A Comparison of THERMO-T System Code with Experimental Data from the SPERT-IV D12/15 Series

This paper presents the further evaluation of the THERMO-T model, which is currently under development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In previous studies the THERMOT was compered [6] to state of the art codes such as – RELAP5, PARET, RETRAC-PC and CPBRA-EN, in the frame of the IAEA 10 MWth MTR benchmark. The result showed good agreement between the different codes. However, in order to provide a more realistic and quantitative validation for THERMO-T code, the code was compared with experimental data. Such experimental data is available in and was part of the IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) 1496 – “Innovative Methods in Research Reactor Analysis: Benchmark Against Experimental Data on Neutronics and Thermal Hydraulic Computational Methods and Tools for Operation and Safety Analysis of Research Reactors”. The SPERT-IV transients present a unique overview of self-limited reactivity insertion transients with different hydraulic conditions and reactivity insertion steps.