Verification and validation of the Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel (ANTS) code

Robert Salko; Belgacem Hizoum; David Kropaczek; Mehdi Asgari

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930

Verification and validation of the Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel (ANTS) code

Robert Salko, Belgacem Hizoum, David Kropaczek, Mehdi Asgari

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel solver (ANTS) code was written to provide a fast-running, steady-state, pin-resolved modeling and simulation tool for analysis of common boiling water reactor (BWR) geometry and common operating conditions. ANTS has been integrated into the Virtual Environment for Reactor Application (VERA) core simulator software, where it can be used to provide a thermal/hydraulic (T/H) subchannel solution that is then used to provide neutronic feedback as well as perform the fuel depletion and temperature solution. This paper presents the rigorous analysis performed on the ANTS code, which includes both code and solution verification testing, benchmarking with the existing two-phase subchannel capability in VERA, CTF, and validation testing using popular two-phase experiments such as PWR Sub-channel and Bundle Tests (PSBT), BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT), Risø, and FRIGG. This assessment was used to qualify ANTS for its intended applications before its use for core-scale, multiphysics BWR simulations. In general, it was found that agreement with experimental data was good; errors were within the range of experimental data uncertainty. Furthermore, code and solution verification confirmed that the governing equations and the most important closure terms were correctly implemented and behaving as expected.

Original language	English
Article number	111930
Journal	Nuclear Engineering and Design
Volume	397
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930
State	Published - Oct 2022

Funding

This research was supported by the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program for Modeling and Simulation of Nuclear Reactors under US Department of Energy (DOE) contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725 . This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).

Keywords

LWR
Subchannel

Access to Document

10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930

Cite this

@article{e0f8c40429f04f7eb566d0d6f13b4519,

title = "Verification and validation of the Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel (ANTS) code",

abstract = "The Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel solver (ANTS) code was written to provide a fast-running, steady-state, pin-resolved modeling and simulation tool for analysis of common boiling water reactor (BWR) geometry and common operating conditions. ANTS has been integrated into the Virtual Environment for Reactor Application (VERA) core simulator software, where it can be used to provide a thermal/hydraulic (T/H) subchannel solution that is then used to provide neutronic feedback as well as perform the fuel depletion and temperature solution. This paper presents the rigorous analysis performed on the ANTS code, which includes both code and solution verification testing, benchmarking with the existing two-phase subchannel capability in VERA, CTF, and validation testing using popular two-phase experiments such as PWR Sub-channel and Bundle Tests (PSBT), BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT), Ris{\o}, and FRIGG. This assessment was used to qualify ANTS for its intended applications before its use for core-scale, multiphysics BWR simulations. In general, it was found that agreement with experimental data was good; errors were within the range of experimental data uncertainty. Furthermore, code and solution verification confirmed that the governing equations and the most important closure terms were correctly implemented and behaving as expected.",

keywords = "LWR, Subchannel",

author = "Robert Salko and Belgacem Hizoum and David Kropaczek and Mehdi Asgari",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",

year = "2022",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930",

language = "English",

volume = "397",

journal = "Nuclear Engineering and Design",

issn = "0029-5493",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Verification and validation of the Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel (ANTS) code

AU - Salko, Robert

AU - Hizoum, Belgacem

AU - Kropaczek, David

AU - Asgari, Mehdi

PY - 2022/10

Y1 - 2022/10

N2 - The Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel solver (ANTS) code was written to provide a fast-running, steady-state, pin-resolved modeling and simulation tool for analysis of common boiling water reactor (BWR) geometry and common operating conditions. ANTS has been integrated into the Virtual Environment for Reactor Application (VERA) core simulator software, where it can be used to provide a thermal/hydraulic (T/H) subchannel solution that is then used to provide neutronic feedback as well as perform the fuel depletion and temperature solution. This paper presents the rigorous analysis performed on the ANTS code, which includes both code and solution verification testing, benchmarking with the existing two-phase subchannel capability in VERA, CTF, and validation testing using popular two-phase experiments such as PWR Sub-channel and Bundle Tests (PSBT), BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT), Risø, and FRIGG. This assessment was used to qualify ANTS for its intended applications before its use for core-scale, multiphysics BWR simulations. In general, it was found that agreement with experimental data was good; errors were within the range of experimental data uncertainty. Furthermore, code and solution verification confirmed that the governing equations and the most important closure terms were correctly implemented and behaving as expected.

AB - The Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel solver (ANTS) code was written to provide a fast-running, steady-state, pin-resolved modeling and simulation tool for analysis of common boiling water reactor (BWR) geometry and common operating conditions. ANTS has been integrated into the Virtual Environment for Reactor Application (VERA) core simulator software, where it can be used to provide a thermal/hydraulic (T/H) subchannel solution that is then used to provide neutronic feedback as well as perform the fuel depletion and temperature solution. This paper presents the rigorous analysis performed on the ANTS code, which includes both code and solution verification testing, benchmarking with the existing two-phase subchannel capability in VERA, CTF, and validation testing using popular two-phase experiments such as PWR Sub-channel and Bundle Tests (PSBT), BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT), Risø, and FRIGG. This assessment was used to qualify ANTS for its intended applications before its use for core-scale, multiphysics BWR simulations. In general, it was found that agreement with experimental data was good; errors were within the range of experimental data uncertainty. Furthermore, code and solution verification confirmed that the governing equations and the most important closure terms were correctly implemented and behaving as expected.

KW - LWR

KW - Subchannel

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137159182&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930

DO - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2022.111930

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85137159182

SN - 0029-5493

VL - 397

JO - Nuclear Engineering and Design

JF - Nuclear Engineering and Design

M1 - 111930

ER -

Verification and validation of the Alternative Nonlinear Two-phase Subchannel (ANTS) code

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this