Phenomenological Studies on Melt-Structure-Water Interactions (MSWI) during Postulated Severe Accidents: Year 2004 Activity. APRI 5 report

This report presents descriptions of the major results obtained in the research program 'Melt-Structure-Water Interaction (MSWI)' at NPS/RIT during the year 2004. The primary objectives of the MSWI Project in year 2004 were to study (1) the in-vessel and exvessel melt/debris bed coolability process when melt is flooded with water, and (2) the energetics and characteristics of steam explosions. Our general approaches are to establish scaling relationships so that the data obtained in the experiments could be extended to prototypical accident geometries and conditions, develop phenomenological or computational models for the processes under investigation and validate the existing and newly developed models against data obtained at RIT and at other laboratories. In 2004, several experimental programs, such as the COMECO (Corium MElt COolability), POMECO (POrous MEdia COolability) and MISTEE (Micro-Interactions in STeam Explosion Experiments) programs were continued. The SIMECO (Simulation of MElt Coolability) program was restarted in 2004. The construction of the POMECO-GRAND (POrous MEdia COolability) facility was delayed due to lack of finances. However, existing POMECO facility was modified to study 3-D effects on debris coolability. In this report, the results from the COMECO experiment with high temperature oxidic melt, from the POMECO experiments for the multi-dimensional effects on debris bed coolability, from the SIMECO experiment for three-layer pool configuration and from the MISTEE experiments for steam explosion characteristics and loads are described. For analytical efforts, results from the COMETA code for the entire process of the steam explosions are discussed