Subchannel Analysis of CANDU 37-Element Fuel Bundles

Abstract

The subchannel analysis codes COBRA-IV and ASSERT-4 have been used to predict the mass and enthalpy imbalance within a CANDU 37-element fuel channel under various system conditions. The objective of this study was to assess the various capabilities of the ASSERT code and highlight areas where further validation or development may be needed. The investigation indicated that the ASSERT code has all the basic models required to accurately predict the flow and enthalpy imbalance for complex rod bundles. The study also showed that the code modelling of void drift and diffusion requires refinement to some coefficients and that further validation is needed at high flow rate and high void fraction conditions, where ASSERT and COBRA are shown to predict significantly different trends. The results of a recent refinement of ASSERT modelling are also discussed.