Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of the Opening of the Target Rock Vacuum Relief Valve

This paper discusses a study that was performed to optimize the design of the Target Rock vacuum relief valve for nuclear power plant applications. The valve design optimization was performed using the CFD-ACE+ software package. A key portion of the study was a fully coupled transient simulation of the valve opening that was performed using CFD-ACE+ and MDICE. The moving body simulation was set up to mimic field conditions during the opening of the valve. It was performed to ensure that the valve would perform its required function.