Development, assessment and application of TRAC-BF1/v2001.2 for beyond design basis BWR LOCA transients

Abstract

In preparation for the possible transition to risk based licensing, it is increasingly important to demonstrate the applicability of Best Estimate codes to more extreme conditions corresponding for example to limited equipment availability. With this idea in mind, we have reviewed the application of TRAC-BF1 to Large and Small Break LOCAs. In this context this work describes the assessment and applications of the Penn State University (PSU) version 2001.2 of TRAC-BF1 with all the PSI updates, to the analysis of hypothetical Large Break (LB) LOCAs in a BWR/4 with postulated limited ECC availability. Since in contrast to a LB-LOCA in a BWR with full ECC availability, the rod surface temperatures reach relatively high values, additional assessment of the code under such conditions is required. Hence, after analyzing bottom flooding separate-effect experiments in two different heater rod bundles and a TLTA LB-LOCA test, we shall present and discuss the results of the analysis of a LB-LOCA with highly restricted Emergency Core Cooling flow in a BWR/4. In this context, we shall also assess different descretization of some terms of the 3D momentum equations, which was found to be important in the analysis of BWR Small Break LOCAs.