Mutiscale Coupling of System Thermal Hydraulic with a Subchannel Codes

KIT research work is focused on the multiscale coupling of the system thermal hydraulic code TRACE with the subchannel code SubChanFlow using both the ECI and the ICoCo coupling approach.

Example

Coupling of TRACE with SubChanFlow using the ECI-Module

The goal is to use the 1D/3D coarse mesh thermal hydraulic models of TRACE to describe the RPV-thermal hydraulics but not the core and to use SubChanFlow (SCF) to simulate the core taking into account the cross flow.  In this approach, the prediction of safety parameters is done with SCF.

Papers

  1. K. L. Zhang, V. H. Sanchez-Espinoza. Coupling of TRACE and SUBCHANFLOW based on the Exterior Communication Interface. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 2020(119), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103040.
  2. K. L. Zhang, V. H. Sanchez-Espinoza. Optimization and verification of the coupled code TRACE/SubChanFlow using the VVER-1000 coolant mixing benchmark data. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2019(353), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110238.
  3. K. L. Zhang. The Multi-Scale Thermal-Hydraulic Simulation for Nuclear Reactors: A Classification of the Coupling Approaches and a Review of the Coupled Codes. International Journal of Energy Research, available online, https://doi.org/10.1002/er.5111ZHANG21.
  4. K. L. Zhang, V. H. Sanchez-Espinoza. Multi-Scale Coupling of TRACE and SUBCHANFLOW based on ECI for the Analysis of 3D Phenomena inside the PWR RPV. 12th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-12). October 14-18, 2018, Qingdao, China. Paper ID: 552.