Summary report of NEPTUN investigations into the steady state thermal hydraulics of the passive decay heat removal

During the course of steady state NEPTUN investigations, the effects of different design and operating parameters were studied; in particular: The shell design of the above core sturcture, the core power, the number of decay heat exchangers put in operation, the complete flow path blockage at the primary side of the intermediate heat exchangers, and the fluid level in the primary vessel. The findings of the NEPTUN experiments indicate that the decay heat can be safely removed by natural convection. The interwrapper flow makes an essential contribution to that behavior. The decay heat exchangers installed in the upper plenum cause a thermal stratification associated with a pronounced gradient. The vertical extent of the stratification and the quantity of the gradient are depending on the fact whether a permeable or an impermeable shell covers the above core structure. An increase of the core power or a reduction of the number of decay heat exchangers being in operation leads to a higher temperature level in the primary system but does not alter the global temperature distribution. In the case that no coolant enters the inlet windows at the primary side of the intermediate and decay heat exchangers, the core remains coolable as far as the primary vessel is filled with fluid up to a minimum level. Cold water penetrates from the upper plenum into the core and removes the decay heat. The thermal hydraulic computer code FLUTAN was applied for the three-dimensional numerical simulation of the majority of NEPTUN tests reported here. The comparison of computed against experimental data indicates a qualitatively and quantitatively satisfying agreement of the findings with respect to the field of isotherms as well as the temperature profiles in the upper plenum and within the core region of very complex geometry. (orig./HP)