CANDU bundle junction. Misalignment probability and pressure-drop correlation

The pressure drop over the bundle junction is an important component of the pressure drop in a CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) fuel channel. This component can represent from ∼ 15% for aligned bundles to ∼ 26% for rotationally misaligned bundles, and is dependent on the degree of misalignment. The geometry of the junction increases the mixing between subchannels, and hence improves the thermal performance of the bundle immediately downstream. It is therefore important to model the junction's performance adequately. This paper summarizes a study sponsored by COG (CANDU Owners Group) and an NSERC (National Science and Engineering Research Council) Industrial Research Grant, undertaken, at CRL (Chalk River Laboratories) to identify and develop a bundle-junction model for potential implementation in the ASSERT (Advanced Solution of Subchannel Equations in Reactor Thermalhydraulics) subchannel code. The work reported in this paper consists of two components of this project: an examination of the statistics of bundle misalignment, demonstrating that there are no preferred positions for the bundles and therefore all misalignment angles are equally possible; and, an empirical model for the single-phase pressure drop across the junction as a function of the misalignment angle. The second section of this paper includes a brief literature review covering the experimental, analytical and numerical studies concerning the single-phase pressure drop across bundle junctions. 32 refs., 9 figs