ResultsoftheQUENCH-L2,DISCO-L2,andCOMET-L2experimentsperformedwithintheLACOMERAprojectattheForschungszentrumKarlsruheOriginalResearchArticle

TheLACOMERAprojectattheForschungszentrumKarlsruhe,Germany(FZK)isa4-yearactionwithinthe5thFrameworkProgrammeoftheEUwhichstartedinSeptember2002.OverallobjectiveoftheprojectistoofferresearchinstitutionsfromtheEUMemberCountriesandAssociatedStatesaccesstofourlarge-scaleexperimentalfacilitiesQUENCH,LIVE,DISCO,andCOMET.Thesefacilitiesarebeingusedtoinvestigatecoremeltscenariosfromthebeginningofcoredegradationtomeltformationandrelocationinthevessel,possiblemeltdispersiontothereactorcavity,andfinallycoriumconcreteinteractionandcoriumcoolabilityinthereactorcavity.Thepapersummarizesthemainresultsobtainedinthefollowingthreeexperiments: QUENCH-L2:boil-offofafloodedbundle.Thetestisofagenericinterestforallreactortypes,providedalinkbetweenthesevereaccidentanddesignbasisareas,andwoulddeliveroxidationandthermalhydraulicdataathightemperatures. DISCO-L2:fluid-dynamic,thermal,andchemicalprocessesduringmeltejectionoutofabreachinthelowerheadofapressurevesseloftheVVER-1000/320typeofreactor. COMET-L2:investigationoflong-termmelt–concreteinteractionofmetalliccoriuminacylindricalsiliceousconcretecavityunderdryconditionswithdecayheatsimulationofintermediatepowerduringthefirsttestphase,andsubsequentlyatreducedpowerduringthesecondtestphase.