies PTS-scenarios for the French 900 MW CPY PWR, the German 1300 MW Kon-voi reactor, the Loviisa 400 MW VVER, the Russian VVER-1000 and the Czech VVER-100. Accord-ing to the resulting basic flow conditions relevant physical phenomena for the simulation of the scenes during Emergency Core Cooling (ECC) injection into the cold leg are identified. The main focus is on two-phase flow phenomena. The state of the art of modelling these phenomena and needs for models improvement are discussed. Thus the report is a suitable basis for the specification of the main topics to be provided in Task T2.1.4 of the NURESIM project.