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

Title: ACHILLES: Heat Transfer in PWR Core During LOCA Reflood Phase

Software ·
OSTI ID:1231832

1. NAME AND TITLE OF DATA LIBRARY ACHILLES -Heat Transfer in PWR Core During LOCA Reflood Phase. 2. NAME AND TITLE OF DATA RETRIEVAL PROGRAMS N/A 3. CONTRIBUTOR AEA Technology, Winfrith Technology Centre, Dorchester DT2 8DH United Kingdom through the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Data Bank, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. 4. DESCRIPTION OF TEST FACILITY The most important features of the Achilles rig were the shroud vessel, which contained the test section, and the downcomer. These may be thought of as representing the core barrel and the annular downcomer in the reactor pressure vessel. The test section comprises a cluster of 69 rods in a square array within a circular shroud vessel. The rod diameter and pitch (9.5 mm and 12.6 mm) were typical of PWR dimensions. The internal diameter of the shroud vessel was 128 mm. Each rod was electrically heated over a length of 3.66 m, which is typical of the nuclear heated length in a PWR fuel rod, and each contained 6 internal thermocouples. These were arranged in one of 8 groupings which concentrated the thermocouples in different axial zones. The spacer grids were at prototypic PWR locations. Each grid had two thermocouples attached to its trailing edge at radial locations. The axial power profile along the rods was an 11 step approximation to a "chopped cosine". The shroud vessel had 5 heating zones whose power could be independently controlled. 5. DESCRIPTION OF TESTS The Achilles experiments investigated the heat transfer in the core of a Pressurized Water Reactor during the re-flood phase of a postulated large break loss of coolant accident. The results provided data to validate codes and to improve modeling. Different types of experiments were carried out which included single phase cooling, re-flood under low flow conditions, level swell and re-flood under high flow conditions. Three series of experiments were performed. The first and the third used the same test section but the second used another test section, similar in all respects except that it contained a partial blockage formed by attaching sleeves (or "balloons") to some of the rods. 6. SOURCE AND SCOPE OF DATA Phenomena Tested - Heat transfer in the core of a PWR during a re-flood phase of postulated large break LOCA. Test Designation - Achilles Rig. The programme includes the following types of experiments: - on an unballooned cluster: -- single phase air flow -- low pressure level swell -- low flooding rate re-flood -- high flooding rate re-flood - on a ballooned cluster containing 80% blockage formed by 16 balloon sleeves -- single phase air flow -- low flooding rate re-flood 7. DISCUSSION OF THE DATA RETRIEVAL PROGRAM N/A 8. DATA FORMAT AND COMPUTER Many Computers (M00019MNYCP00). 9. TYPICAL RUNNING TIME N/A 11. CONTENTS OF LIBRARY The ACHILLES package contains test data and associated data processing software as well as the documentation listed above. 12. DATE OF ABSTRACT November 2013. KEYWORDS: DATABASES, BENCHMARKS, HEAT TRANSFER, LOSS-OF-COLLANT ACCIDENT, PWR REACTORS, REFLOODING

Short Name / Acronym:
ACHILLES; 003086MLTPL00
Site Accession Number:
M00019
Version:
00
Programming Language(s):
Medium: X; OS: N/A; Compatibility: Multiplatform
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Contributing Organization:
RSICC, ORNL, AEA Technology, Winfrith Technology Centre, Dorchester DT2 8DH United Kingdom through the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Data Bank, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1231832
Country of Origin:
United States

Similar Records

Thermal-hydraulic effects of clad swelling and rupture during reflood
Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) · OSTI ID:1231832

Analysis of in-pile heat transfer tests: Final report
Technical Report · Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1986 · OSTI ID:1231832

Quarterly technical progress report on water reactor safety programs sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Division of Reactor Safety Research, October--December 1977
Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1978 · OSTI ID:1231832

Related Subjects