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NECTAR Code
A Steady State Thermal Hydraulics Solver

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January 2011

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This document is freely downloadable in Microsoft Word 2003/XP format

The use of this document is ABSOLUTELY UNLIMITED
Some materials related to this document are available on this URL:
http://wp.me/p61TQ-zt

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NECTAR Code

A computer code applicable for steady state thermal hydraulics analyses has been developed.

Employed physical models and solution method will not be explained here, a complete explanation

is available on http://wp.me/p61TQ-wo. The fluid employed in this code is LIQUID SODIUM, one

of the various coolant types for Liquid Metal-cooled Fast Reactors (LMFRs).

This code can be used for preliminary thermal hydraulic analysis of Fast Reactor cores, in which

due to the presence of wrapper can, we can assume that the fuel assemblies are hydrodynamically

non-communicating each other along the axial flow path, although in reality they are thermally in

communication in lateral direction. This code also can be used to generate initial guesses for flow

fields, to be used by time-dependent subchannel analysis codes, which further simulate the lateral

thermo-hydrodynamic interactions between channels in a fuel assembly.

This document serves as an input description for NECTAR code, some results from a sample case

are also presented. The input is a text file with the length of its name is exactly 8 characters. The

content of this input file is explained as follow.

CARD VARIABLE FORMAT DESCRIPTION UNIT

CARD 001 IMAX I5 Number of channels -
LMAX I5 Number of axial nodes -
CARD 002 DZ E10.0 Size of axial nodes m
CARD 003 DH(J) E10.0 Channel diameter m
QSHAPE(J) I5 Power profile, 1=linear, 2=cosine -
QLIN(J) E10.0 Average linear heat rate W/m
AFLOW(J) E10.0 Axial flow area m2
J=1,IMAX
CARD 004 MASSFLOW E10.0 Total mass flow rate Kg/s
CARD 005 T1 E10.0 Inlet temperature K
CARD 006 PLMAX E10.0 Outlet pressure Pa

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A sample case is provided with the code package, the file name is “SMPL_001”, with content as

shown as follow:

CARD 001 5 50
CARD 002 0.05
CARD 003 0.03 1 8.0E+4 0.0007068
0.03 2 1.0E+5 0.0007068
0.05 2 0.0E+5 0.0019635
0.06 2 -5.0E+5 0.0028274
0.06 1 -4.0E+5 0.0028274
CARD 004 20.0
CARD 005 650.0
CARD 006 1.0E+5

The explanation of this sample case is as follow.

PARAMETER VALUE
Number of channels 5
Number of axial nodes 50
Size of axial nodes 0.05 m
Total mass flow rate 20 Kg/s
Inlet temperature 650 K
Outlet pressure 100000
Pa

Diameter [m] Power profile Average linear heat rate [W/m]

Channel 1 0.03 Heated, linear 80000
Channel 2 0.03 Heated, cosine 100000
Channel 3 0.05 Isotherm 0
Channel 4 0.06 Cooled, cosine -500000
Channel 5 0.06 Cooled, linear -400000

After running the code, all the output data are then saved in a file named “ SMPL_001_OUT”, some

results are shown as follow.

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NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
Channel2
4.50E+5 Channel3
Channel4
Channel5
4.00E+5
Reynolds number

3.50E+5

3.00E+5

2.50E+5

2.00E+5

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 1. Reynolds number

NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
1.55E-2 Channel2
Channel3
1.50E-2
Channel4
Channel5
1.45E-2
Friction factor

1.40E-2

1.35E-2

1.30E-2

1.25E-2

1.20E-2

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 2. Friction factor

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NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
Channel2
4.00E-4
Channel3
3.80E-4 Channel4
Dynamic viscosity [Pa.s]

Channel5
3.60E-4
3.40E-4
3.20E-4
3.00E-4
2.80E-4
2.60E-4
2.40E-4
2.20E-4

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 3. Dynamic viscosity

NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
Channel2
2.70E+0
Channel3
2.60E+0 Channel4
Channel5
2.50E+0
Velocity [m/s]

2.40E+0

2.30E+0

2.20E+0

2.10E+0

2.00E+0

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 4. Velocity

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NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
1.00E+5 Channel2
Channel3
0.00E+0 Channel4
Channel5
Linear heat rate [W/m]

-1.00E+5
-2.00E+5

-3.00E+5
-4.00E+5
-5.00E+5
-6.00E+5
-7.00E+5

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 5. Linear heat rate

NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
8.00E+2 Channel2
Channel3
Channel4
7.50E+2
Channel5
Temperature [K]

7.00E+2

6.50E+2

6.00E+2

5.50E+2

5.00E+2

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 6. Temperature

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NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
1174.00 Channel2
Channel3
1172.00
Channel4
Saturation temperature [K]

1170.00 Channel5
1168.00
1166.00
1164.00
1162.00
1160.00
1158.00
1156.00
1154.00

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 7. Saturation temperature

NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
Channel2
8.90E+2 Channel3
Channel4
8.80E+2
Channel5
Density [kg/m3]

8.70E+2

8.60E+2

8.50E+2

8.40E+2

8.30E+2

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 8. Density

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NECTAR Code - Sample Result

Channel1
1.22E+5 Channel2
1.20E+5 Channel3
1.18E+5 Channel4
Channel5
1.16E+5
Pressure [Pa]

1.14E+5
1.12E+5
1.10E+5
1.08E+5
1.06E+5
1.04E+5
1.02E+5
1.00E+5

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5

z [m]

Figure 9. Pressure

NECTAR Code - Sample Result

2.50E+03

2.00E+03
Mass flux [Kg/m2.s]

1.50E+03

1.00E+03

5.00E+02

0.00E+00
1 2 3 4 5
Channel number

Figure 10. Mass flux

REFERENCES

1. Thermal Hydraulics of Single Phase Flow in Multi Channel Systems.

http://wp.me/p61TQ-wo

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