PSB-VVER counterpart experiment simulating a small cold leg break LOCA

Full text of publication follows: An experiment simulating a small break LOCA has been performed in PSB-VVER facility, under PSB-VVER OECD Project. The test is intended to be a counterpart one to an experiment performed in the LOBI integral test facility. The objectives of the PSB-VVER small cold leg break test are: to study VVER-1000 thermal hydraulic response following a small break in the cold leg, to provide data for code assessment regarding phenomena indicated in the VVER-1000 code validation matrix and to study the scaling effect. The scenario for the PSB-VVER experiment has been designed taking the LOBI BL-34 test as reference. The ratio of primary system volumes (without volume of the pressurizer and the surge line) has been chosen to scale the reference experiment conditions and to generate the conditions of PSB-VVER cold leg break experiment. The resulting conditions are compared with the LOBI cold leg break test conditions by means of different counterpart test criteria. Comparing the two experiments in terms of the criteria shows that basic requirements to the counterpart test are fulfilled. A pretest analysis with RELAP5/MOD3.2 code has shown that the PSBVVER small break experiment is expected to show the same relevant phenomena and main events as the LOBI BL-34 test. The predicted PSB-VVER primary pressure is very close to that measured in the LOBI facility. The measured pressure in the PSB-VVER primary system has turned out to be very close to that registered in LOBI BL-34 test. This verifies the approach used for developing the conditions of the PSB-VVER counterpart test. The experiment results and the RELAP5/MOD3.2 pretest calculation are in good agreement. A posttest calculation of the experiment with RELAP5/MOD3.2 code has been performed in order to assess the codes capability to simulate the phenomena relevant to the test. The code has shown a reasonable prediction of the phenomena measured in the experiment. (authors)