RELAP5/MOD2 code assessment using a LOFT L2-3 loss of coolant experiment

The LOFT LOCE L2-3 was simulated using the RELAP5/MOD2 Cycle 36.04 code to assess its capability in predicting the thermal-hydraulic phenomena in LBLOCA of the PWR. The reactor vessel was simulated with two core channels and split downcomer modeling for a base case calculation using the frozen code. The result of the base calculation showed that the code predicted the hydraulic behavior, and the blowdown thermal response at high power region of the core in a reasonable range and that the code had deficiencies in the critical flow model during subcooled-two-phase transition period, in the CHF correlation at high mass flux and in the blowdown rewet criteria. An overprediction of coolant inventory due to the deficiencies yielded the poor prediction of reflood thermal response. A Sensitivity calculation with an updated version from RELAP5/MOD2 Cycle 36.04 improved the prediction of the rewet phenomena