OECD/NRC PSBT Benchmark: CFD Analysis of Boiling Flow in PWR Subchannel Geometry Using ANSYS CFX

Abstract

The purpose of the international OECD/NRC PWR Subchannel and Bundle Tests (PSBT) benchmark, based on the NUPEC database, is to provide data for validation of void distribution models. In this paper the RPI wall boiling model, as it is implemented in ANSYS CFX 12.1, is being validated for boiling phenomena in PWR subchannel geometry. In contrast to the original RPI model proposal of Kurul and Podowski, the modifications implemented by Egorov and Menter are used to perform the analysis and results are compared to experimental data of PSBT Exercise I-1.