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Title: Assessment of RETRAN-3D Boiling Models Against Experimental Subcooled Boiling Tube Data

Abstract

Subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling are important physical processes in boiling water reactors (BWRs) under operating and transient conditions and in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) under transient conditions. Good predictions of such processes by system codes such as RETRAN-3D are, therefore, important from a safety and operational point of view.For this reason, and continuing the validation efforts carried out in the STARS Project at Paul Scherrer Institute, data from experiments in a uniformly heated tube carried out by Bartolomey et al. have been used to assess the subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling models in RETRAN-3D. These experiments were performed at high ({approx}15-MPa) and medium ({approx}7-, 4-, and 3-MPa) pressures. The heat flux (2210 to 420 kW/m{sup 2}) and mass flux (2123 to 405 kg/s m{sup 2}) were selected to cover a range of values spanning operating and transient situations in both BWRs and PWRs.This paper reports on the results obtained with both the four- and five-equation RETRAN-3D flow models. The results show that both models used in RETRAN-3D provide good estimates of subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling in heated tubes. The four-equation model, which makes use of the Electric Power Research Institute void fraction profile fitting model for the reactivitymore » feedback only, shows the best performance for high mass fluxes, whereas the five-equation model, which directly computes the vaporization rate, performs better at low mass fluxes and relatively high heat fluxes.In addition to the results from RETRAN-3D, results obtained with the system code RELAP-5 are included in the plots and used to support the conclusions and to perform a comparative analysis of the methods used by the codes.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
20826842
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nuclear Technology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 142; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2006 American Nuclear Society (ANS), United States, All rights reserved. http://epubs.ans.org/; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BWR TYPE REACTORS; EQUATIONS; FLOW MODELS; HEAT FLUX; MASS; NUCLEATE BOILING; PERFORMANCE; PWR TYPE REACTORS; REACTIVITY COEFFICIENTS; SAFETY; SUBCOOLED BOILING; TRANSIENTS; TUBES; VALIDATION; VOID FRACTION

Citation Formats

Macian, Rafael, Coddington, Paul, and Stangroom, Paul. Assessment of RETRAN-3D Boiling Models Against Experimental Subcooled Boiling Tube Data. United States: N. p., 2003. Web.
Macian, Rafael, Coddington, Paul, & Stangroom, Paul. Assessment of RETRAN-3D Boiling Models Against Experimental Subcooled Boiling Tube Data. United States.
Macian, Rafael, Coddington, Paul, and Stangroom, Paul. 2003. "Assessment of RETRAN-3D Boiling Models Against Experimental Subcooled Boiling Tube Data". United States.
@article{osti_20826842,
title = {Assessment of RETRAN-3D Boiling Models Against Experimental Subcooled Boiling Tube Data},
author = {Macian, Rafael and Coddington, Paul and Stangroom, Paul},
abstractNote = {Subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling are important physical processes in boiling water reactors (BWRs) under operating and transient conditions and in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) under transient conditions. Good predictions of such processes by system codes such as RETRAN-3D are, therefore, important from a safety and operational point of view.For this reason, and continuing the validation efforts carried out in the STARS Project at Paul Scherrer Institute, data from experiments in a uniformly heated tube carried out by Bartolomey et al. have been used to assess the subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling models in RETRAN-3D. These experiments were performed at high ({approx}15-MPa) and medium ({approx}7-, 4-, and 3-MPa) pressures. The heat flux (2210 to 420 kW/m{sup 2}) and mass flux (2123 to 405 kg/s m{sup 2}) were selected to cover a range of values spanning operating and transient situations in both BWRs and PWRs.This paper reports on the results obtained with both the four- and five-equation RETRAN-3D flow models. The results show that both models used in RETRAN-3D provide good estimates of subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling in heated tubes. The four-equation model, which makes use of the Electric Power Research Institute void fraction profile fitting model for the reactivity feedback only, shows the best performance for high mass fluxes, whereas the five-equation model, which directly computes the vaporization rate, performs better at low mass fluxes and relatively high heat fluxes.In addition to the results from RETRAN-3D, results obtained with the system code RELAP-5 are included in the plots and used to support the conclusions and to perform a comparative analysis of the methods used by the codes.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20826842}, journal = {Nuclear Technology},
issn = {0029-5450},
number = 1,
volume = 142,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2003},
month = {Tue Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2003}
}