TOPFLOW - A new multipurpose thermalhydraulic test facility for the investigation of steady state and transient two phase flow phenomena

The Forschungszentrum Rossendorf (FZR) e.V. is building a new large-scale test facility for thermal hydraulic single effect tests, named TOPFLOW. The acronym stands for Transient Two Phase Flow Test Facility. It will mainly be used for the investigation of generic and applied steady state and transient two phase flow phenomena in power- and process industries. Main research activities are the investigation of:

· transient flow regimes in horizontal, vertical and inclined tubes,
· the dynamic behaviour of interphase areas in gas-liquid flows,
· critical mass flows and oscillations during depressurization of chemical reactors,
· natural convection in large pools with local heating,
· natural convection in parallel channels and feed pipes and
· condensation phenomena (e.g. in emergency and isolation condensers, WWER steam generators).
It is FZR strategy to use TOPFLOW as a central experimental basis for the nuclear competence centre, rejoining FZR, the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) and the University of Applied Sciences Zittau-Görlitz (HTW) and to offer it to working groups throughout Europe. They will be invited to come to Rossendorf with their ideas and to perform their experiments here making use of the parameters (power, water and steam mass flow, pressure range, measuring instrumentation) and the multipurpose character of the test facility.