Development of Geometry Optimization Methodology with In-house CFD code, and Challenge in Applying to Fuel Assembly

The wire spacer has important roles to avoid collisions between adjacent rods, to mitigate a vortex induced vibration, and to enhance convective heat transfer by wire spacer induced secondary flow. Many experimental and numerical works has been conducted to understand the thermal-hydraulics of the wire-wrapped fuel bundles. There has been enormous growth in computing capability. Recently, a huge increase of computer power allows to three-dimensional simulation of thermal-hydraulics of wire-wrapped fuel bundles. In this study, the geometry optimization methodology with RANS based in-house CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code has been successfully developed in air condition. In order to apply the developed methodology to fuel assembly, GGI (General Grid Interface) function is developed for in-house CFD code. Furthermore, three-dimensional flow fields calculated with in-house CFD code are compared with those calculated with general purpose commercial CFD solver, CFX. The geometry optimization methodology with RANS based in-house CFD code has been successfully developed in air condition. In order to apply the developed methodology to fuel assembly, GGI function is developed for in-house CFD code as same as CFX. Even though both analyses are conducted with same computational meshes, numerical error due to GGI function locally occurred in only CFX solver around rod surface and boundary region between inner fluid region and outer fluid region.