Thermohydraulic model experiments and calculations on the transition from forced to natural circulation for pool-type fast reactors

After a reactor scram, the decay heat removal (DHR) is of decisive importance for the safety of the plant. A fully passive DHR system based on natural circulation alone is independent of any power source. The DHE system consists of immersion coolers (ICs) installed in the hot plenum and connected to air coolers, each via intermediate circuits. During the postscram phase, the decay heat is to be removed by natural circulation from the core into the hot plenum and via the ICs and intermediate loops to the air coolers. The function of this DHR system is investigated and demonstrated in model tests with a geometry similar to the reactor, though on a different scale RAMONA is such a three-dimensional model set up on a 1:20 scale. It is operated with water. The steady-state tests for natural-circulation DHR operations have been conducted over a wide range of operational and geometric parameters. To study the transition from nominal to DHR conditions, experiments were defined to investigate the onset of natural circulation in the postscram phase (transient tests). The experiments were analyzed using the one-dimensional LEDHER code. LEDHER is a network analysis code for the long-term DHR of a fast reactor developed atmore » Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation in Japan. The results of the experiments and conclusions are summarized.« less