On the Evaluation of the Pressure Losses in a Lead-Bismuth-Eutectics Cooled Fuel Assembly with TRACE and SUSA

Abstract

The prediction of the pressure drop in a pool-type reactor operated with lead-bismuth-eutectics is of crucial importance. A pressure drop of e.g. 1 bar is equivalent to a lead-bismuth-eutectics col- umn of about 1 m, which has a big influence on the financial aspects of the design proposal. The paper presents results on the hydraulic evaluation of a fuel assembly with the emphasis on uncer- tainties and variations of relevant parameters like the mass flow rate, form, and friction loss coef- ficients. With the subsequent uncertainty and sensitivity study, in connection with thermal hydraulic investigations, the influence of these uncertain parameters was evaluated.