RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD3.5 analysis of KIT's QUENCH-14 experiment

The QUENCH-14 experiment was performed within the ACM series (Advanced Cladding Materials) performed by “Karlsruhe Institute of Technology” (KIT), Germany, to investigate the performance of M5® cladding material. During the experiment the peak temperatures exceeded 2000 K (the maximum temperature was estimated at 2249 K); therefore, a local melting of the cladding occurred. The experiment was terminated by reduction in the electrical power followed by water injection from the bottom of the test bundle. There was no breakaway oxidation or melt relocation. The test conditions used in the QUENCH-14 were comparable to the QUENCH-6 experiment that used Zircaloy-4. Simulations presented in the article were performed with MATPRO Zircaloy-4 properties and both QUENCH-6 and QUENCH-14 experimental conditions.