skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Analysis of PANDA Passive Containment Cooling Steady-State Tests with the Spectra Code

Journal Article · · Nuclear Technology
OSTI ID:20822181

Results of post test simulation of the PANDA passive containment cooling (PCC) steady-state tests (S-series tests), performed at the PANDA facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, are presented. The simulation has been performed using the computer code SPECTRA, a thermal-hydraulic code, designed specifically for analyzing containment behavior of nuclear power plants.Results of the present calculations are compared to the measurement data as well as the results obtained earlier with the codes MELCOR, TRAC-BF1, and TRACG. The calculated PCC efficiencies are somewhat lower than the measured values. Similar underestimation of PCC efficiencies had been obtained in the past, with the other computer codes. To explain this difference, it is postulated that condensate coming into the tubes forms a stream of liquid in one or two tubes, leaving most of the tubes unaffected. The condensate entering the water box is assumed to fall down in the form of droplets. With these assumptions, the results calculated with SPECTRA are close to the experimental data.It is concluded that the SPECTRA code is a suitable tool for analyzing containments of advanced reactors, equipped with passive containment cooling systems.

OSTI ID:
20822181
Journal Information:
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 131, 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); ISSN 0029-5450
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English