Considerations in small-scale modeling of pool swell in BWR containments

Experiments were conducted in a laboratory scale test system to study limitations to the hydrodynamic scaling laws used in reduced scale simulations of BWR pool swell. Detailed experimental records of pool swell are presented. Predictions from a one-dimensional pool swell model are compared with results from small scale pool swell tests. The main elements of the model other than the geometric simplification are identical to the assumptions that underlie the hydrodynamic scaling laws investigated in the pool swell experiments. Based on a simple model for the vent flow and pool swell processes, calculations are performed to illustrate the effects that mis-scaling of vent volume and orifice placement can have on typical small-scale pool swell simulations in single-vent systems.