Thermal-Hydraulics Characterization of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface-based Nuclear Fuel

This study aims to demonstrate the application of open-source software (OpenFOAM) for characterizing thermal-hydraulics in triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) based nuclear fuel. With a growing need for smaller-scale nuclear power generation, downsizing heat exchangers becomes essential. TPMS, with its higher surface-to-volume ratio, is evaluated as a viable nuclear fuel geometry. The various steps involved in OpenFOAM simulation, encompassing meshing, solver setup, boundary conditions, simulation execution, and postprocessing are outlined. Preliminary results using air as the coolant are compared with isothermal experimental data for validation, revealing significant deviations. Potential causes for these deviations are discussed along with areas for future research. A comparative analysis of different TPMS geometries is presented with water as a coolant, offering insights into thermal hydraulic analysis of complex geometries in OpenFOAM.