Verification and Validation of COMSOL Magnetohydrodynamic Models for Liquid Metal Breeding Blankets Technologies

Energies

Marco Utili¹  Ciro Alberghi²  Massimo Zucchetti²  Raffaella Testoni²  Luigi Candido² 

[1] ENEA FSN-PROIN, C.R. Brasimone—Località Brasimone, 40043 Camugnano, Italy;ESSENTIAL Group, Politecnico di Torino—Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino, Italy;

关键词: liquid metal blanket;    MHD benchmarking;    COMSOL multiphysics;    magneto-convection;    turbulent MHD;    large eddy simulations;   

DOI  :  10.3390/en14175413

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Liquid metal breeding blankets are extensively studied in nuclear fusion. In the main proposed systems, the Water Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) and the Dual Coolant Lithium Lead (DCLL), the liquid metal flows under an intense transverse magnetic field, for which a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect is produced. The result is the alteration of all the flow features and the increase in the pressure drops. Although the latter issue can be evaluated with system models, 3D MHD codes are of extreme importance both in the design phase and for safety analyses. To test the reliability of COMSOL Multiphysics for the development of MHD models, a method for verification and validation of magnetohydrodynamic codes is followed. The benchmark problems solved regard steady state, fully developed flows in rectangular ducts, non-isothermal flows, flow in a spatially varying transverse magnetic field and two different unsteady turbulent problems, quasi-two-dimensional MHD turbulent flow and 3D turbulent MHD flow entering a magnetic obstacle. The computed results show good agreement with the reference solutions for all the addressed problems, suggesting that COMSOL can be used as software to study liquid metal MHD problems under the flow regimes typical of fusion power reactors.

【 授权许可】

Unknown