NRG-beamFoam: a simplified numerical FSI solver developed in OpenFOAM for modelling axial-flow in nuclear reactors

Nuclear power is increasingly seen as a potential solution to the decarbonization of the energy sector in the coming decades. However, one of the main causes of downtime for current-generation nuclear reactors is the phenomenon of Grid-To-Rod-Fretting (GTRF) inside the reactor core. This is predominantly caused by Fluid-Structure Interaction ...

Development of an anisotropic pressure fluctuation model for the prediction of turbulence-induced vibrations of fuel rods

The vibration of fuel rods induced by the fast flowing coolant is a known challenge to nuclear power plant designers and operators. If not dealt with adequately, the vibrations could lead to undesirable wear and tear of the cladding, which, in turn, could result in fuel rod failures and costly unplanned outages of the power plant. Hence,...

Vortex-Induced Vibrations of In-Line Cantilevered Cylinders: A Numerical Investigation for Nuclear Industry Benchmark Testing

The advent of global warming has brought an increased interest in non-conventional sources of energy, one of which is nuclear energy. Threatening the almost year-round functioning of nuclear power plants are Flow-Induced Vibrations (FIV). One such mechanism, Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV), holds importance in areas of cross flow in nuclear power...

Numerical simulation of a forced and freely-vibrating cylinder at supercritical Reynolds numbers

Recent innovations in the off-shore wind industry have lead to bigger wind turbines and taller support structures. These towers can suffer from vortex-induced vibrations (VIV). The present work couples the open-source CFD solver OpenFOAM with a structural solver to investigate these fluid-structure interactions (FSI) effects in more detail. 2D...

Numerical Prediction of Flow Induced Vibrations in Nuclear Reactors through Pressure Fluctuation Modelling

Flow induced vibrations (FIV) is a known problem in nuclear reactors. The interaction between the turbulent flow of the coolants and the fuel rod bundles generates vibrations which are undesirable. These vibrations can be a major cause of fatigue failures, stress corrosion cracking and fretting wear of materials, which lead to stand-still costs....

Experimental benchmark and numerical validation of a free heaving airfoil

In order to validate fluid-structure interaction solvers, a one degree of freedom (1 DOF) aeroelastic experiment is performed. A rigid wing with an harmonically actuated flap, is suspended by springs to allow a free heaving motion. Displacements and time dependent aerodynamic forces are measured for reduced flap frequencies ranging from k = 0.1...