Proving that emergency cooling works

The adequacy of emergency core cooling systems has been demonstrated primarily by computer analysis. Validation of the analytical models used is the main purpose of the U.S. Loss of Fluid Test Facility, LOFT. The reactor is described and the first series of non-nuclear tests is discussed. Major phenomena of interest are described. These include system response during decompression, hot wall delay effect, ECC water bypass, and ECC oscillations. The first nuclear powered tests began in December 1978. (U.K.)