The development of new practices in nuclear research reactor safety aspects and optimization of recent nuclear reactors needs knowledge on forced convective heat transfer within sub-channels formed between several nuclear fuel rods or heat exchanger tubes, not only in the fully developed regime but also in the developing regime or laminar flow regime. The main objective of this research was to find a new correlation equation for calculating the convective heat transfer coefficient in the vertical square sub-channels. Recently, a simulation study was conducted to find a new heat transfer correlation equation for calculating the convective heat transfer coefficient within a vertical square sub-channel in the developing regime or laminar flow regime for Reynolds number range 400 ≤ Re ≤ 1700. Simulations were carried out using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code and modeling already defined in the software. The novelty of the research lies in the analysis of the entrance effect for the sub-channel by proposing a new empirical correlation that can then be inserted into the STAT computer code. The surface temperature distribution around the tangential direction of the active cylinders shows that the implementation of active and dummy cylinders in the current study can simulate sub-channels that exist in a real nuclear reactor core. The current study shows that the flow simulated in this study is in its developing condition (entrance region). A new forced convective heat transfer correlation for the developing region in the form of Nu = 2.094(Gz)0.329 for the Graetz number range 161 ≤ Gz ≤ 2429 was obtained from the current study.
5 August 2021 in Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
This study aims to design an axial turbine rotor blade and predict the turbine performance at preliminary design stage. Quasi three dimensional method was applied to design including blade to blade flow analysis. The blade profile uses a NACA 0015 airfoil by varying the profile thickness from hub to tip. The profile is divided into eleven segments which has different parameters. The profile was analysed using blade to blade flow/cascade flow analysis called vortex panel method to obtain lift coefficient. The analysis of cascade flow was performed in potential flow and prediction of turbine perfomance is carried out involving common best practice to give drag effect on the blade. The design of the turbine was applied on three different rotors, which also have a different discharge, head, and design rotation. The outer diameter of turbine 1 is 0.65 m, while turbine 2 and turbine 3 have an outer diameter of 0,60 m. The calculation result show that the efficiency of turbines 1, 2, and 3 were 88,32%, 89,67%, and 89,04%, respectively.