Complex measurements were performed at the integral high temperature test facility CODEX (COre Degradation Experiment) between 1995-2002 with electrically heated UO2 fuel rod bundles. The main advantages of the CODEX facility are the use of real UO2 pellets, the sophisticated data acquisition technique including aerosol measurements and the large flexibility in the selection of test conditions. The most imporant limitations are the use of fresh – non-irradited - fuel pellets and the application of electrical heating burdened with positive temperature feed-back effect.

VITI (‘‘VIscosity Temperature Installation’’) facility has been developed to measure viscosity, density and surface tension on corium up to 2600 C by aerodynamic levitation. But it is also used as small crucibles heating for material interactions tests. Samples of less than 100 g can be studied in VITI.

The PREMIX experiments have been performed to study the premixing of sizable amounts of very hot oxidic melts with water when being released as a jet in a reasonably characterized way and with full optical access. Alumina at 2600 K from a thermite reaction was used to simulate the corium melt. A technique has been developed to retain the molten iron in the source so that the contribution of iron to the melt is well below 10 %. PREMIX involves the full physics of the mixing process including jet break-up and melt drop fragmentation. But, of course, on the other hand, the initial and boundary conditions are more difficult to control and to vary compared to experiments with solid spheres such as QUEOS.

The PWR PACTEL test facility is designed and constructed in 2009 to be used in the safety studies related to thermal hydraulics of pressurized water reactors with EPR type vertical steam generators

The KROTOS test facility is a relatively small scale experimental installation dedicated to the study of: (a) molten fuel-coolant pre-mixing either with prototypic reactor melts or simulants such as alumina up to 5 kg; (b) progression and energetics of spontaneous and triggered fuel-coolant interactions (vapor explosions).

Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) removes residual heat from upper drywell of the containment to the liquid pool surrounding the PCCS heat exchanger. It also has an important role in mitigating the offsite dose by retention of a fission product release in the containment. The operation of the PCCS is based on density differences between the containment and water pool

Boron carbide rod degradation test and associated releases.

The experimental programme becarre (2001-2010) belongs to the international “source term” programme. The becarre programme Objectives involve better understanding the degradation phenomena occurring in boron carbide (B4c) control rods during a core meltdown accident and determining the laws governing steam oxidation of B4c pellets and relocated mixtures. These laws will be used to both quantify the gases produced during oxidation, and estimate their potential effect upon iodine releases into the environment. The programme results will help improve the icare 2 code which is being developed by irsn.

The experimental programme named KAJET is being performed to investigate features of a pressurized melt jet and the interaction with substratum material. Compact melt jets, rather than a spray-type melt release, are simulated using iron and aluminium oxide instead of corium. The melt is generated by a thermite reaction. The experiments provide general information about erosion processes and data for the validation of computer codes (or, if possible, simplified correlations) which then are able to transfer the results to reactor conditions.

The Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti was founded in 1971 as a unit of strategic importance, having as field of activity the scientific research, design, technological development and scientific and technical responsibility for the development of nuclear energy in Romania.

SIMECO program at KTH was performed to investigate the heat transfer of natural convection in an internal heated liquid pool, simulating a molten corium pool which may be formed in the reactor lower plenum during a severe accident.

The separate effect studies of vertical steam generators have been conducted in the CIEMAT PECA facility, which was properly modified and conditioned for that purpose. The PECA facility set-up used in the SGTR separate effect tests basically consists of:
1. Two injection lines, one designed for supplying air at relatively high flow rates from a compressor, and the other for the aerosol injection.
2. The vessel, containing the tube mini-bundle.
3. The associated instrumentation and sampling stations.

FARO (Furnace And Release Oven) experimental facility began the experiments of the LWR-MFCI phenomena in 1990 in collaboration with several reactor safety research organizations from European Union member countries and with the participation of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.