Assessment of the MELCOR Code Against PHEBUS Experiment FPT-1 Performed in the Frame of ISP-46

Abstract

Calculations of PHEBUS FPT-1 are performed in the frame of CSNI International Standard Problem ISP-46. The objective of ISP-46 is to assess the capability of computer codes to provide an integral simulation of a severe accident in a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR), from the initial stages of core heat-up to the behaviour of released fission products in the containment. The present calculations are performed using MELCOR, chosen as the main tool for assessment of Swiss nuclear plants by virtue of its whole-plant simulation capability, using modelling practices as similar as possible to those used in plant analyses. The calculations cover the bundle heat-up, degradation, the release, transport and retention of fission products and other materials, and the thermal-hydraulic and aerosol behaviour in the containment. Comparison between a best-estimate case and experiment demonstrates the code’s ability to capture most aspects of the sequence with fair to good accuracy. Uncertainties remain, particularly in regard to core degradation, and the chemistry and transport of fission products. Weaknesses of code models in these areas largely reflect limitations in current knowledge.