A Study of Coolant Thermal Mixing within CANDU Fuel Bundles using ASSERT-PV

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study of the thermal mixing of single-phase coolant in 28-element CANDU fuel bundles. The approach taken in the present work is to identify the physical mechanisms contributing to coolant mixing, and to systematically assess the importance of each mechanism. Coupled effects were also considered by flow simulation with mixing mechanisms modelled simultaneously. For the limited range of operating conditions considered and when all mixing mechanisms were modelled simultaneously, the flow was found to be very close to fully mixed. A preliminary model of coolant mixing, suitable for use in the fuel and fuel channel code FACTAR, is also presented.