A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for predicting the moderator circulation inside the Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactor vessel has been developed to estimate the local subcooling of the moderator in the vicinity of the Calandria tubes. The buoyancy effect induced by internal heating is accounted for by Boussinesq approximation. The standard k-[curly epsilon] turbulence model associated with logarithmic wall treatment is applied to predict the turbulent jet flows from the inlet nozzles. The matrix of the Calandria tubes in the core region is simplified to porous media, in which anisotropic hydraulic impedance is modeled using an empirical correlation of the frictional pressure loss. The governing equations are solved by CFX-4.4, a commercial CFD code developed by AEA Technology. The CFD model has been successfully verified and validated against experimental data obtained at Stern Laboratories Inc. in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.