Numerical simulation of convection of argon gas in fast breeder reactor

In this paper, we present the results of numerical simulations of the turbulent convection in the Argon gas present in the annulus of a fast breeder reactor. We employ RANS scheme with k-∊ model and solve the equations using an open-source software OpenFOAM. The Rayleigh numbers Ra of our simulations lie in the range of 108 to 1010. We observe a pair of rolls with a hot plume rising from one end, and a cold plume descending from the opposite end of the annulus. This feature results because the aspect ratio of the geometry is near unity. We also find that the circumferential temperature difference (CTD) is proportional to Ra.