Abstract
The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), located
at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is scheduled
to undergo a conversion of the fuel used and this proposed
change requires an extensive analysis of the flow
through the reactor core. The core consists of 540 very
thin and long fuel plates through which the coolant (water)
flows at a very high rate. Therefore, the design and
the flow conditions make the plates prone to dynamic and
static deflections, which may result in flow blockage and
structural failure which in turn may cause core damage.
To investigate the coolant flow between fuel plates and associated
structural deflections, the Fluid-Structure Interaction
(FSI) module in COMSOL will be used. Flow induced
flutter and static deflections will be examined. To
verify the FSI module, a test case of a cylinder in crossflow,
with vortex induced vibrations was performed and
validated.
