TRAC (transient reactor analysis code) analyses of the Savannah River 1985 L-area test series

Thermal-hydraulic analyses of the Savannah River (SR) 1985 L-area AC-process flow tests were performed to benchmark the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) transient reactor analysis code (TRAC) and the TRAC system model of the SR reactors. These analyses are part of LANL's independent safety analysis of the SR reactors. The AC-process flow test series consisted of 11 separate steady-state unpowered tests conducted in the L reactor itself. The tests were performed to provide detailed flow and pressure data for system model benchmarks. The 11 steady-state tests utilized a variety of pump and valve configurations as well as two coolant temperatures. During the tests, pressure data were collected at four locations around each of the six external heat transport loops, at the moderator tank bottom, and at an array of locations in the upper plenum. The 1985 L-Area AC process flow benchmarks demonstrate that TRAC PF1/MOD2-HWR and the Savannah River plant model provide results that are consistent with the available data. In each of the six external loops, the calculated and measured pressures and flows are in reasonable agreement. In the upper plenum, the TRAC results provide an excellent representation of radial and azimuthal variations in pressure.