Numerical study of tube bundle rotational direction effect on flow and heat transfer in helical coil once-through steam generator

Helical coil once-through steam generator (HCOTSG) is widely applied in the nuclear reactor owing to its compact structure and strong heat transfer capability. In this work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is employed to simulate the flow and heat transfer performance of the HCOTSG using the coolant lead bismuth eutectic (LBE). The model is verified by comparison with the relevant experimental data. The instantaneous evolution of the parameters on the shell and tube sides of the spiral tube bundle is analyzed. The distribution difference on the shell and tube sides of the spiral tube bundles with the same rotational direction and alternate rotational direction is analyzed. The results show that the presence of the vortices causes a smaller flow resistance under the alternate rotational direction.