To achieve the objectives described above, SESAME project is structured in 7 work packages:
WP1: Fluctuations and Vibrations contributes to the main objectives of the project regarding the development and validation of numerical approaches for the safety and the design of next generation liquid metal cooled reactors. The work is performed along two streamlines: i) fluctuations and ii) vibrations. For the fluctuations part, 5 high fidelity reference databases have been generated for mixed and forced convection flow regimes. In the vibrations part, the experiment has been completed and the obtained data is available to validate the numerical methods. Accordingly, the involved partners used this database to perform the validation study.
WP2: This WP contributes to the development and validation of numerical approaches for the safety and the design of next generation liquid metal cooled reactors. Three experiments were considered for the generation of reference experimental data related to wire wrapped fuel assemblies, grid spacer fuel assemblies and another to study the inter wrapper flow. Numerical approaches were further developed based on numerical and experimental databases. Reference DNS, LES and high fidelity CFD data was generated for V&V methodologies, and uncertainty quantification methods for liquid metal fast reactor. CFD, sub-channel and multiscale numerical approached models have been developed for complete core simulation.
WP3 : The pool mixing experimental activity was already successfully completed. The experiments simulating loss of flow accident on the ENEA CIRCE facility were heavily instrumented making available a unique set of data for post-test analysis and code validation. The KTH TALL-3D facility was operated for an experimental campaign on transient phenomena of pool mixing and stratification. With regard to the experimental solidification activity Sesame-Stand facility has been designed by CVR to be operated with pure Lead. Several experimental campaigns have been performed. UDV sensors have been developed by HZDR and specially calibrated for solidification front capture. Tests have been performed in a simple LBE pool. Complete 3D CFD models of the CIRCE facility have been built, the post-test calibration has brought the numerical model results much closer to the experimental ones. The knowledge gained during the first three years of the project has been extrapolated to be used for the CFD modeling and simulation of the ALFRED reactor
WP4: This is an experimental WP whose main objectives were: to provide reference data for a reactor-scale safety transient in a pool-type SFR exhibiting strong 3D effects, to experimentally investigate flow behaviour in all flow regimes and specifically the transition from forced to natural circulation regime as consequence of a protected loss of flow accident in a different scales of HLM pools, to provide experimental data for the validation and benchmarking of numerical codes (i.e. system, coarse mesh CFD and CFD, coupled codes) on heavy liquid metal pools and loops. Four separate tasks are devoted to different sets of experimental data: Phenix Dyssimetric test in sodium pool, CIRCE-HERO Experiment, TALL-3D Experiment and NACIE-UP Experiment. The experimental data sets produced were provided to WP5 for code validation.
WP5 : It aims at validating integral models of liquid-metal reactors using the experimental data provided by WP4. The planned activities include both system-scale models and coupled models, where a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculation interacts with the STH model in order to provide a finer description of part of the experiment.
WP6: Best Practise Guidelines for CFD simulations of liquid metal flows has been prepared. Notes on the subject of Verification and Validation, Uncertainty quantification have also been published. A textbook on Liquid Metal Thermal Hydraulics for Nuclear Reactors which was edited and printed in December 2018 (Elsevier). The textbook is a major output of this project, which will remain for many years. The final SESAME International Workshop was held in Petten in March 2019. Keynote Lectures have been given by invited scientists, together with presentation by the different SESAME partners and external people.
WP7 : In the final phase of the project work was dedicated to maintaining the management tools that were developed to address the objectives of the project.
