Flow distribution in the inlet plenum of steam generator

The flow distribution in a 1/5th and 1/8th scale models of inlet plenum of steam generator (SG) has been studied by a combination of experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The distribution of liquid sodium in the inlet plenum of the SG strongly affects the thermal as well as mechanical performance of the steam generator. Various flow distribution devices have been used to make the flow distribution uniform in axial as well as tangential direction in the window region. Experiments have been conducted to measure the radial velocity distribution using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) under a variety of conditions. CFD modeling has been carried out for various configurations to give more insight into the flow distribution phenomena. The various flow distribution devices have been compared on the basis of a non-uniformity index parameter.