Effect of flow configuration on moderator temperature distribution for 700 MWe Calandria

The Calandria of a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) is essentially a horizontal cylindrical vessel housing a matrix of horizontal tubes called Calandria tubes within which is contained the pressure tubes that house the fuel bundles. In addition there are horizontal and vertical flux control and shutdown devices. The Calandria is filled with heavy water moderator at a pressure slightly above the atmosphere. A large amount of heat (about 125 MWth) is generated within the moderator mainly due to neutron slowing down and attenuation of gamma radiations. This heat generation gives rise to a strong buoyancy-driven natural convection flow. In the proposed configuration of 700 MWe PHWR Calandria, moderator inlet diffusers are directed upwards and the outlet nozzles are at the bottom of the Calandria. The basis for the above said inlet/outlet configuration depends upon the various factors like space availability, NPSH requirement for the moderator pumps, and interference of flow with the other components inside the Calandria. This configuration is not conducive for the buoyancy-dominated flows generated due to large volumetric heat generation in the moderator. In order to see the effects of changes in flow configuration by re-orienting the inlet/outlet, a CFD study was undertaken for moderator flows in the conceptual Calandria. In the study, the moderator inlet diffusers direct the cool moderator towards the bottom of the Calandria and hot moderator flows out through the outlets in the upper half of the Calandria. The results of the study with various flow configurations show that modification in moderator flow configuration in Calandria, by way of introduction of moderator in the downward direction through diffusers and provision of the exits from the upper portion of the Calandria, results in significant reduction of the maximum temperature of moderator in Calandria. Further, the temperature distribution in the Calandria in the proposed configurations is much more uniform with less stratification and relatively smaller temperature gradients. (author)