Boiling transition predictions for BWR fuel bundles by the subchannel analysis program MENUETT

Abstract A comparative study with simulated 3 × 3 rod bundle experiments verified the ability of a two-fluid subchannel analysis program, MENUETT, to predict (i) distributions of mass flow rate and equilibrium quality, and (ii) boiling transition when the modified Biasi's correlation for critical quality was used. The models for void drift and turbulent mixing effectively calculated the two distributions, and a factor accounting for the difference between the heated and wetted perimeters near the bundle wall in the modified Biasi's correlation improved the boiling transition predictions.