A non-Boussinesq integral boundary layer heat transfer modeling for Tehran Research Reactor

A non-Boussinesq integral boundary layer model is developed. The model analyzes laminar free convection between nuclear fuel plates having large aspect ratio. The coolant channels are subject to a uniform, symmetric, heat flux and varying fluid properties. In the model the flow is assumed to be fully developed which is a good assumption for channels with large aspect ratios. The non-Boussinesq approximation is introduced into the integral boundary layer equations governing the system to describe the velocity and temperature distributions of the coolant in the cooling channels. The fuel plate temperature is related to the adjacent coolant fluid temperature by a fundamental law in conduction heat transfer. Air and water are considered as fluids. The results show that the present heat transfer problem encountered in nuclear research reactor such Tehran research reactor (TRR) is characterized by high temperature ratios and thereby rendering the commonly applied Boussinesq approximation invalid. Therefore, the use of the Boussinesq approximation for high temperature ratios is not suggested.

► A non-Boussinesq integral model is developed for Tehran Research Reactor.
► Numerical solution to this integral model is provided.
► The numerical solution approach exact solution asymptotically.