Thermal hydraulic analysis of small nuclear reactor core by using comparative approach of THEATRe and Relap5 code

Thermal analysis of a nuclear reactor is very important in determining its design. It can produce desired thermal power without exceeding limitations on core components, which could lead to fuel failure and radioactive release into the environment. In this paper, thermal hydraulic studies of a small nuclear reactor core have been carried out by using two well-known thermal hydraulic codes, Relap5 and THEATRe. The Relap5 code can deal with plate-type fuel elements but the THEATRe code works only for pin-type fuel elements. For this purpose, the THEATRe code has been modified for the plate-type fuel element and then used in the current research. The results obtained from both codes agree well, confirming the accuracy of simulation.