An Experimental Study of Reflooding in a VVER Fuel-Rod Assembly

The characteristics of the channels and regime parameters for which experiments on reflooding in fuel-rod assemblies were conducted in Russia are presented. The specifics of reflooding from below in the 19-rod assemblies of simulators of VVER-440 fuel rods are described and compared with a similar process in PWR bundles. Empirical correlations for calculating the velocity of the cooling front are given. The experimental results obtained can be used to verify computational models and to check the data obtained for multirod assemblies of reactors of the next generation.