• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.126-139
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• 1994

Best-estimate thermal-hydraulic codes, CATHARE2 V1.2 and RELAP5/MOD3, hate been assessed against the BETHSY 6.2 tc six-inch cold leg break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) test. Main objective is to analyze the overall capabilities of the two codes on physical phenomena of concern during the small break LOCA i.e. two-phase critical flow, depressurization, core water level de-pression, loop seal clearing, liquid holdup, etc. The calculation results show that the too codes predict well both in the occurrences and trends of major two-phase flow phenomena observed. Especially, the CATHARE2 calculations show better agreements with the experimental data. However, the two codes, in common, show some deviations in the predictions of loop seal clearing, collapsed core water level after the loop seal clearing, and accumulator injection behaviors. The discrepancies found from the comprision with the experimental data are larger in the RELAP5 results than in the CATHARE2. To analyze the deviations of the two code predictions in detail, several sensitivity calculations have been performed. In addition to the change of two-phase discharge coefficients for the break junction, fine nodalization and some corrections of the interphase drag term are made. For CATHARE2, the change of interphase drag force improves the mass distribution in the primary side. And the prediction of SG pressure is improved by the modification of boundary conditions. For RELAP5, any single input change doesn't improve the whole result and it is found that the interphase drag model has still large uncertainties.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.274-284
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• 1992

A 1/15-scale CREARE experiment, which simulates the thermal-hydraulic behavior in the reactor pressure vessel of a PWR during a hypothetical Loss Of Coolant Accident, has been analyzed using CATHARE code for the associated model assessment to represent the phenomenon. The key parameters examined in the CREARE experiment were known as ECC water injection rate. ECC water subcooling, system pressure, and steam flow rate coming out from the core bottom. The present CATHARE simulation, however, has been mainly focused on qualitative analysis of a countercurrent flow in the downcomer. The discrepancy of the simulation results with the experimental data is considered arising primarily from an inadequate numerical representation as well as an interfacial friction model. Accordingly it is suggested from the sensitivity studies that either multidimensional approach or further examination of momentum equations at a junction near a volume element in CATHARE be necessary in order to represent the phenomenon more realistically.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.48-54
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• 1996

가압경수로의 부분충수 운전중 RHR 계통의 기능상실시 사고완화를 위해 가압기 manway와 증기 발생기 출구공동 manway를 동시에 개방한 경우에 대한 실험결과를 CATHAHR2 코드를 이용하여 해석하였다. 해석을 통해 이 경우에 발생하는 물리적 현상을 이해하고 이와 같은 과도기에 대해 코드 예측능력을 평가하므로 써, 실제 원전에서 사고시 적절한 사고대응 방안을 강구하는데 참고가 될 수 있도록 해석적 근거를 제시하고자 한다. 연구결과 CATHARE2 코드는 실험을 통해 관측된 주요 물리적 현상들을 타당하게 예측하였으나, 가압기와 밀림관의 DP를 과대 예측하여 원자로 상부공동의 최대압력을 실험보다 약 7kPa 높게 예측하였다. 노심 노출시간도 노심에서 기포율 분포를 비현실적으로 예측하여 실험보다 약 500초 지연되었다. 실험과 코드의 모의결과를 통하여 노심 노출은 중력주입에 의한 냉각수 보충만으로 충분히 회복될 수 있음을 확인하였다. CATHARE2 코드는 비록 상세한 현상들에 대해 다소 불확실성을 내포하였으나, 전반적인 거동분석에는 타당한 것으로 판단된다. CATHARE 코드는 노심에서 계면 마찰력을 줄임으로써 노심의 차압을 개선할 수 있었고, guide 튜브의 위치를 고온관 중심선과 일치시켜 guide 튜브내 액체의 hold-up 기간을 개선할 수 있었으며, 가압기의 계면 마찰력을 증가시켜서 밀림관에서 "plug and clearing" 현상을 모의할 수 있었다.모의할 수 있었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 1996

The present study is to analyze an integral test, BETHSY test 6.9c, which represent loss of RURS accident under mid-loop operation. Both the pressurizer manway and the steam generator outlet plenum manway are opened as vent paths in order to prevent the system from pressurization by removing the steam generated in the core. The main purposes are to gain insights into the physical phenomena and identify sensitive parameters. Assessment of capability of CATHARE2 prediction can be established the effective recovery procedures using the code in an actual plant. Most of important physical phenomena in the experiment could be predicted by the CATHARE2 code. The peak pressure in the upper plenum is predicted higher than experimental value by 7 kPa since the differential pressure between the pressurizer and the surge line is overestimated. The timing of core uncovery is delayed by 500 seconds mainly due to discrepancy in the core void distribution. It is demonstrated that openings of the pressurizer manwey and the steam generator manway can prevent the core uncovery using only gravity feed injection. Although some disagreements are found in the detailed phenomena, the code prediction is considered reasonable for the overall system behaviors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.866-872
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• 2024

Design Extension Conditions (DEC)-A assessments of the operating nuclear power plants are generally considered for the purpose of getting additional safety demonstrations of their capability to undergo conditions that are generally more severe than DBAs by features implemented in the design and accident management measures. The pursued methodology is generally based upon Best Estimate approaches aiming at verifying that the safety limits in terms of integrity of the barriers against eventual large or early releases of radioactive material are fulfilled. These aspects are nowadays being experimentally and analytically addressed within the OECD/NEA experimental projects like the ATLAS and PKL series where a set of DEC-A experiments are considered. In this paper, experiments related to SBLOCA at the vessel upper head of the pressurized vessel of ATLAS and PKL are analytically assessed using the CATHARE code. These experiments includes issues related to common cause failure of the safety injection system and operator actions for preventing core excessive overheating. It is shown that, on the one hand, the safety features embedded in the design together with the operator actions are capable to prevent the progression towards a severe accident state and on the other hand, the code prediction capabilities for such scenario are generally good but still to be enhanced.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1555-1562
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• 2023

Natural circulation phenomena have been nowadays largely revisited aiming to investigate the performances of passive safety systems in carrying-out heat removal under accidental conditions. For this purpose, assessment studies using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and also 3D thermal-hydraulic system codes are considered at different levels of the design and safety demonstration issues. However, these tools have not being extensively validated for specific natural circulation flow regimes involving flow mixing, temperature stratification, flow recirculation and instabilities. In the present study, an experimental test case based on a small-scale pool test rig experiment performed by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, is considered for code-to-code and code-to-experimental data comparison. The test simulation is carried out using the FLUENT and the 3D thermal-hydraulic system CATHARE-2 codes. The objective is to evaluate and compare their prediction capabilities with respect to the test conditions of the experiment. It was observed that, notwithstanding their numerical and modelling differences, similar agreement results are obtained. Nevertheless, additional investigations efforts are still needed for a better representation of the considered phenomena.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1446-1453
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• 2021

In the past, several experimental investigations aiming at characterizing the natural circulation (NC) behavior in test facilities were carried out. They showed a variety of flow patterns characterized by an inverted U-shape of the NC flow curve versus primary mass inventory. On the other hand, attempts to reproduce such curves using thermal-hydraulic system codes, showed 10-30% differences between the measured and calculated NC mass flow rate. Actually, the used computer codes are generally based upon nodalization using single U-tube representation. Such model may not allow getting accurate simulation of most of the NC phenomena occurring during such tests (like flow redistribution and flow reversal in some SG U-tubes). Simulations based on multi-U-tubes model, showed better agreement with the overall behavior, but remain unable to predict NC phenomena taking place in the steam generator (SG) during the experiment. In the current study, the CATHARE code is considered in order to assess a NC characterization test performed in the four loops PKL facility. For this purpose, four different SG nodalizations including, single and multi-U-tubes, 1D and 3D SG inlet/outlet zones are considered. In general, it is shown that the 1D and 3D models exhibit similar prediction results up to a certain point of the rising part of the inverted U-shape of the NC flow curve. After that, the results bifurcate with, on the one hand, a tendency of the 1D models to over-predict the measured NC mass flow rate and on the other hand, a tendency of the 3D models to under-predict the NC flow rate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.334-339
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• 1996

Midloop 운전중 RHR 기능 상실사고를 모의 실험한 Bethsy 6.9d에 대해 CATHARE2 코드를 이용하여 해석하였다. 이 실험의 초기조건은 계통수위를 고온관 중간까지 낮추고, 그 윗부분은 비응축 가스로 차 있는 midloop 상태를 유지하는 것이다. 잔열은 원자로 정지 2일 후를 가정한 노심출력을 사용하였으며, 계통내 방출유로는 상부의 Upper head vent와 가압기 vent 및 고온관 1에 연결된 Letdown line과 수위지시계 방출유로가 열려 있다고 가정하였다. 또한 세 개의 loop중 증기발생기 한대만 이유 가능하고, 나머지 두 대는 이차측이 공기로 가득 차 있는 상태를 유지하였다. 이 연구의 주된 목적은 midloop 운전중 RHR 기능 상실사고에 대한 위와같은 상태에서 계통의 열수력적 현상을 실험을 통해 이해하고 코드 예측능력을 평가하는 것이다. CATHARE2 코드 계산결과 대체적으로 실험의 현상을 잘 모의하고 있으나 다음 사항에 대해서는 차이를 보이고 있다. 첫째 노심내 물의 혼합을 적절히 모의하지 못하여, 노심내 국부적 증기 발생 시점이 실험에 비해 약 250초 빨리 나타났다. 둘째 노심에서 고온관으로의 물의 유입이 많아 고온관에서 기포율이 실험에 비해 낮게 나타났다. 마지막으로 밀림관(surge line)에서 물의 유입에 의한 압력차가 실험보다 높게 나타났다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1995.05a
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• pp.525-530
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• 1995

최적 열수력 전산 코드인 CATHARE2 Vl.3u 코드를 이용하여 영광 3/4호기 midloop 운전중 잔열제거(RHR) 기능 상실사고를 해석하였다. 본 연구의 주된 목적은 사고시 계통에서 발생하는 열수력 현상의 이해 향상 및 증기발생기 열제거 능력 평가에 있다. 사고 복구 절차 관점에서 노심 비등, 노출 시점 및 계통압력 등이 중요한 인자이다. 본 계산 수행시 사용한 가정은 다음과 같다. 가) 초기 계통 수위는 고온관 중간에 위치하며 그 윗 부분은 질소 가스로 차 있다. 나) 3/4 인치 크기의 방출 밸브가 원자로 용기 상부 및 가압기 상부에 각각 설치되어 있으며, RHR 흡입구에 수위지시계가 설치되어 있다. 다) 증기발생기의 이차측은 U-튜브가 잠기도록 물로 차있다. 라) 두 증기발생기의 대기 방출 밸브(ADV)는 항상 열려 있어 사고시 이차측 압력을 대기압으로 유지하기에 충분하다. 사고는 원자로 정지 2일 후 발생하였다고 가정한다. 이와 같은 조건하에서 사고시 주된 계통 열제거 수단은 증기발생기 U-튜브내의 응축 작용이며 이는 전체 열제거량의 94%로 나타났다. 노심 비등 시점온 사고후∼300초 이후이며, 계통압력은 10,800초 이후에 최고 압력인 0.25MPa에 도달한 후 그 값을 계속 유지하고 있다. RHR 배관에 연결된 수위지 시계를 통해 10,200초 이후부터 냉각수가 방출되었다. 2개의 방출밸브 및 수위지시계를 통하여 방출된 유량에 근거하여 원자로 용기 냉각재 수위가 고온관 바닦까지 낮아지는 시점을 계산하면 사고 약 6.4 시간 이후가 된다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.466-475
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• 2017

Coolant mixing under natural circulation flow regime constitutes a key parameter that may play a role in the course of an accidental transient in a nuclear pressurized water reactor. This issue has motivated some experimental investigations carried out within the OECD/NEA PKL projects. The aim was to assess the coolant mixing phenomenon in the reactor pressure vessel downcomer and the core lower plenum under several asymmetric steady and unsteady flow conditions, and to provide experimental data for code validations. Former studies addressed the mixing phenomenon using, on the one hand, one-dimensional computational approaches with cross flows that are not fully validated under transient conditions and, on the other hand, expensive computational fluid dynamic tools that are not always justified for large-scale macroscopic phenomena. In the current framework, an unsteady coolant mixing experiment carried out in the Rossendorf coolant mixing test facility is simulated using the three-dimensional porous media capabilities of the thermal-hydraulic system CATHARE code. The current study allows highlighting the current capabilities of these codes and their suitability for reproducing the main phenomena occurring during asymmetric transient natural circulation mixing conditions.