Development of a general circumferentially nonuniform heat transfer fuel rod model for subchannel analysis and application to helical fuel rods

The subchannel analysis method is one of the most crucial transient safety analysis methods in the thermal design of nuclear reactors. The nonuniformity of circumferential heat transfer is slight in conventional pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores, but it is significant in advanced reactors with wire-wrapped or helical fuel rods. Predicting circumferentially nonuniform heat transfer behavior can be challenging owing to the complex geometry of helical fuel rods. In this study, a general circumferentially nonuniform heat transfer fuel rod (GCNF) model is developed to predict the fuel central temperature and circumferential heat flux and wall temperature. This model incorporates a refined two-dimensional fuel conduction model and circumferential nonuniform shape factor, addressing the dual factors contributing to the circumferential nonuniformity of helical fuel rods. An empirical correlation for the nonuniform shape factor is developed based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results, and it is implemented to the subchannel code. The newly developed model is applied to a helical fuel annulus and validated by comparing the prediction results with CFD data. The maximum wall temperature predicted by the code is 1.15°C lower than the value calculated through CFD. In terms of the heat flux, the maximum value at the inner corner is 22 kW lower than that obtained from the CFD prediction. The accurate prediction of circumferentially nonuniform heat transfer in helical fuel, concerning the surface heat flux and cladding temperature, addresses existing shortcomings in helical fuel subchannel analysis methods. Additionally, the capability to predict the fuel central temperature is essential for the safety analysis to determine whether fuel rods are melting. The generality of the model framework allows it to be used for the prediction of circumferential nonuniform heat transfer behavior in other types of fuel assemblies.