TY - GEN
T1 - COBRAG subchannel analysis of BWR fuel thermal hydraulic performance
AU - Hizoum, Belgacem
AU - Andersen, Jens
AU - Sakouda, Asuka
AU - Bowman, Scott
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - This paper describes the developmental testing and validation of the COBRAG. The development testing involved comparison to separate effects test with simple geometries involving only one or two of the physical phenomena. These tests provided data on pressure drop, void fraction, film flow and entrainment. Some refinements were made to the basic models (Void drift, mixing, and interfacial shear factor) in COBRAG during the development testing in order to improve the prediction of the observed trends in the data. The validation included a comprehensive set of comparisons to bundle void fraction, pressure drop and critical power data. The basic approach is that COBRAG should be able to predict void fraction, pressure drop and critical power for a range of fuel designs and thermal hydraulic conditions while using a consistent set of model assumptions and inputs. The results presented in this paper demonstrates excellent agreement with the data and that the above goal is met. The main application of COBRAG is to complement the available test data and to benchmark and provide input to simpler methods used in design. As an example on such an application, COBRAG has been used to benchmark GEH's design correlations for void fraction, which is used in nuclear design and safety analyses. The benchmarking has shown that the void correlation, which was developed from first principles using simple geometry data and multi-rod data ranging from 3x3 to 8x8 bundles, accurately predicts the void fraction for current 10x10 fuel designs.
AB - This paper describes the developmental testing and validation of the COBRAG. The development testing involved comparison to separate effects test with simple geometries involving only one or two of the physical phenomena. These tests provided data on pressure drop, void fraction, film flow and entrainment. Some refinements were made to the basic models (Void drift, mixing, and interfacial shear factor) in COBRAG during the development testing in order to improve the prediction of the observed trends in the data. The validation included a comprehensive set of comparisons to bundle void fraction, pressure drop and critical power data. The basic approach is that COBRAG should be able to predict void fraction, pressure drop and critical power for a range of fuel designs and thermal hydraulic conditions while using a consistent set of model assumptions and inputs. The results presented in this paper demonstrates excellent agreement with the data and that the above goal is met. The main application of COBRAG is to complement the available test data and to benchmark and provide input to simpler methods used in design. As an example on such an application, COBRAG has been used to benchmark GEH's design correlations for void fraction, which is used in nuclear design and safety analyses. The benchmarking has shown that the void correlation, which was developed from first principles using simple geometry data and multi-rod data ranging from 3x3 to 8x8 bundles, accurately predicts the void fraction for current 10x10 fuel designs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960860644&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:79960860644
SN - 9781617828485
T3 - LWR Fuel Performance Meeting/Top Fuel/WRFPM 2010
SP - 668
EP - 680
BT - LWR Fuel Performance Meeting/Top Fuel/WRFPM 2010
T2 - LWR Fuel Performance Meeting/Top Fuel/WRFPM 2010
Y2 - 26 September 2010 through 29 September 2010
ER -