Investigation of flashing-induced instabilities at CIRCUS test facility with the code ATHLET

The CIRCUS test facility has been built to study the start-up phase of a natural-circulation BWR. During the start-up so called flashing-induced instabilities can arise. These instabilities are induced by flashing, due to steam production in the long adiabatic riser section, which is placed above the core to enhance the flow rate. Flashing occurring in the riser causes an unbalance between driving force and pressure losses in the natural-circulation loop, giving rise to flow oscillations.

This paper gives an overview about experimental results and the physics of the instabilities. The thermo-hydraulic code ATHLET is used to investigate the dynamic behavior of the CIRCUS test facility and the results of the calculations are compared with the experimental data.

This work is part of the NACUSP project (Natural Circulation and Stability Performance of BWRs) within the European-Union 5th Framework Programme.