A Computational Benchmark Study of Forced Convective Heat Transfer to Water at Super-Critical Pressure Flowing Within a 7 Rod Bundle

Abstract

A computational study on the heat transfer to water at supercritical pressure flowing in a 7 rod bundle with complex grid spacers is performed using the Computational Fluid Dynamics software STAR-CCM+. Various turbulence models are examined for isothermal as well as heated cases. The choice of an optimum turbulence model is supported by multiple validation cases. Throughout the study an engineering perspective is utilized in order to limit computational resources while requiring the resolution of important flow and heat transfer phenomena.