PARAMETR-M facility capabilities for severe accident code verification

Abstract The paper covers the capabilities of PARAMETR-M facility from the point of view of severe accident code verification. A description of PARAMETR-M facility, its main design features including the improvements made to implement tests with rod bundle superheating and melting is presented. The results of computations made by RATEG/SVECHA/HEFEST (RATEG) [RATEG/SVECHA/HEFEST Severe Accident Code, 2002. Description of application. User's manual. Parts 1, 2. SPbAEP] and RELAP/SCDAPSIM MOD3.2 (RELAP) [Allison, C.M., Wagner, R.J., 2001. RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD3.2 Supplemental Input Manual, Innovative Systems Software, LLC, April] severe accident codes are discussed and compared with PARAMETR-M test data. On the basis of experimental data of rod bundle heating up to 1600 K and subsequent top flooding two main conclusions were made: 1. A possibility to quench the rod bundle from top at such temperature was corroborated. 2. The capability of RATEG and RELAP codes to simulate the main physical phenomena of the test (zirconium oxidation, temperature behaviour, bundle top flooding) was verified.