Development and validation of a one-dimensional solidification model-Part II: Model validation for molten lead-bismuth

The lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled fast reactor (LFR) has shown promising applications due to its excellent neutron economy and thermal-hydraulic characteristics. Nevertheless, the high-freezing point of LBE arises a risk of coolant solidification, which is identified as a design basis accident for LFRs. Accurate one-dimensional (1D) solidification models are critical for analyzing the coolant solidification behavior. However, the development and evaluation of solidification models are hindered by the lack of experimental data. In this study, a series of molten LBE horizontal penetration solidification experiments were designed and performed with different experimental conditions. The final penetration distances were measured, and the experimental conditions were used as boundary and initial conditions of 1D simulations based on the ASYST-SF code. The simulation results showed the relative error of the final penetration distance is within 12%. This study provides a series of LBE solidification experimental data and demonstrates the reliability of the ASYST-SF code.