Semisclae program

The major objective of the Semiscale Program is to gather system thermal-hydraulic behavior data that is germane to reactor safety questions and/or to the conduct of experiments in the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) Facility. The relationship between Semiscale experiment results and questions of reactor safety exists primarily through computer codes designed to calculate thermal-hydraulic behavior. The Semiscale experiment results are used to test the computer codes and to provide a basis for improvement where deficiencies are found. The improved analysis codes are then applied to LOFT experiment analysis or to reactor safety analysis. The experiment facility is a 1:1500 power and volume scaled system that represents the major features of a conventional pressurized water reactor. The vertical dimensions are retained at full scale so cross-sectional areas are reduced. The system has a 25-rod electrically heated core simulator and the fact that the system is small and nonnuclear allows relatively rapid and economic experiments