Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

Drift-flux model; Interfacial area concentration; Large diameter pipe; Sensitivity; Two-fluid model; Void fraction covariance

Abstract

"Multiphase flows are a significant factor in nuclear reactor operations. In order to understand this behavior in reactor systems, system analysis codes are used to simulate reactor conditions. Due to the nature of the nuclear industry, simulations predicting the void development in the core are required to be highly accurate. This work evaluated the sensitivity of the void fraction and interfacial area concentration predictions to changes in correlations used to calculate three parameters that are used to complete the interfacial drag calculation. The three parameters evaluated were drift-flux, void fraction covariance, and interfacial area concentration. The change in drift-flux correlation was found to have a significant effect on the void fraction prediction. The two-group approach for calculating drift-flux was found to have a higher accuracy than the one-group approach. A new drift-flux correlation was developed using the two-group approach, and was able to predict void fraction with a RMS error of 10.5%. The change in the void fraction covariance correlation was not found to have a significant effect on the void fraction predictive accuracy for the flow conditions evaluated in this work. The interfacial area transport equation (IATE) was found to have higher predictive accuracy for both void fraction and interfacial area concentration compared to interfacial area concentration correlations. An IATE was optimized for prediction of the individual groups of void fraction and interfacial area concentration and was able to reduce RMS error of the Group 1 and 2 void fraction from 41.6% to 20.8% and from 72.6% to 35.3%, respectively Group 1 and 2 interfacial area concentration from 43.3% to 28.3% and from 54.6% to 47.5% respectively"--Abstract, p. iv

Advisor(s)

Schlegel, Joshua P.

Committee Member(s)

Graham, Joseph T.
Mueller, Gary E.
Smith, Joseph D.
Usman, Shoaib

Department(s)

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Nuclear Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2022

Pagination

xv, 132 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 130-131)

Rights

© 2023 Alexander Lee Swearingen, All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12266

Electronic OCLC #

1423538253

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