Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

In a hypothetical Small Break Loss of Coolant Accident in a Pressurized Water Reactor, the Reactor Pressure Vessel wall may be exposed to thermal stress, since Emergency Core Cooling Systems inject cold water into the hot reactor system. The loads on the primary loop and RPV walls are determined by mixing processes with the surrounding hot water and by the condensation of steam on the free surface.
In order to develop Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations for future safety assessment and design purposes, experiments with stratified steam-water surfaces and with plunging liquid jets have been carried out and are being analyzed. It is shown, that the results may be used to develop and to validate CFD-models for reactor safety applications. Analysis, conditioning and summary of measured data is ongoing and promising.