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• Different 1D/3D co-simulation implementation strategies within the CFD industry were identified. • Four different 1D/3D co-simulation strategies were explored to investigate the radiative- and convective heat transfer, and natural circulation phenomena occurring in a simplified water cooled RCCS facility. • The impact on simulation – stability, time and results were investigated. • The 1D/3D co-simulation methodologies were compared to a full 1D model consisting of the same specifications and setup. 1D/3D co-simulation is a promising approach for the modelling and simulation of complex systems. These systems are typically computationally intensive. By combining the desired features of a one-dimensional (1D) systems code and a three-dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, the required resources are optimized whilst still retaining an acceptable level of accuracy. Co-simulation has been applied in various domains and scenarios, often without a comprehensive study on the impact to simulation- stability, -time, and results. The purpose of this study is to explore the behaviour of some of the strategies by applying them to the simulation of the natural circulation occurring in a simplified Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS). Four different co-simulation approaches were explored to investigate the radiative- and convective- heat transfer as well as the natural circulation phenomena occurring in a RCCS facility. Typically, in these four modelling approaches a 3D methodology was employed to model the radiation and convection heat transfer in the cavity between the heater wall and the outer wall of the riser. The 1D methodology was employed to model the remainder of the RCCS system. The 1D systems code, Flownex, and the 3D CFD code Ansys Fluent were used to perform the 1D/3D co-simulations. Each of the codes modelled a relevant part of the RCCS facility and the models were coupled by explicitly exchanging boundary conditions or relevant data between the 1D and 3D regions. The validity of the coupled 1D/3D approaches was investigated by comparing them with a full 1D simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]