Study on premixing phase of steam explosion at JAERI

Melt jet breakup and fragmentation has been studied in ALPHA program at JAERI. In the first two experiments of the MJB series, a jet of molten lead-bismuth eutectic alloy was released into a deep pool of saturated water. The steam generation rate was measured and correlated with the jet behavior observed by a high-speed camera. The jet breakup length and debris size distribution were also evaluated. In parallel with the experimental study, JASMINE code has been developed for the simulation of a steam explosion process. The models of melt jet breakup and the particle breakup in the code were assessed by analyzing FARO-L14 and ALPHA MJB experiments. © 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.