Approaches to Simulate Channel and Fuel Behavior using CATHENA and ELOCA

Abstract

This paper documents a new approach where the detailed fuel and channel thermalhvdraulic calculations are performed by an integrated code. The thermalhydraulic code CATHENA is coupled with the fuel code ELOCA. The scenario used in the simulations is a 100% pump suction break. because its power pulse is large and leads to high sheath temperatures. The results shows that coupling the two codes at each time step can have an important effect on parameters such as the sheath, fuel and pressure tube temperature. In summary, this demonstrates that this original approach can model more adequately the channel and fuel behaviour under postulated large LOCAs.