Development of Correlations for Pressure Loss/Drop Coefficients Obtained From Flow Testing of Fuel Assemblies in Framatome ANP’s PHTF

Thermal-hydraulic analyses of pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel assemblies are generally performed for either assembly thermal-hydraulic design, thermal-hydraulic compatibility evaluation, or cycle licensing thermal-hydraulic characterization. A key issue in all cases is the hydraulic resistance characterization of the assembly in which the assembly, its components and support plates, etc., are represented by their respective pressure loss and pressure drop coefficients. These hydraulic coefficients can be determined by single-phase flow testing in an experimental facility such as the Framatome ANP Portable Hydraulic Test Facility (PHTF) located at Richland Test Facilities (RTF) in Richland, WA. The goal of this paper is to present a uniform and consistent methodology for the development of coefficient correlations from data obtained from single phase pressure drop testing of PWR and BWR fuel assemblies and their components performed in the PHTF. This methodology reflects the years of accumulated experience from an existing facility with an ongoing test program.