Abstract :
Methodofformulatingnuclearfuelrodmodel(typicalmaterialsforpelletandclad,includingusualgas-gap),whichisthermallyequivalenttomulti-layerexperimentalheatersimulator(anymaterialsincontact,and/orwithout/withgas-gap)ispresented.Thermallyequivalenttypicalfuelrodmodelisdefined.Tovalidateit,theHECHANmodelabletousedifferentlayoutsofmulti-layerrod/simulatorgeometrywithconstantand/ortemperaturedependentthermal–physicalpropertiesisused.Comparisonwithmeasureddataforcladdingsurfacetemperaturesinbothpre-andpost-CHFregimesprovedapplicabilityofthisapproachintransients.Therodmodeliseasytodefine,withoutchangingthesourceofstandardthermal–hydrauliccode—onlythroughinputdeck.ItisqualifiedforfurtheruseinCOBRA3-CPandCOBRA-TFcodesfortheirvalidationonexperimentsusingtheparticularheatersimulatordesign.
