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Comparison between CAREB code calculations and LOCA test results in the FUMEX III project

  • G. Horhoianu , D. V. Ionescu and E. I. Pauna
Published/Copyright: April 5, 2013
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Abstract

The IAEA initiated a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on improvement of computer codes used for fuel behaviour simulation under the name: FUMEX III. The Institute for Nuclear Research (INR) Pitesti participated at this CRP with ROFEM and CAREB computer codes. Recently, both codes have been improved with new models in order to extend their capabilities. The behaviour of fuel elements during high-temperature transients like LOCA is of importance to safety and licensing of power reactors. CAREB was developed for fuel transients analyses, such as LOCA and RIA. In this paper a comparison between CAREB code calculations and measured data from FIO-131 LOCA tests is presented. Several parameters were considered, including fuel sheath strains, internal element gas pressure, fuel centerline and sheath temperature, thicknesses of ZrO2 on the sheath. Fuel behavior during high-temperature transient was reasonably well modeled by CAREB code. New LOCA tests are planed to be performed in the C2-LOCA facility of the TRIGA research reactor at INR Pitesti in order to extend the experimental data base used for transient code validation.

Kurzfassung

Die IAEA hat ein Forschungsvorhaben zur Verbesserung der Rechencodes initiiert, die für die Simulation des Brennstoffverhaltens verwendet werden, das sogenannte FUMEX III Vorhaben. Das rumänische Institut für Kernforschung Pitesti hat an diesem Vorhaben mit den Rechencodes ROFEM and CAREB teilgenommen. Kürzlich wurden beide Rechencodes mit Hilfe neuer Modelle verbessert, um so ihre Anwendungsmöglichkeiten zu erweitern. Das Verhalten von Brennelementen während Hochtemperatur-Transienten wie z.B. LOCA ist für die Sicherheit und das Genehmigungsverfahren von Leistungsreaktoren wichtig. CAREB wurde entwickelt für die Analyse von Brennstofftransienten wie LOCA und RIA. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Vergleich zwischen Berechnungen mit Hilfe des CAREB Codes und gemessenen Daten aus FIO-131 LOCA Tests vorgestellt. Eine Reihe von Parametern wurde betrachtet, einschließlich Belastung des Hüllrohrs, internem Gasdruck, Temperaturen an der Brennelementachse und am Hüllrohr, der Dicken von ZrO2 auf der Abschirmung. Das Brennstoffverhalten während Hochtemperatur-Transienten wurde recht gut mit Hilfe des CAREB Codes modelliert. Es ist geplant, neue LOCA Tests in der C2-LOCA Einrichtung des TRIGA Forschungsreaktors in Pitesti durchzuführen, um so die experimentelle Datenbasis für die Validierung von Transientencodes zu erweitern.

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Received: 2010-8-12
Published Online: 2013-04-05
Published in Print: 2011-05-01

© 2011, Carl Hanser Verlag, München

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