The LORELEI Test Device for LOCA Experiments in the Jules Horowitz Reactor

International audience; For the operational starting of the Jules Horowitz material testing reactor (JHR) in France, CEA intends to promote different experimental devices aiming at testing materials and fuels under irradiation. More specifically, in the safety studies domain, the LORELEI "Light water One Rod Equipment for LOCA Experimental Investigations" test device is dedicated to the study of the thermal-mechanical behavior of a fuel rod and quantification of Fission Product (FP) and fissile material releases under Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) type conditions. Lorelei will allow investigating ballooning and burst of the fuel cladding, clad corrosion phenomena (oxidation and hydriding), post quench behavior and FP release (for that aim, the device will be connected to water and gas sampling lines to the Fission Product Laboratory of the JHR). This paper presents the scientific objectives of the Lorelei device, its main technical characteristics, its experimental protocol and the main options of the preliminary design, based on thermal-hydraulic and mechanical studies. Examinations planned on non-destructive underwater benches and characterization laboratories of the JHR will be detailed, in order to highlight their essential support for gaining as soon as possible exclusive and valuable scientific data on the "as tested" sample.