Numerical Study of Apparatus Scaling in a Pressurized Water Reactor. Status Report, May 1978

摘要

The K-TIF numerical method for calculating the transient dynamics of two interpenetrating fluids has been extended and applied to the study of scaling of the downcomer and lower plenum regions of a pressurized water reactor during a hypothetical loss of coolant accident. Tentative criteria are established for judging the similarity of flows at different apparatus scales. These criteria are used to evaluate various procedures for specifying inflow velocities of the time varying steam flow from the reactor core and the emergency core coolant supply to determine the most appropriate procedure for modeling full scale phenomena with small scale experiments. The sensitivity of scaling relationships to lower plenum pressure levels is examined by comparing results obtained at pressures that are typical of small-scale experiments with those at higher pressures. Sensitivity studies are also performed to determine the importance of various properties of the theoretical model and the numerical calculation procedure. (ERA citation 04:000780)