FACTAR 2.0 Code Validation

Abstract

The FACTAR code models the thermal and mechanical behaviour of a CANDU fuel channel under degraded cooling conditions. FACTAR is currently undergoing a process of validation against various data sets in order to qualify its use in nuclear safety analysis. This paper outlines the methodology being followed in this effort. The BTF-104 and BTF- 1O5A tests, conducted at Chalk River Laboratories, have been chosen as the first in- reactor tests to be used for FACTAR validation. The BTF experiments were designed to represent CANDU fuel behaviour under typical large LOCA conditions. The two tests are summarized briefly, and the results of code comparisons to experimental data are outlined. The comparisons demonstrate that FACTAR is able to accurately predict the values of selected key parameters. As anticipated in the validation plan, further work is required to fully quantify simulation biases for all parameters of interest.