The NEPTUN test facility is currently being used for reflooding experiments in tight hexagonal geometry, representative of light water high conversion reactors (LWHCRs). Results of parametric studies, based on over sixty forced-feed bottom reflooding experiments carried out with the NEPTUN-III (p / d = 1.13) test bundle, show that flooding rate is the most important, single thermal-hydraulics parameter. Direct comparisons with earlier NEPTUN experiments in standard LWR geometry indicate - on the basis of pressure difference considerations - that much smaller flooding rates may be expected to occur in tight LWHCR cores. The corresponding NEPTUN-III experiments show long-lasting rod surface temperature excursions with relatively high maximum temperatures being reached, and some of the more detailed experimental data collected is used to explain this behaviour. In spite of the above, rewetting of the tight-LWHCR geometry bundle was found to occur in all experiments with reasonably LWHCR-representative values for the various thermal-hydraulics parameters. © 1992.