To examine the function of the safety-related SNR-2 decay heat removal concept, natural convection experiments were performed in two- and three-dimensional water models, scaled 1:20, under conditions of symmetric and nonsymmetric loads of the immersed coolers installed in the upper plenum at 180-deg positions with respect to each other. The temperature and velocity distributions were measured and the flow patterns recorded for different configurations of the instrumented plug. For symmetric load conditions, symmetric temperature and flow distributions were measured in two- and three-dimensional models. Nonsymmetric load conditions produce remarkable temperature differences between the two separated plenums of the two-dimensional model if fluid circulation is suppressed by a closed plug. An open plug allows fluid to pass through and shows lower temperature differences. In contrast, in the three-dimensional experiment, azimuthal fluid flow inside the plenum prevails even with the plug closed, and identical temperature distributions are measured. The calculations using the COMMIX-1B code are generally in good agreement with the measurements.