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 ...

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...