In the framework of a Coordinate Research Project (CRP) endorsed by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Department Astronautical, Electrical and Engineering (DIAEE) Sapienza University Rome has developed thermal–hydraulic model Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). FFTF was Sodium-cooled Reactor (SFR) Westinghouse Electric Corporation for U.S. Energy, which operated from 1980 to 1992. The main...

In this paper, the hydraulic and heat-transfer properties of two sets of artificially fractured granite samples are investigated. First, the morphological information is determined using 3D modelling technology. The area ratio is used to describe the roughness of the fracture surface. Second, the hydraulic properties of fractured granite are tested by exposing samples to different confining pre...

by Weihua Cai Thermal-hydraulic networks are widely used in the heating and cooling of building complexes, industrial processes, power plants, and in many other applications. A single pipe with a flow-control valve is a basic unit in a thermal-hydraulic network, and therefore transient pipe flow due to control-valve actuation is studied first. Different analytical approximations are applied to ...

In this study, natural bentonite was used as natural clay material and samples were taken from the Kalecik district in Ankara. In this research, bentonite is the subject of an analysis from standpoint of assessing the basic properties of engineered barriers with respect to the buffer material. Bentonite and sand mixtures were prepared for tests. Some of clay minerals give relatively higher hydr...

When a mass of saturated clay is heated, as in the case of host soils surrounding nuclear waste disposals at great depth, the thermal expansion of the constituents generates excess pore pressures. The mass of clay is submitted to gradients of pore pressure and temperature, to hydraulic and thermal flows, and to changes in its mechanical properties. In this work, some of these aspects were exper...

by Walfre Franco Theoretical, numerical and experimental studies of hydraulic, thermal and control aspects in fluid networks are presented. First, a one-dimensional differentialalgebraic nonlinear model, based on first principles, representing the time-dependent behavior in networks is developed. A thermal-hydraulic analysis of a small network with three common control strategies for heating an...

This paper presents how a hydraulic system can be properly modeled for hydraulic balancing, knowledge of flow distribution, coupled simulation, and evaluation of control, etc. It focuses on water-based heating and cooling systems, which generally have high energy efficiency in design but could perform poorly in reality due to the undersensing condition and strong thermal-hydraulic coupling. The...