PKL (PrimärKreisLauf – „primary circuit“) Benchmarks

The PKL installation simulates the entire primary side and essential parts of the secondary side (without turbine and condenser) of a PWR system of western design on a 1:1 scale. Volumes, powers and mass flows are scaled 1:145. It has 4 primary circuits with circulation pump and steam generator, symmetrically arranged around the reactor pressure vessel. Recalculations of the experiments - coordinated by the OECD - are part of the validation and further development of simulation codes in the field of reactor safety.

McMaster Core Thermal-Hydraulics Benchmark

Building on the OECD/NEA BFBT and PSBT benchmarks, McMaster University, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, has launched a CANDU thermal-hydraulic benchmark under the WPRS (Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems) Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling. CANDU Owners Group (COG) provides full-scale experimental data for a 28-element CANDU fuel assembly including pressure drop and detailed pin temperatures for single-phase and boiling conditions. The benchmark offers a wide range of flows, pressures and temperatures (also under full scale reactor conditions) for code testing and model development.