Experimental investigation and SIMMER-III code modelling of LBE–water interaction in LIFUS5/Mod2 facility

•In the framework of THINS Project, four experimental tests were performed investigating water–LBE interaction in LIFUS5/Mod2 facility at ENEA RC Brasimone.•High quality data were acquired to improve the phenomena understanding and support codes development/validation.•Post-test activity by SIMMER III code was performed by a simplified model.•The obtained numerical results are qualitatively in agreement with the experimental data.

In the frame of the THINS Project, an experimental campaign was performed on LIFUS5/Mod2 facility at ENEA RC Brasimone, aiming to investigate the water–LBE interaction. Such a phenomenon occurs as consequence of a postulated Steam Generator Tube Rupture event in a HLMFR system. Four tests were performed injecting sub-cooled water at 40 bar into a reaction vessel partially filled by low pressure LBE at 400 °C.The post-test activity was performed by the SIMMER-III code in order to improve the understanding of the involved phenomena and to confirm the code capabilities in simulating the water–LBE interaction. The calculated data showed a qualitatively agreement with the measured values and a faster reaction kinetics due to the modelling assumptions.