Assessment of TRACE V5.0 Patch 4 Code Against PWR PACTEL Loop Seal Clearing Experiment (NUREG/IA-0492)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: August 2017
Date Published: December 2018

Prepared by:
Otso-Pekka Kauppinen

Lappeenranta University of Technology
P.O.Box 20
FI-53851 Lappeenranta, Finland

K. Tien, NRC Project Manager

Division of Systems Analysis
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Prepared as part of:
The Agreement on Research Participation and Technical Exchange
Under the Thermal-Hydraulic Code Applications and Maintenance Program (CAMP)

Published by:
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

The TRAC/RELAP advanced computational engine (TRACE) developed by U.S. nuclear Regulatory Commission is one of the main system codes to perform thermal-hydraulic safety analyses of loss-of-coolant accidents, operational transients, and other accident scenarios of light water reactors. This report presents the TRACE calculation model of the PWR PACTEL facility and the calculation results of PWR PACTEL loop seal clearing experiment LSC-03 with TRACE V5.0 patch 4. The PWR PACTEL facility is designed and constructed in 2009 at Lappeenranta University of Technology and used in the safety studies related to thermal-hydraulics of pressurized water reactors with European pressurized water type vertical U-tube steam generators.

THE TRACE calculation results were compared to the experimental data. In general the results agreed reasonably well with experimental data. Some discrepancies were found in core peak temperatures, water level predictions, and the pressure and temperature predictions on the secondary side of the steam generators after loop seal clearing. The behavior of the loop seals seemed to be relatively similar to the experiment as one loop seal cleared out and another refilled. However, in the calculation, the loop seal 1 cleared and the loop seal 2 refilled, while in the experiment the behavior was opposite.