Analyses of the NOKO Emergency Condenser Experiments

In the frame of the so-called BWR-CA concerted action of the European Union, one has to analyse some experiments performed on the NOKO facility using the CATHARE2 (CEA) and the ATHLET (FZR) thermalhydraulic codes. These calculations have shown that both CATHARE and ATHLET are able to predict the global performance of the NOKO emergency condenser. In reference calculations, the unrelevance of the Shah correlation used in CATHARE was not seen apart from the BLIND case. Taking into account the sensitivity calculations, it is thought that this problem is due to an overestimation of the liquid film velocity. This latter can be considered as a consequence of a wrong estimation of the film entrainment onset or as a limitation of the two-phase six-equation model (only one average liquid velocity). Further verification and qualification of computer codes require the analysis of tests with a better instrumentation. Measurements of local parameters like the inside tube temperature or the distribution of pressure losses, are really necessary to undertake this work. It is why it has been proposed, in the frame of a new concerted action, to use the NOKO single tube experiments already performed by FZJ and which are much better instrumented in comparison of the just considered bundle tests.