Benchmark Analyses of Sodium Natural Convection in the Upper Plenum of the Monju Reactor Vessel

The IAEA supports Member States in the area of advanced fast reactor technology development by providing a major fulcrum for information exchange and collaborative research programs. The IAEA's activities in this field are mainly carried out within the framework of the Technical Working Group on Fast Reactors (TWG-FR), which assists in the implementation of corresponding IAEA support, and ensures that all technical activities are in line with expressed needs of Member States. Among this broad range, the IAEA proposes and establishes coordinated research projects (CRPs), aimed at improving Member State capability in fast reactor design and analysis. An important opportunity to perform collaborative research activities was provided by the system startup tests carried out by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in the prototype loop type sodium cooled fast reactor Monju, in particular a turbine trip test performed in December 1995.