Short fuel rod experiments were carried out in the framework of the EU 5FWP COLOSS Project. The simultaneous dissolution of UO2 pellets and ZrO2 by molten Zr was investigated with PWR and VVER samples.

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 objective of the EMAIC (Emission AIC) facility is to characterise the physico-chemical nature of the aerosol source term resulting from the vaporisation of control rod material made of the metals Silver (Ag), indium (In), Cadmium (Cd) after their cladding rupture during a PWR severe accident.

The PACTEL facility is designed to model the thermal-hydraulic behavior of VVER-440 type pressurized water reactors currently used in Finland. These reactors have several unique features that differ from other PWR designs

Condensation studies at LUT started with an open pool test facility (POOLEX) modeling the suppression pool of the BWR containment. During the years 2002-2006, the facility had several modifications and enhancements as well as improvements of instrumentation before it was replaced with a more versatile PPOOLEX facility in the end of 2006

The CHIP programme aims to reduce the level of uncertainty on radioactive iodine releases during a core meltdown accident in a nuclear reactor. The programme results will also be used to better define the means and measures to be implemented in order to limit such releases.

The VULCANO facility is mainly composed of a furnace and a test section, which is thoroughly instrumented. In the experiments with prototypic material the furnace has the following characteristics:

• Capability to melt oxidic mixtures of various compositions (UO2, ZrO2, SiO2, FeOx) with the possible addition of metals.
• Liquidus temperature of the load between 1700 and 2900 °C.
• Capacity to melt & pour 100 kg. •Continuous low pouring rates (0.1–1 l/s).

The REKO-3 test facility allows the investigation of catalyst samples inside a vertical flow channel under well defined conditions comprising gas mixture, flow rate and inlet temperature.

The aim of the RECI (RECombiner & Iodine) program was to quantify the iodide → iodine conversion in realistic conditions of recombiner operation, albeit under the following constraints: the experiments were to be performed with non-radioactive substances, and without hydrogen. The comprehensive tests grid allowed to investigate into the decomposition of cesium and cadmium iodides under thermal-hydraulics conditions that mimics the recombiner operation, despite the technical limitations of the RECI test bench.

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

In case of a steam explosion, e.g. as a consequence of a severe reactor accident, part of the thermal energy of the melt is transferred into mechanical energy. At Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, the ECO experiments are being directed to measure the conversion factor under well-defined conditions. The programme was launched in 2000. Alumina from a thermite reaction is used as a simulating material instead of corium. Dimensions of the test facility as well as major test conditions, e.g. temperature and release mode of the melt, water inventory and test procedure, are based on the former PREMIX experiments (from 1994 to 1999).