Thermalhydrolic Analysis on Hot Channels of TRIGA Kartini Reactor with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Using OpenFOAM
Aisah Rizqi Amaliyah (a), Ratna Dewi Syarifah (a*), Nuri Trianti (b), Tri Nugroho Hadi Susanto (c)

a) Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Jember, Jember, Indonesia
*rdsyarifah.fmipa[at]unej.ac.id
b) Research Centre for Nuclear Reactor Technology, Research Organization for Nuclear Energy, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bandung, Indonesia
c) Kartini Reactor Installation, Directorate of Nuclear Facility Management, National Research and Innovation Agency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

To address the growing energy demands in Indonesia, nuclear power plants, including the development of nuclear reactors, are being explored. One such reactor is the TRIGA Kartini reactor in Yogyakarta, primarily utilized for research and educational purposes. This study analyzes the thermal-hydraulic behavior of hot channels within the TRIGA Kartini reactor, operating at 100 kW, with a focus on temperature distribution and fluid flow-critical factors for ensuring reactor safety and efficiency. The research employs a geometric model, power-to-temperature conversion calculations, and numerical simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in OpenFOAM. Results from these simulations are compared with experimental data from IFE, which recorded a temperature of 305K in the upper section of the reactor. The simulations are executed using two solvers, Fluid and XiFluid, under four flow conditions: laminar, k-epsilon, k-omega, and k-omegaSST. The findings reveal that the laminar flow condition produces the largest error, exceeding 1% for both solvers, followed by k-omegaSST with errors above 0.6%. For the Fluid solver, the k-omega model shows a 0.30% error, while the k-epsilon model yields the lowest error at 0.23%. Conversely, for the XiFluid solver, the k-epsilon model results in a 0.62% error, with k-omega closely behind at 0.29%. The k-epsilon model using the Fluid solver provides the closest alignment with the experimental data, making it the most accurate among the tested conditions.

Keywords: Thermal-hydraulic- TRIGA Kartini reactor- OpenFOAM- CFD

Topic: Theoretical and Computational Nuclear Physics