Assessment of CFD URANS models for buoyancy driven mixing flows based on ROCOM experiments

An assessment of STAR-CCM+ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models of a KONVOI type Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) has been performed based on experimental data collected at the ROssendorf COolant Mixing (ROCOM) test facility as part of the OECD-NEA PKL 2 Project. Three different experimental configurations typical of Main Steam Line Break (MSLB) with Loss-Of-Offsite-Power (LOOP) scenarios are investigated (i.e. Test 1.1, 2.1 and 2.2). The transport of the mixing scalar is based on an equivalent thermal model of the isothermal experimental system. The focus of the study is on the modeling of the physical properties and the turbulent heat flux (closure term) needed by the Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. Results show that a standard Constant Turbulent Prandtl number (CTP) and the chosen Variable Turbulent Prandtl number (VTP) models are capable of describing qualitatively and quantitatively well the time-evolution of the temperature field in the core inlet zone (Test 1.1). When large density differences of the coolant are present in the system, the VTP model outperforms the CTP model in predicting the elevation of the thermal stratification line that builds up in the downcomer due to incomplete mixing. Nevertheless, the CTP model performs very well when the density difference is very low (Test 2.1). No significant changes have been observed for Test 2.2 when idealized boundary conditions are used instead of the experimental ones. (author)