Since most of critical power or CHF data have been collected in tube, annulus, or BWR geometries under BWR flow conditions, critical power data for highly tight and triangular lattice bundles under low mass velocity are indispensable for thermal-hydraulic design of Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor. Large-scale thermal-hydraulic experiments which use a basic 37-rod bundle test section (rod diameter: 13.0 mm, gap width between rods: 1.3 mm) were therefore carried out in this study within range of 2-9 MPa in pressure and 150-1,000 kg/(m 2 Ás) in mass velocity. Fundamental characteristics of boiling transition were investigated through effects of flow parameter on critical power and those of rod number. It was confirmed that the fundamental characteristics in 37-rod bundle are similar to those in 7-rod bundle and in case of the BWR geometry. The results of the transverse non-uniform power distribution test and subchannel analysis suggest that the critical power becomes higher when the transverse local quality distribution closes to uniform.
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