Many boiling water reactors use a l

Many boiling water reactors use a large pool of water to condense stream should a major steam leak occur. In some designs, steam would be forced into the pool through long vertical pipes extending several pipe diameters below the surface of the pool. Before steam enters the pool, however, air initially in the pipes must be pushed out. The ejection of this noncondensable air forms large bubbles in the pool and displaces the pool surface upward. Safety considerations require an understanding of the hydrodynamic forces generated during this process. For this purpose, several small-scale experimental programs have been conducted and several groups have attempted supporting theoretical analysis.