State-of-the-art codes validation by Elektrogorsk 108 test facility experimental data

Abstract

Summary In the paper an evaluation of experimental data obtained at Russian Elektrogorsk 108 test facility is presented. One of the features studied with 108 test facility was that of identifying the system conditions at which flow instabilities between the parallel channels developed as a function of the variations in the thermal hydraulic conditions. The facility was modelled by employing ATHLET thermal hydraulic system analysis best estimate code. The results show dependence from number of nodes used in the heated channels, frictional and form losses employed. The obtained oscillatory behaviour is resulted by density wave and critical heat flux. It is shown that code is able to predict thermal hydraulic instability and sudden channel wall temperature excursion, when critical heat flux is approached, very well.