HALDEN REACTORS IFA-511.2 AND IFA-54X - EXPERIMENTAL SERIES UNDER ADVERSE CORE COOLING CONDITIONS

The experimental series IFA-511 and IFA-54X, carried out at the Halden Rolling Heavy Water Reactor (HBWR), investigated fuel performance cha racteristics under adverse core cooling conditions. Specific objective s of the experiments were to compare thermal responses of nuclear fuel rods with those of electrically heated rods and to study cladding bal looning. The present paper deals with a systematic analysis of the exp erimental data, giving emphasis to some aspects of the reflood Phenome non in the nuclear and electrical rods such as precursory cooling and the relationship between peak cladding temperatures and quenching temp eratures.