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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Satish Kumar Dhurandhar, S. L. Sinha, Shashi Kant Verma
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 11 | November 2024 | Pages 2050-2073
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2309080
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The utilization of a grid spacer with vane is a significant component within reactor fuel channels. The presence of the vane has a notable impact on the mixing of flow and the enhancement of heat transfer within subchannels. The purpose of this work was to perform a numerical analysis of the effects of the vane deflection angle on the flow-thermal characteristics in a fuel rod assembly.
In the current analysis, a square array consisting of a 5 × 5 rod bundle was utilized. The pitch-to-rod diameter ratio was set to 1.33, while the blockage ratio of the grid spacer was determined to be 0.16. A relative study was made for flow-thermal characteristics with four different vane deflection angles, such as 21 deg, 25 deg, 29 deg, and 33 deg. Analyses were made for a fluid pressure of 15.5 MPa, an inlet temperature of 583 K, and a velocity of 4.74 m/s.
The present study investigated the Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω and Renormalization Group (RNG) k-ε turbulence models to analyze flow phenomena and thermal performance. The numerical results were validated through experimental data and also compared with correlations proposed by researchers. The analysis of the results was carried out using various methods, including the examination of data curves and streamlines, as well as vector and contour plots. The results indicate that a higher deflection angle leads to a greater reduction in temperature at the grid spacer. The swirl ratio was observed to be maximum close downstream to the grid spacer, and the persistence of the swirl ratio in the downstream can enhance the performance of departure of nucleate boiling. The vane on the grid spacer with a higher deflection angle enhances the coefficient of heat transfer remarkably close to the downstream grid spacer.