Subchannel analysis of candu-scwr fuel

A cooperative study has been initiated at XVan Jiaotong University (XJTU) with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to develop a subchannel code for preliminary analyses of flow and enthalpy distributions and cladding temperatures in CANDUT fuel at supercritical water conditions. The code is applicable for transient and steady state calculations. A number of heat transfer correlations, frictional resistance correlations, and mixing models have been implemented into the code as options for sensitivity analyses. In addition, an azimuthal conduction model has been introduced to establish the cladding temperature. The results show that (1) a CANDU 37-rod bundle is appropriate for use in the CANDU supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) based on heat transfer analysis, (2) the selection of heat transfer, friction, and mixing correlations has a significant impact on the prediction of the peak cladding surface temperature, and (3) the inclusion of the azimuthal conduction in the calculation has provided a more realistic prediction of the peak cladding surface temperature than assuming a uniform cladding temperature due to the heterogeneity characteristic of rods.