Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Experimental investigation and validation of TASS/SMR-S code for single-phase and two-phase natural circulation tests with SMART-ITL facility

  • Bae, Hwang (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Chun, Ji-Han (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Yun, Eunkoo (Eco-friendly Smart Ship Parts Technology Innovation Center, Pusan National University) ;
  • Chung, Young-Jong (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Lim, Sung-Won (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Park, Hyun-Sik (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
  • Received : 2021.04.01
  • Accepted : 2021.08.17
  • Published : 2022.02.25
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Abstract

The natural circulation phenomena occurring in fully integrated nuclear reactors are associated with a unique formation mechanism. The phenomenon results from a structural feature of these reactors involving upward flow from the core, located in the central-bottom region of a single vessel, and downward flow to the steam generator in the annulus region. In this study, to understand the natural circulation in a single vessel involving a multi-layered flow path, single-phase and two-phase natural circulation tests were performed using the SMART-ITL facility, and validation analysis of the TASS/SMR-S code was performed by comparing the corresponding test results. Three single-phase natural circulation tests were sequentially conducted at 15%, 10%, and 5% of full-scaled core-power without RCP operation, following which a two-phase natural circulation test was successively conducted with an artificial discharge of coolant inventory. The simulation capability of the TASS/SMR-S code with respect to the natural circulation phenomena was validated against the test results, and somewhat conservative but reasonably comparative results in terms of overall thermalhydraulic behavior were shown.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the SMART Standard Design Change Approval Project funded by KAERI, South Korea, KHNP, South Korea, and K.A. CARE, Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia.

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