Recent progress of CFD applications in PWR thermal hydraulics study and future directions

CFD method has the potential to simulate the detailed three-dimensional flow and heat transfer features in nuclear reactors, and is promising to play a more important role in the future reactor design and thermal hydraulics analysis. In recent years, series of research achievements in nuclear engineering based on the CFD method, including the single-phase application, two-phase model development and multi-scale and multi-physics coupling, are accomplished around the world. XJTU-NuTheL has also been committed to the development and application of high fidelity thermal–hydraulic models using CFD method. The three-dimensional CFD models of key equipments in nuclear power plants, such as RPV, SG, valves, T-junctions and passive residual heat exchanger, are developed. The mathematical models of complicate two-phase boiling phenomena and thermal hydraulic features under the motion conditions are established. In addition, with the high fidelity simulation requirement of the whole reactor system, the nuclear reactor multi-scale and multi-physics coupling platforms are developed on the basis of CFD codes. In this paper, the latest progress of nuclear reactor thermal–hydraulic research using CFD method is outlined, especially at XJTU-NuTheL. The major challenges and promising directions of CFD method in the nuclear reactor engineering are proposed, which would be beneficial for the promotion of its further applications.