Core melt/coolant interactions: modelling. [PWR; BWR]

If there is not adequate cooling water in the core of a light-water reactor (LWR), the fission product decay heat would eventually cause the reactor fuel and cladding to melt. This could lead to slumping of the molten core materials into the lower plenum of the reactor vessel, possibly followed by failure of the vessel wall and pouring of the molten materials into the reactor cavity. When the molten core materials enter either region, there is a strong possibility of molten core contacting water. This paper focuses on analysis of recent FITS experiments, mechanistic and probabilistic model development, and the application of these models to reactor considerations.