International audienceIn the frame of the Severe Accident Facilities for European Safety Targets (SAFEST) project,Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Society for installation and Reactor Safety (GRS)have proposed to realize a Molten Corium Concrete Interaction (MCCI) test in the VULCANO facilitylocated at the PLINIUS experimental platform, CEA Cadarache. The MCCI test, named VBES-U5,was carried out on July 20th, 2017. 50kg of thermite has reacted to melt a prototypic corium in asiliceous concrete test section, which was then heated by induction. The test section was 2Dcylindrical with an inner diameter of 250 mm, an outer diameter of 500 mm, an inner height of 300mm and outer height of 475 mm. MCCI was carried out for 40 min which conducted to an axialablation of 10 mm and a radial ablation of 60 mm. Great care has been taken to prevent initial crustformation (corium composition such that initial contact temperature is above solidus, high powerduring the first minutes). Nevertheless, a pronounced radial ablation has been observed for thissiliceous concrete, similarly to previous VULCANO tests in which initial crust formation was likely tooccur
