Analytical Study of Thermo-Hydrodynamic Behavior of Reflood-Phase during LOCA

The objective of this study is the establishment of the thermo-hydrodynamic model of the reactor core during reflood phase of LOCA.

Based on the quench model proposed by the author, and assuming a reflood model including a flow model and a set of the thermo-hydrodynamic correlations, a reflood analysis code named “REFLA-1D” was developed.

Considerably close agreement between PWR-FLECHT tests and the results calculated by REFLA-1D code for the critical Weber number We_c= 1 was obtained for fuel clad temperature histories and the quench time and the quench temperature except for the quenching from the top of the fuel rod. It was found that the errors of calculated quench time and temperature are within ±20% under the following conditions: (1) pressure 4.5–1.5 kg/cm²·a or core inlet velocity 15–4.8 cm/s, (2) inlet subcooling more than 30°C. In the transition flow region, the calculated tendency of the temperature histories is different from the measured. This reflood model appears to be reasonable but some modifications on the low flooding quench model and the transition flow are necessary.