Simulation of thermal-transient-induced-pipe-flow stratification using COMMIX-2

At low-flow (high Richardson number) in a piping system with thermal transient, thermal-buoyancy-induced secondary flows exist. Three-dimensional computer codes are, therefore, necessary to model correctly the non-axisymmetric, thermally stratified flow through a piping system. This paper presents the results of the numerical simulation of thermal-hydraulic behavior in a pipe during a thermal transient. The particular transient considered was the experimental test No. PIPE2, and carried out at the Mixing Components Test Facility (MCTF). The numerical simulation was performed using COMMIX-2. COMMIX-2 is a computer code for steady/unsteady, three-dimensional, two-phase thermal-hydraulic analysis of reactor components under normal and off-normal operating conditions. The results of simulation are compared with the experimental measurements and they are in reasonable agreement with experimental data