This thesis aims to provide the thermal condition of melt pool convection by CFD simulation, which is important to the assessment of the invessel melt retention (IVR) strategy widely adopted in Generation III pressurized water reactors (PWRs). As a severe accident mitigation measure, the IVR strategy is realized through external cooling of the lower head of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). To achieve the coolability and retention of the corium pool in the RPV lower head, the heat flux at the outer surface of the vessel should be less than the critical heat flux (CHF) of boiling around the lower head. Under such condition, the integrity of the RPV is guaranteed by the adequate thickness of the unmelted vessel wall. The thesis work starts from the selection and validation of a turbulence model in the CFD computational tool chosen (Fluent). Afterwards a numerical model is set up for estimation of melt pool heat transfer of a reference PWR with the power capacity of 1000 MWe, including a mesh sensitivity study. Based on the numerical model of a twolayer melt pool, four tasks are carried out to investigate the effects of Zr oxidation ratio, Fe content, and radiation emissivity on heat flux profiles, as well as the focus effect under extreme conditions. Selection and validation of the turbulence model are conducted by comparing the simulation results of different turbulence models with the DNS data on the convection of volumetrically heated fluid layer bounded by rigid isothermal horizontal walls at equal temperature. The internal Rayleigh numbers of the flow reach up to 10e6. The comparison shows a good agreement of the SST k-ω turbulence model results with the DNS data. The simulations with the Zr oxidation ratio of 0, 0.2 and 0.5, correspondingly, the oxide layer of 1.389m, 1.467m and 1.580m, and the metal layer of 0.705m, 0.646m and 0.561m in height, show that, the temperature of the oxide layer will increase with Zr oxidation ratio, while the temperature of the metal layer will decrease resulting in more heat transfer through the oxide layer sidewall and less top radiation. Nevertheless, the effect of the Zr oxidation ratio is not pronounced in the range of 00.5. The simulations with the Fe mass of 22t, 33t and 45t, and respective height of the metal layer of 0.462m, 0.568m and 0.646m, show that, the inner metal layer will significantly increase the temperatures of both the metal layer and the oxide layer. The percentage of heat transfer at the oxide layer sidewall will increase to supplement the reduction of that at the metal layer. The simulations with the radiation emissivity of 0.2, 0.35, 0.45 and 0.7 show that, the emissivity below 0.45 has an impact on heat transfer, and the temperatures and sidewall heat flux of both the oxide layer and the metal layer will increase with decreasing emissivity. The impact is negligible when the emissivity is above 0.45. The simulations under the hypothetically extreme conditions with either an adiabatic top boundary or a very thin metal layer show the focusing effect may occur, i.e., the heat flux through the metal sidewall is larger than that in the oxide layer. But the local high heat flux is flattened by the vessel wall with good heat conductivity. In summary, the simulations demonstrate that, except for the cases under extreme conditions, the heat fluxes of the melt pools in all other cases are significantly lower than the CHF of external cooling of the lower head. Therefore, the safety margin of the IVR strategy of the PWR chosen is seems sufficient. However, due to some limitations (e.g., simplification and assumptions) in the simulation cases and coupling of different influential factors, as indicated by the present study, the precise predictions of heat flux under all scenarios are still difficult. Therefore, the conclusions could not be generalized to the other conditions or other configurations of the molten pools. By discussing the model and simplifications/assumptions adopted in this work, the improvement directions of the numerical model and other perspectives are proposed at the end of the thesis. / Denna avhandling syftar till att tillhandahålla det termiska tillståndet för smältbassängskonvektion genom CFD-simulering, vilket är viktigt för bedömningen av IVR-strategin som allmänt antagits i tryckvattenreaktorer (PWR) i Generation III. Som en åtgärd för att mildra allvarliga olyckor realiseras IVR-strategin genom extern kylning av det nedre huvudet av ett reaktortryckkärl (RPV). För att uppnå kylbarhet och kvarhållning av koriumbassängen i det nedre RPV-huvudet bör värmeflöde vid den yttre ytan av kärlet vara mindre än det kritiska värmeflödet (CHF) som kokar runt det nedre huvudet. Under sådant tillstånd garanteras RPV: s integritet av den osmälta kärlväggens tillräckliga tjocklek. Examensarbetet startar från valet och valideringen av en turbulensmodell i det valda CFD-beräkningsverktyget (Fluent). Därefter sätts en numerisk modell upp för uppskattning av smältbassängens värmeöverföring av en referens PWR med en effektkapacitet på 1000 MWe, inklusive en nätkänslighetsstudie. Baserat på den numeriska modellen för en tvålagers smältbassäng utförs fyra uppgifter för att undersöka effekterna av Zr-oxidationsförhållande, Fe-innehåll och strålningsemissivitet på värmeflödesprofiler, liksom fokuseffekten under extrema förhållanden. Val och validering av turbulensmodellen utförs genom att jämföra simuleringsresultaten för olika turbulensmodeller med DNS-data för konvektionen av volymetriskt uppvärmt fluidskikt avgränsat av styva isoterma horisontella väggar vid lika temperatur. De interna Rayleigh-siffrorna i flödet når upp till 10e6. Jämförelsen visar att SST k-ω turbulensmodellresultaten överensstämmer med DNS-data. Simuleringarna med Zr-oxidationsförhållandet 0, 0,2 och 0,5, motsvarande oxidskiktet på 1,389 m, 1,467 m och 1,580 m, och metallskiktet på 0,705 m, 0,664 m och 0,561 m i höjd, visar att temperaturen av oxidskiktet kommer att öka med Zr-oxidationsförhållandet, medan metallskiktets temperatur kommer att minska vilket resulterar i mer värmeöverföring genom oxidskiktets sidovägg och mindre toppstrålning. Ändå är effekten av Zr-oxidationsförhållandet inte uttalad i intervallet 00,5. Simuleringarna med Fe-massan på 22t, 33t och 45t och respektive höjd av metallskiktet på 0,462m, 0,568m och 0,664m visar att det inre metallskiktet avsevärt kommer att öka temperaturerna för både metallskiktet och oxiden lager. Andelen värmeöverföring vid oxidskiktets sidovägg ökar för att komplettera minskningen av den vid metallskiktet. Simuleringarna med strålningsemissiviteten 0,2, 0,35, 0,45 och 0,7 visar att emissiviteten under 0,45 påverkar värmeöverföringen, och temperaturerna och sidoväggens värmeflöde för både oxidskiktet och metallskiktet kommer att öka med minskande emissivitet. Effekten är försumbar när strålningen är över 0,45. Simuleringarna under de hypotetiskt extrema förhållandena med antingen en adiabatisk övre gräns eller ett mycket tunt metallskikt visar att fokuseringseffekten kan uppstå, dvs. värmeflödet genom metallsidan är större än det i oxidskiktet. Men det lokala höga värmeflödet plattas ut av kärlväggen med god värmeledningsförmåga. Sammanfattningsvis visar simuleringarna att, förutom fall under extrema förhållanden, är värmeflödet från smältpoolerna i alla andra fall betydligt lägre än CHF för extern kylning av nedre huvudet. Därför verkar säkerhetsmarginalen för IVR-strategin för den valda PWR tillräcklig. På grund av vissa begränsningar (t.ex. förenkling och antaganden) i simuleringsfall och koppling av olika inflytelserika faktorer, vilket indikeras av den aktuella studien, är de exakta förutsägelserna av värmeflöde under alla scenarier fortfarande svåra. Därför kunde slutsatserna inte generaliseras till de andra förhållandena eller andra konfigurationer av de smälta poolerna. Genom att diskutera modellen och förenklingar / antaganden som antagits i detta arbete föreslås förbättringsriktningarna för den numeriska modellen och andra perspektiv i slutet av avhandlingen.

In recent years, application of confluent jets for design of ventilation supply devices has been studied. Similarly, numerus studies have been made on the potential and application of variable air volume (VAV) in order to reduce the energy demand of ventilation systems. This study investigates the combination of supply devices based on confluent jets and VAV, both in terms of the nearfield flow behavior of the device and the impact on thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy efficiency on a classroom-level space when the airflow rate is varied. The method used in this study is an experimental field study where the confluent jets-based supply devices were compared to the previously installed displacement ventilation. The field study evaluated the energy efficiency, thermal comfort and indoor air quality of the two systems. In the case of the confluent jets supply devices, airflow rate was varied in order to see what impact the variation had on the performance of the system for each airflow rate. Furthermore, the confluent jets supply devices were investigated both experimentally and numerically in a well insulated test room to get high resolution data on the particular flow characteristics for this type of supply device when the airflow rate is varied. The results from the field study show nearly uniform distribution of the local mean age of air in the occupied zone, even in the cases of relatively low airflow rates. The airflow rates have no significant effect on the degree of mixing. The thermal comfort in the classroom was increased when the airflow rate was adapted to the heat load compared to the displacement system. The results lead to the conclusion that the combination of supply devices based on confluent jets can reduce energy usage in the school while maintaining indoor air quality and increasing the thermal comfort in the occupied zone. The results from the experimental and numerical study show that the flow pattern and velocity in each nozzle is directly dependent on the total airflow rate. However, the flow pattern does not vary between the three different airflow rates. The numerical investigation shows that velocity profiles for each nozzle have the same pattern regardless of the airflow rate, but the magnitude of the velocity profile increases as the airflow increases. Thus, a supply device of this kind could be used for variable air volume and produce confluent jets for different airflow rates. The results from both studies show that the airflow rate does not affect the distribution of the airflow on both near-field and room level. The distribution of air is nearly uniform in the case of the near-field results and the room-level measurement shows a completely uniform degree of mixing and air quality in the occupied zone for each airflow rate. This means that there is potential for combining these two schemes for designing air distribution systems with high energy efficiency and high thermal comfort and indoor air quality. / Under senare tid har applikation av Confluent jets för design av tilluftsdon studerats. Många studier har även utförts över potentialen av att applicera variabelt luftflöde (VAV) för att minska energianvändningen i ventilationssystem. Denna studie undersöker möjligheten att kombinera Confluent jets-don med VAV, både med avseende på den lokala flödesbilden och dess påverkan på termisk komfort, luftkvalitet och energieffektivitet i en klassrumsmiljö där luftflödes varieras. Denna studie baseras dels på en experimentell fältstudie där tilluftsdon baserade på Confluents jets jämfördes med befintliga deplacerande tilluftsdon. Fältstudien utvärderade energieffektiviteten, den termiska komforten och luftkvaliteten för båda typerna av tillluftsdon. Confluent jets-donen testades under varierat luftflöde för att se påverkan av flödesvariationen på ventilationens prestation under de olika flödena. Utöver fältstudien testades Confluent jets-donen experimentellt och numeriskt i ett välisolerat test-rum för få den detaljerade flödeskarakteristiken för den här typen tilluftsdon vid varierat luftflöde. Resultaten från fältstudien visar på en jämn fördelning av den lokala luftsmedelåldern i vistelsezonen, även för fallen med relativt låga luftflöden. Luftflöden har ingen signifikant effekt på omblandningen. Den termiska komforten i klassrummet ökade när luftflödet anpassades efter värmelasten jämfört med de deplacerande donen. Slutsatsen från fältstudien är att kombinationen av VAV och Confluent jets-don kan användas för att minska energianvändningen på skolan och bevara luftkvaliteten och den termiska komforten i vistelsezonen. Resultaten från den experimental och numeriska studien visar luftflödet och lufthastigheten i varje enskild dysa är direkt beroende på det totala luftflödet genom donet. Dock är flödesfördelningen mellan dysorna oberoende av de tre olika luftflödena. Den numeriska undersökningen visar att flödesprofilen för varje dysa är konstant trots att flödet varieras, men amplituden för varje profil ökar med en höjning av luftflödet. Det betyder att tilluftsdon av den här typen kan användas med VAV för att producera Confluent jets för olika luftflöden. Resultaten från båda studierna visar att luftflöde inte påverkar fördelningen av luften vare sig längs luftdonen eller på rumsnivå. Fördelningen av luften är nästan helt jämn längs donen och på rumsnivå är omblandningen och luftkvalitet den samma för varje luftflöde. Det betyder att det finns potential för att kombinera det här två teknikerna för att designa luftdistribueringssystem med hög energieffektivitet och hög termisk komfort med god luftkvalitet.

The turbine inlet guide vanes of a gas-turbine are subjected to extreme hot gas temperatures which increases the risk of mechanical failure and overall reduces the component lifespan. Hence, it is of great interest for gas-turbine manufacturers to establish methods for accurately estimating the temperature distribution along the vane surface. Due to the three-dimensional nature of turbine flow, it is of interest to establish Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology which capture these three-dimensional effects. This thesis is one in a collection of theses conducted at Siemens Energy AB on the subject. Previous studies have investigated and validated the implementation of RANS simulations on non-cooled turbine vanes and endwalls. In this study, the focus is on studying a film cooled vane and establishing one RANS as well as one hybrid modelling strategy for heat transfer coefficient (HTC) predictions. The HTC prediction capabilities are compared and validated against experimental data presented in the doctoral thesis by Fabrizio Fontaneto on the LS94 vane at Von Karman Institute. The chosen RANS modelling method was the Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model, with γ-Reθ transition modelling, based on the findings by Enico (2021) and Daugulis (2022). The model proved capable in estimating the HTC well on mainly the suction side of the vane. The pressure side HTC was largely under-predicted, a common issue with the SST model also seen in the previous theses as well as the hybrid simulations. The strength of the SST k-ω turbulence model, with γ-Reθ transition modelling, is in accurately capturing the HTC magnitude, most likely due to the well-predicted turbulence intensity decay at the inlet. However, it largely under-predicts the HTC along the suction side film-coolant layer, implying that it may be over-estimating the film-cooling capabilities. The hybrid model chosen was the Scale Resolving Hybrid (SRH) model, with underlying RANS SST k-ω. Compared to RANS, hybrid results were under-estimated, seemingly offset from the experimental data by a constant 200 units along the entire vane midspan. This is likely due to the inaccurate turbulence intensity presented in the SRH simulations, which decays quickly along the inlet compared to RANS and experimental data. Yet still, the hybrid model showed potential in capturing certain results not seen with RANS, such as the secondary flow effects by the vane endwalls, as well as arguably capturing the general HTC trend at midspan seen in the experimental data. Additionally, the section of severely under-predicted HTC by the suction side film-coolant seen with RANS is not present in the hybrid results. Although the hybrid model has proven promising in many aspects, in its current state it is not a viable method for HTC predictions due to its general under-prediction of HTC. Largely, the authors suspect this is due to the undesirably coarse mesh around the cooling holes, which leads to RANS computation in regions where SRH is desired. Thus, improvements would need to be made to the model, where, for example, implementing a zonal hybrid RANS-LES model would be an option. Considering the hybrid model in its current state, RANS is the preferred method, especially when considering the greater computational cost and the labor associated with hybrid simulations which were experienced during this study. In conclusion, it is evident that the correct capture of inlet turbulence intensity decay as well as suitable mesh refinement by the cooling holes are crucial for obtaining the correct magnitudes of HTC, and thus, the capture of it should be of utmost priority in future work within the field.

This study presents air distribution systems that are based on confluent jets; this system can be of interest for the establishment of indoor environments, to fulfill the goals of indoor climate and energy-efficient usage. The main objective of this study is to provide deeper understanding of the flow field development of a supply device that is designed based on wall confluent jets and to investigate the ventilation performance by experimental and numerical methods. In this study, the supply device can be described as an array of round jets on a flat surface attached to a side wall. Multiple round jets that issue from supply device apertures are combined at a certain distance downstream from the device and behave as a united jet or so-called confluent jets. Multiple round jets that are generated from the supply device move downward and are attached to the wall at the primary region, due to the Coanda effect, and then they become wall confluent jets until the floor wall is reached. A wall jet in a secondary region is formed along the floor after the stagnation region. The characteristics of the flow field and the ventilation performance of conventional wall confluent jets and modified wall confluent jets supply devices are investigated experimentally in an office test room. The study of the modified wall confluent jets is intended to improve the efficiency of the conventional one while maintaining acceptable thermal comfort in an office environment. The results show that the modified wall confluent jets supply device can provide acceptable thermal comfort for the occupant with lower airflow rate compared to the conventional wall confluent jets supply device. Numerical predictions using three turbulence models (renormalization group (RNG k– ε), realizable (Re k– ε), and shear stress transport (SST k– ω) are evaluated by measurement results. The computational box and nozzle plate models are used to model the inlet boundary conditions of the nozzle device. In the isothermal study, the wall confluent jets in the primary region and the wall jet in the secondary region, when predicted by the three turbulence models, are in good agreement with the measurements. The non-isothermal validation studies show that the SST k– ω model is slightly better at predicting the wall confluent jets than the other two models. The SST k– ω model is used to investigate the effects of the nozzle diameter, number of nozzles, nozzle array configuration, and inlet discharge height on the ventilation performance of the proposed wall confluent jets supply device. The nozzle diameter and number of nozzles play important roles in determining the airflow pattern, temperature field, and draught distribution. Increased temperature stratification and less draught distribution are achieved by increasing the nozzle diameter and number of nozzles. The supply device with smaller nozzle diameters and fewer nozzles yields rather uniform temperature distribution due to the dominant effect of mixing. The flow behavior is nearly independent of the inlet discharge height for the studied range. The proposed wall confluent jets supply device is compared with a mixing supply device, impinging supply device and displacement supply device. The results show that the proposed wall confluent jets supply device has the combined behavior of both mixing and stratification principles. The proposed wall confluent jets supply device provides better overall ventilation performance than the mixing and displacement supply devices used in this study. This study covers also another application of confluent jets that is based on impinging technology. The supply device under consideration has an array of round jets on a curve. Multiple jets issue from the supply device aperture, in which the supply device is positioned vertically and the jets are directed against a target wall. The flow behavior and ventilation performance of the impinging confluent jets supply device is studied experimentally in an industrial premise. The results show that the impinging confluent jets supply device maintains acceptable thermal comfort in the occupied zone by creating well-distributed airflow during cold and hot seasons.