Reactor safety research at the large scale facility HDR

Abstract The HDR Safety Program includes various full scale experiments to study the component behavior under operating conditions and accidental loads as blowdown, earthquake, aircraft impact, tthermal shock. These tests are conducted at the decomisssioned “superheated steam reactor” (Heiβdampfreaktor HDR) located near Frankfurt/Germany. The construction of the test facility HDR offers many test capabilities relevant to modern commercial nuclear power plants. Operating conditions typical of those for both pressurized- and boiling water reactors can be produced by a electrically-heated test circuit, specially installed for test purposes. The main components of interest include the reactor pressures vessel, core barrel, pipings and safety valves, reactor building and steel containment shell. The construction of the HDR test facility, the main objectives of the program, used calculation methods and summarized results will be described.