Status of the joint program of severe fuel damage research of the USNRC and foreign partners

The Severe Fuel Damage research program is an integrated program of large-scale integral tests in the PBF and NRU test reactors, separate-effects phenomenological experiments in the ACRR test reactor and in the laboratory, and corollarly analysis and model development on in-vessel fuel and fission-product behavior under severe-accident conditions. The purpose of the program is to provide a data base and validated analytical models for safety assessment and regulatory decisions for LWR accidents beyond the design basis. The SFD program partners with the USNRC include Belgium, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and EPRI. (orig./HP)