Analysis of the horizontal flow in the advanced gas-cooled reactor

• CFD is used to assess the effect of horizontal flows in AGRs.
• The horizontal flows can reduce the graphite brick temperature significantly.
• Such effects are not taken into consideration in current engineering calculations.
• There might be flow instabilities when the fuel channel flow is very low but horizontal flows reduce its possibility.

The purpose of the paper is to report a computational investigation of horizontal flows in the UK advanced-gas-cooled reactor (AGR) by using computational fluid dynamics with ANSYS FLUENT. The study is relevant to practical issues encountered in some AGR stations currently in operation in the UK. It is carried out using a comparative approach based on the results of two contrasting models: one simulating the full effect of the cross flow, the other simulating the simplified approach currently employed by the industry which neglects the momentum of the horizontal cross flow. The study reveals that the horizontal cross flow plays a significant role in the cooling of the moderator brick, while the axial variation of the brick geometry also significantly changes the distribution of the temperature within the brick. It is also found that under some circumstances the so-called horizontal inter-brick leakage (HIBL) flow could influence the cooling performance in the narrow gaps, resulting in a local hot spot. Furthermore, there may be flow instabilities in the flows in AGR fuel channels due to the interactions between the flow in the main arrowhead flow passages and that in some narrow passages connected to it, but the influence on the brick temperature is negligible. Horizontal cross flow has an effect of reducing such instabilities.