The Proceedings of the International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE) · 2007 · 16 citations · 0 references
EngineeringNuclear EngineeringHeat TransferReactor PhysicsThermodynamicsMelting Behavior AnalysisReactor Core DesignThermal Reactor PhysicsThermal-hydraulic Safety AnalysisCore Heat Transfer Under Accident ConditionsCore Melt RelocationCore Meltdown AnalysisCorium Concrete InteractionDegradationPressurized Water ReactorsReactor Core Damage ProgressionReactor Pressure Vessel Failure
The LACOMERA project at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany, is a four year action within the 5th Framework Programme of the EU which started in September 2002. Overall objective of the project is to offer research institutions from the EU Member Countries and Associated States access to four large scale experimental facilities QUENCH, LIVE, DISCO, and COMET which can be used to investigate core melt scenarios from the beginning of core degradation to melt formation and relocation in the vessel, possible melt dispersion to the reactor cavity, and finally corium concrete interaction and corium coolability in the reactor cavity. The paper briefly summarises the objectives of the LACOMERA project and presents the main results obtained in the LIVE-L1 experiment which was designed to investigate the core melt behaviour in the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel and the influence of the cooling of the vessel outer surface with water in the conditions that may occur during core meltdown accident in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR).