CTF (COBRA-TF User Group)

COBRA-TF is a thermal-hydraulic simulation code designed for Light Water Reactor (LWR) vessel and core analysis. It uses a two-fluid three-field modeling approach. CTF is the shortened name given to the version of COBRA-TF being developed and improved by the Reactor Dynamics and Fuel Modeling Group (RDFMG) at the North Carolina State University (NCSU).

In the last decade, CTF has been extensively developed and validated for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR), Boiling Water Reactor (BWR),  Water-Water Energetic Reactor (VVER), Small Modular Reactor (SMR), Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR), and research reactor applications. The figure shows three-dimensional result of full core sub-channel analysis of a PWR MSLB transient. Currently the CTF is a state-of-the-art sub-channel code for reactor thermal-hydraulics bundle and core analysis and is a part of the U.S. DOE CASL and EC NURESAFE projects. The code can be run in serial or parallel modes and is being distributed via a code agreement to interesting parties.

CTF’s User Group(UG) is established to maintain the so-called “gold-standard” of CTF and provide unified and up-to-date code version supplemented with extended verification and validation suite, automated test matrix, and application guidelines. The CTF UG holds annual meetings usually in May, which involve all interested users with objective to discuss on the progress in achieving a common version, and to review the contributions from different organizations to the common version (including code development, improvement, coupling with other models-multi-physics and multi-scale code systems, verification and validation, uncertainty quantifications, and applications).

The user group meeting at ANS BEPU Conference will be the 5th COBRA-TF user group meeting.