Launched in July 2021, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) PANDA project is dedicated to expanding the experimental database on large-scale containment thermal-hydraulic phenomena, fundamental for improving both lumped parameter and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes used in nuclear safety analyses.
Experiments are conducted in the PANDA facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. The joint project is supported by 13 organisations from 10 countries.
Significant upgrades to the PSI PANDA facility, including a state-of-the-art data acquisition system, were completed in 2023, enabling more sophisticated experiments and data collection. In 2024, the team completed tests on jets/plumes interacting with steam generator compartment models, radiative heat transfer, and complex scenarios involving containment pressurisation and depressurisation. The last experiment of this phase of the project is planned to be completed in early 2026.
The eighth programme review group and management board meetings, hosted by CSN in Madrid from 17-19 November 2025, focused on project status, facility upgrades, experimental and analytical activities, and planning for the next phase. Key discussions included the planning of a workshop open to a wider audience to share PANDA results and future activities, as well as advancing benchmark activities to encourage new members and foster collaboration during the second phase of the project, PANDA-2. Meeting participants also agreed to extend the current project until the end of June 2026.
The meeting was an occasion to discuss the next project phase - PANDA-2 (2026–2029) - which aims to further expand the database on containment phenomena, safety system activation, pressure suppression pools, and SMR-related scenarios. The new phase will continue to serve as a pilot for the NEA Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology (NEST) programme, reinforcing the project's commitment to education and innovation.
