Study of Turbulence and Pressure Recovery in the Heat Pipe Vapor Flow Using the Spectral-Element Method

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Dutra, Carolina Bourdot, Nguyen, Tri, Merzari, Elia, Hansel, Joshua E.
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Dutra, Carolina Bourdot
Nguyen, Tri
Merzari, Elia
Hansel, Joshua E.
author_facet Dutra, Carolina Bourdot
Nguyen, Tri
Merzari, Elia
Hansel, Joshua E.
contents Heat pipes can efficiently and passively remove heat in nuclear microreactors. Nevertheless, the flow dynamics within heat pipes present a significant challenge in designing and optimizing them for nuclear energy applications. This work aims to explore the vapor core of heat pipes through comprehensive two- and three-dimensional simulations, with a primary focus on modeling the pressure recovery observed in the condenser section. The goal is to establish improved correlations for one-dimensional heat pipe codes. The simulations are validated against experimental data from a vapor pipe documented in the literature. The turbulence model is employed in the two-dimensional simulations through the open-source spectral-element code Nek5000. This model provides insights into pressure recovery within heat pipes with low computational cost. In addition, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are used to capture turbulent flow features in a three-dimensional vapor pipe model, utilizing the code NekRS. Using LES is crucial for comprehending the impact of laminar-to-turbulent transition on pressure recovery. A simulation framework is created to model the heat pipe's vapor core, laying the foundation for an enhanced understanding of heat pipe behavior. The ultimate goal is to improve and optimize heat pipe designs, provide data to validate lower-fidelity approaches and enhance their performance in nuclear reactors.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_02234
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Study of Turbulence and Pressure Recovery in the Heat Pipe Vapor Flow Using the Spectral-Element Method
Dutra, Carolina Bourdot
Nguyen, Tri
Merzari, Elia
Hansel, Joshua E.
Fluid Dynamics
Heat pipes can efficiently and passively remove heat in nuclear microreactors. Nevertheless, the flow dynamics within heat pipes present a significant challenge in designing and optimizing them for nuclear energy applications. This work aims to explore the vapor core of heat pipes through comprehensive two- and three-dimensional simulations, with a primary focus on modeling the pressure recovery observed in the condenser section. The goal is to establish improved correlations for one-dimensional heat pipe codes. The simulations are validated against experimental data from a vapor pipe documented in the literature. The turbulence model is employed in the two-dimensional simulations through the open-source spectral-element code Nek5000. This model provides insights into pressure recovery within heat pipes with low computational cost. In addition, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are used to capture turbulent flow features in a three-dimensional vapor pipe model, utilizing the code NekRS. Using LES is crucial for comprehending the impact of laminar-to-turbulent transition on pressure recovery. A simulation framework is created to model the heat pipe's vapor core, laying the foundation for an enhanced understanding of heat pipe behavior. The ultimate goal is to improve and optimize heat pipe designs, provide data to validate lower-fidelity approaches and enhance their performance in nuclear reactors.
title Study of Turbulence and Pressure Recovery in the Heat Pipe Vapor Flow Using the Spectral-Element Method
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.02234