Experimental study of heavy-liquid metal (LBE) flow and heat transfer along a hexagonal 19-rod bundle with wire spacers

摘要

An experimental campaign considering a 19-pin hexagonal rod bundle with wire spacers, cooled by forced-convective LBE was completed at the Karlsruhe Liquid Metal Laboratory (KALLA). In the frame of the European research project SEARCH (Safe Exploitation Related Chemistry for HLM Reactors, 2011-2015) the geometry and operating conditions of temperature, flow velocity and power density are representative of the fuel assemblies envisaged for the MYRRHA reactor. An extensive test matrix is evaluated, with 33 experimental runs covering a wide range of Reynolds (ca. 14 000-48 000) and Peclet (ca. 400-1500) numbers, as well as thermal powers (up to 295 kW) at 200 degrees C inlet temperature, indicating a good degree of reproducibility within the relatively small experimental uncertainties.