Special Issues

Phase-Change Heat Transfer and Thermal-Hydraulics for Advanced Nuclear Systems

Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026 (closed) View: 799 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editor(s)

Dr. Mu Du

Email: dumu@sdu.edu.cn

Affiliation: Institute for Advanced Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: micro-nano scale heat transfer, phase-change heat transfer; advanced nuclear power systems

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Dr. Ersheng You

Email: youersheng@126.com

Affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Nuclear Reactor Technology, Nuclear Power Institute of China, Chengdu, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: experimental heat transfer, interfacial contact heat conduction and enhanced heat transfer technologies, CFD simulations, alkali-metal heat pipes research and development

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Dr. Ducheng Sun

Email: sundc@sdu.edu.cn

Affiliation: School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: thermal-hydraulic and safety analysis of nuclear reactors, research on advanced energy conversion systems, mechanism and experimental studies of two-phase flow

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Dr. Xuankai Zhang

Email: 4118003156@sdu.edu.cn

Affiliation: Institute for Advanced Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: enhanced heat and mass transfer, steel metallurgy, arc plasma, battery thermal management and thermal runaway

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Summary

In the global drive toward a decarbonized energy future, Advanced Nuclear Systems, encompassing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), Micro-Reactors (MRs), Generation-IV reactors, and space nuclear power and propulsion systems, stand as a foundational technology. These next-generation platforms offer substantial improvements in safety, economic viability, and operational flexibility. Yet their defining attributes, including higher power densities, compact core designs, and dependence on passive safety mechanisms, introduce unprecedented thermal-hydraulic hurdles that must be addressed to unlock their full potential.

This Special Issue aims to bridge the longstanding gap between fundamental phase-change physics and applied nuclear engineering practice. We seek high-impact submissions that tackle core thermal management and safety challenges across the full spectrum of advanced nuclear systems, spanning terrestrial SMRs to aerospace nuclear power and propulsion. In these domains, demands for reliability, autonomous operation, and performance under extreme or unique environments (e.g., microgravity, transient conditions) are non-negotiable.

We invite high-quality, original research articles and comprehensive review papers focused on theoretical breakthroughs, experimental innovations, and numerical method developments in the field.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advanced Phase-Change Heat Transfer Technology.
- Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion.
- Passive Safety System.
- Heat Pipe Technology.
- Boiling and Two-Phase Flow Fundamentals.
- Reactor-Scale Thermal-Hydraulics.
- Advanced Modeling and Simulation.
- Data-Driven & AI Applications for nuclear systems.


Keywords

phase-change heat transfer; nuclear thermal-hydraulics; heat pipes; advanced nuclear systems; modeling and simulation

Published Papers


  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Porous Media with Explicit Structure: A Multi-Physical Field Coupling Study

    Kai Luo, Yifei Xie, Kun Chen, Haibing Chen, Wei Tang, Shaohua Bi, Jirong Zhang, Weifeng He
    Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, DOI:10.32604/fhmt.2026.084890
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Phase-Change Heat Transfer and Thermal-Hydraulics for Advanced Nuclear Systems)
    Abstract The internal structure of porous media is strongly correlated with flow and thermal transport characteristics, which further influences the overall heat transfer performance of the entire system. Based on explicit structural representation, a three-dimensional numerical method for coupled flow and heat transfer in multi-layered porous sheet arrays is established, utilizing momentum source terms for porous media and a local thermal equilibrium heat transfer model. The impacts from porosity, inlet velocity, and heating power on the flow and heat transfer characteristics within the segment are systematically investigated, with the porosity range determined based on microstructural observations,… More >

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