Off-line vs. semi-implicit TH-TH coupling schemes: A BEPU comparison

Several TH-TH code coupling methods are used in the nuclear industry to model the core thermal–hydraulic conditions and the system behaviour. In some cases, the boundary conditions obtained by system codes are applied to sub-channel codes by table (off-line coupling). Even though this approach is in...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Casamor Vidal, Max|||0000-0001-8570-5365, Avramova, Maria, Reventós Puigjaner, Francesc Josep, Freixa Terradas, Jordi|||0000-0002-8173-3921
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/374822
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/374822
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2022.109344
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Thermodynamics
Nuclear energy
PWR
Coupling
BEPU
DNBR
Termodinàmica
Energia nuclear
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Física
Descripción
Sumario:Several TH-TH code coupling methods are used in the nuclear industry to model the core thermal–hydraulic conditions and the system behaviour. In some cases, the boundary conditions obtained by system codes are applied to sub-channel codes by table (off-line coupling). Even though this approach is in general considered valid, some boundary parameters will present inconsistencies. Alternatively, system and sub-channel codes are coupled using different coupling methods (semi-implicit coupling). Recent studies have shown a strong influence of the bound- ary conditions uncertainty on the sub-channel code results. The present study aims to evaluate the differences produced by the coupling methods by performing a best-estimate plus uncertainties (BEPU) comparison to the following cases: a complete loss of forced flow and a pressurizer relief valve opening. Results show that BEPU analysis presents good agreement with some discrepancies that can be explained and correlated to the boundary conditions deviations between codes.