Experimental and numerical analysis of a new windowless target design of ADS

•A new windowless target design based on swirling flow is proposed.•VOF model with BSL RSM turbulent model can predict the free surface flow.•Experiment and CFD study preliminarily validate the feasibility of the target design. The formation and control method of the coolant free surface is one of the key technologies for the design of windowless targets in the Accelerator Driven Systems (ADSs). In this work, a new design of windowless target for ADS based on upward swirling flow is proposed to form a stable free surface without recirculation zones. Experimental and numerical investigations on the free surface flow have been performed in a prototypical windowless target using water as working fluid. The experimental results show that a stable free surface is achieved when the mass flow rate is higher than 4.0m3/h and the shape of free surface profile greatly depends on the inlet flow rate. CFD simulations have been carried out using VOF method with different turbulent models. The numerical results show that the prediction of BSL Reynolds stress model agrees qualitatively well with the experimental results. The free surface profile of Lead–Bismuth-Eutectic (LBE) in the windowless target is very similar to that of water according to the simulation results. The feasibility of the new windowless target for ADS based on upward swirling flow is preliminary validated.