Experimentally Benchmarked Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of a 7×7 Array of Heated Rods Within a Square-Cross-Section Enclosure Filled With Rarefied Helium

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of a 7×7 array of heated rods within a square-cross-section enclosure filled with rarefied helium are performed for heat generation rates of 50 W and 100 W and various helium pressures ranging from 10⁵ to 50 Pa. The model represents a section of nuclear fuel assembly between two consecutive spacer plates inside a nuclear canister subjected to during vacuum drying process. A temperature jump model is applied at the solid-gas interface to incorporate the effects of gas rarefaction at low pressures. The temperature predictions from simulations are compared to measured temperatures. The results showed that when helium pressure decreased from 10⁵ to 50 Pa, the maximum temperature of the heater rod array increased by about 14 °C. The temperatures of the hottest rod predicted by simulations are within 4°C of the measured values for all pressures. The random difference of simulated rod temperatures from the measured rod temperatures are 3.33 °C and 2.62 °C for 100 W and 50 W heat generation rate.