Validation of a 1D thermal-hydraulic module against Circe experimental data

A new multi-physics simulation tool, FRENETIC (Fast REactor NEutronics/Thermal-hydraulICs), has been recently developed, for the quasi-3D analysis of a lead-cooled fast reactor core with the hexagonal fuel element configuration, as currently proposed within the framework of the European project LEADER. The tool, as opposed to popular thermal-hydraulic system codes like, e.g., Relap5, implements coupled neutronic and TH models. Its main aim is to provide solutions for core design and/or safety analysis, in a way which is computationally effective. In the TH module, the hexagonal elements are described by 1D (axial) transient heat advection and conduction in the coolant, coupled to conduction in the fuel pins; each element is then thermally coupled to its neighbors in the transverse directions, to obtain the full-core evolution of the distribution of the TH variables (axial speed, pressure and temperature of the coolant). Here we present the first validation of the TH model in FRENETIC against data from the ENEA Integral Circulation Experiment (ICE), using Lead-Bismuth Eutectic as a coolant. In ICE a single hexagonal element is present, including an electrically heated Fuel Pin Simulator. The evolution of the temperature computed at different heights of the FPS will be compared with the values measured in two different campaigns.