ARIANT and RELAP5-3D Simulation of OECD-NEA Benchmark Against the Oregon State University High Temperature Test Facility Data

Abstract

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is developing the system thermalhydraulics code ARIANT (AlgoRIthm for Analysis of Network Thermalhydraulics) to extend the code’s capabilities for advanced reactor and small modular reactor analysis. As part of the ongoing modelling capabilities development, CNL is participating in the OECD-NEA prismatic High Temperature Gas Reactor thermalhydraulics benchmark based on measurements from the Oregon State University (OSU) High Temperature Test Facility (HTTF). The objective of this study is to present preliminary results of code to code benchmarking efforts undertaken at CNL using two system thermalhydraulic codes (ARIANT and RELAP5-3D). ARIANT and RELAP5-3D simulations were performed for the pressurized and depressurized conduction cooldown (PCC, DCC) tests and the code results were compared against each other. For both codes, CNL developed a ring model that simulates the HTTF. The ARIANT and RELAP5-3D predicted results are in reasonable agreement with each other. Based on the analyses undertaken, it can be inferred that ARIANT and RELAP5-3D can model the phenomena that are expected to occur in postulated accident scenarios in prismatic-block gas-cooled reactors.