Limits of the simulation of a nuclear fuel pin by an electrically heated rod

The utilization of electrically heated rods for the simulation of a nuclear fuel pins represents a generally adopted method by the nuclear industry to study thermalhydraulic problems. Usually, it is necessary to determine the time variation of the electric linear power to simulate a given nuclear power transient in order to yield the same temperature and heat flux conditions in the surface of the electrical heater that would be observed in the nuclear fuel pin. The present work analyses the limits of the usually adopted simulation methods and shows a manner to obtain the required electrical linear power that reduces oscillations and yields accurate results for the thermal conditions of the rod surface wall. (author) 5 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab