Comparison between Surface Heating and Volumetric Heating Methods inside CANDU Reactor Moderator Test Facility (MTF) Using 3D Numerical Simulation

Abstract

Three dimensional numerical simulations are conducted on the CANDU Moderator Test Facility (MTF). Heat generation is modeled through both surface and volumetric heating. Surface heating is employed in experimental setups. Volumetric method is the actual heating method in real reactor. The result shows while the asymmetry in temperature distribution is visible in both cases, and the locations of hot and cold zones are similar, but the temperature range is different. Although the heat input to both cases is identical but the temperatures are better distributed in volumetric heating case since the heat source is more uniformly distributed in the liquid.