Numerical investigation of the convection of heat-emitting liquid reactor materials taking stratification into account

Convective heat transfer to a reactor vessel following core destruction is analyzed. Fuel fragment and structural materials are assumed to melt either mix uniformly or stratify. The Navier-Stokes equations were solved numerically with a rectangular coarse difference grid, neglecting the negligibly small contribution of the laminar boundary layer. Calculations for different levels of volume heat release showed that integral heat fluxes at the lateral and top surfaces of the melt are virtually independent of the convective flow scenario. However, the maximum heat flux on the lateral surface is approximately 1.5 times higher for the homogeneous case than for the stratified case. The higher heat flux could result in larger mechanical loads on the reactor vessel, requiring more cooling of the reactor vessel outer surface. 12 refs., 4 figs.