Experiments have been completed which reveal quantitative information about the mixing that occurs within the annual downcomer surrounding reactor the core as it is flushed with Boron-dilute water. Two different prototypical cases were considered: 1) The Borated water is flushed with a continuous supply of fresh water, referred to as a ``front,'' and 2) the Boron-dilute water is contained in a finite volume followed by a stream of Borated water, subsequently referred to as a ``slug.'' This injection process is initiated when the pump is started, and hence the flow in the vessel is still evolving while the interface between the concentrated and dilute volumes is progressing through the downcomer.

The button shown to the right has been added to the navigation bar to connect you to a site map for the boron mixing project.

The links below outline the scope of the experiments, starting with a brief overview of the experimental technique, followed by a qualitative discussion of the observed flow pattern, before examing the detailed statistics of the mixing process and the influence of other parameters on the flow field.