Rewetting of the heated fuel rods is one of the most important phenomena to be considered in analysis of the design basis loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in light water reactors. The rewetting phenomenon is a complex and violent one with the rewetting front moving rather slowly over the heated surface. For water temperature close to saturation, the rate of progression of rewetting front is independent of flow rate of the water approaching the rewetting front; this is an indication of the fact that the rewetting process is governed by events local to the rewetting front [1]. This paper describes an experimental study on the rewetting of heated vertical surfaces during top/bottom reflooding. Through an infrared transparent substrate fixed in the surface, processes occurring locally at the quench front have been studied by using a fast response thermal imaging system (Cedip Titanium 560M). The existence of a cyclic bursting phenomenon at the quench front has been observed. Multiple events of this type gradually remove heat from the metal, allowing the rewetting front to progress slowly over the surface. These intermittent contacts occur over a short axial length. Temperature measurements indicate that the metal surface temperature at the rewetting front is close to the homogeneous nucleation temperature.
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