Experimental and computational analysis of steam condensation in the presence of air and helium

Among the different phenomena expected to occur within nuclear reactor containments during a postulated loss of coolant accident, condensation on containment walls plays a major role, since it represents an important heat sink for evacuating the energy released by the discharge of the primary water. Nevertheless, condensation strongly affects other relevant phenomena, like containment atmosphere mixing, that influences the distribution of noncondensable gases hypothetically delivered in severe accident conditions. In this scenario, the role of condensation is not obvious, since it can locally aid the hydrogen produced by the oxidation of the core claddings to concentrate and reach flammability limits, providing a dangerous effect instead of a positive one. The understanding of condensation in the presence of air and hydrogen is therefore a fundamental task for the safety analyses of reactor containments. This research has been carried out with the aim to contribute to the understanding of these phenomena. A double strategy has been adopted, including complementary experimental and computational activities. Novel data have been made available by the CONAN facility, investigating the effects induced by light noncondensable gases in experimental configurations that were scarcely investigated in past studies. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) condensation models have been developed and validated. The suitability of helium as a substitute for hydrogen in experimental activities has been investigated by theoretical and computational analyses allowing to establish simple criteria for the scaling of condensation tests in the presence of a light noncondensable gas. (author)