Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Heating Up Processes of Fluids in Large Pools

Heating up experiments at the secondary pools side of the NOKO test facility were performed, to investigate mixed convection phenomena. The NOKO test facility was designed to investigate the heat transfer capability of an emergency condenser and was operated in the Research Centre Jülich.
In the Forschungszentrum Rossendorf the heating up tests were analyzed by CFD-simulations using the AEA-Technology code CFX-4. Applying the Boussinesq approximation the simulation of the heating up process is possible, at least qualitatively. Using the laminar approach, temperature oscillations caused by plumes could be simulated.
A further test series performed at Forschungszentrum Rossendorf deals with the investigation of transient boiling. Heating up a 10 l water tank from the side walls, the temperatures and the void fractions at different locations in the tank were measured. CFX-4 simulations using the implemented boiling model reproduce and explain the observed phenomena. Convergence problems occurred with higher vapor volume fractions.