CFD modeling of high temperature gas cooled reactors

This paper presents an overview of how CFD has been applied to model the gas flow and heat transfer within the PBMR (Pebble Bed Modular reactor) with the aim of providing valuable design and safety information. The thermo-hydraulic calculations are performed using the STAR-CD [1] Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code and the neutronic calculations are performed using VSOP [2]. Results are presented for steady-state normal operation and for a transient De-pressurized Loss Of Forced Cooling event (DLOFC). (authors)