Experimental study on gas-injection enhanced circulation performed with the CIRCE facility

This paper describes the results of an experimental campaign concerning the possibility of achieving a steady state circulation by gas-injection in a pool containing lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) as working fluid. The activity was aimed at gaining information about the basic mechanisms of the gas injection enhanced circulation intended as a pumping system for a liquid metal cooled reactor. In particular, the paper is focused on the experimental work performed in the CIRCE large-scale facility, installed at the ENEA Brasimone Centre for studying the fluid-dynamic and operating behaviour of ADS reactor plants cooled by LBE. The gas enhanced circulation tests were carried out for different LBE temperatures (from 200 to 320 °C), under isothermal conditions and with a wide range of argon injected flow rates (from 0.5 to 7.0 Nl/s). The gas is injected from the bottom of the riser, by means of an appropriate nozzle, and the liquid metal flow rate is measured by a Venturi-Nozzle flow meter installed in the single phase part of the test section. The obtained results allowed formulating a characteristic curve of the system and evaluating the void fraction distribution along the riser path by means differential pressure measurements, which play an important role to generating the driving force for the circulation.     

Addressing the heavy liquid metal – Water interaction issue in LBE system

The interaction between heavy liquid metal (HLM) and water is a safety concern for the preliminary designs of lead fast reactor (i.e. LFR) and of subcritical transmutation system prototypes (i.e. XT-ADS). Current pool-type configurations have steam generators (SG) inside the reactor vessel. This implies that the primary to secondary leak (e.g. steam generator tube rupture) shall be considered as a postulated initiating event. The issue is addressed for CIRCE facility in ICE (Integral Circulation Experiment) configuration. CIRCE facility is a large pool system aimed at studying key operating principles of Lead Bismuth Eutectic (and Lead) systems. The configuration ICE was carried out to perform integral experiments, simulating the coupling between a high-performance heat source (electrically heated fuel bundle) and the heat exchanger, which was representative of the preliminary design of the XT-ADS heat exchanger. A Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is applied in order to get a complete picture of all the failure modes pertaining to this system, to determine their effects and to classify them according to their severity. The outcome of the analysis has identified as major hazard, relative to the CIRCE facility in the ICE configuration, the risk related to the LBE/water reaction, although with a very low probability, with the potential for a suddenly and dangerous pressurization (beyond the failure threshold) within the main vessel. A SIMMER-III code model of the system has been setup to provide deterministic results of the scenario. The results are supported by means of a LBE/water interaction experiment executed in LIFUS5 facility. LIFUS5 is a separate effect test facility dedicated to the investigation of LBE/water interaction. SIMMER-III code pre-test and post-test analyses are performed to define the boundary conditions of the experiment and to demonstrate the reliability of the code in simulating the phenomena of interest. The activity contributes to solving the safety issue raised for the operation of CIRCE facility and it provides a sample approach for addressing the safety studies needed in the development of the lead fast reactor and of the subcritical transmutation system.     

Natural circulation in a liquid metal one-dimensional loop

A wide use of pure lead, as well as its alloys (such as lead-bismuth, lead-lithium), is foreseen in several nuclear-related fields: it is studied as coolant in critical and sub-critical nuclear reactors, as spallation target for neutron generation in several applications and for tritium generation in fusion systems. In this framework, a new facility named NAtural CIrculation Experiment (NACIE), has been designed at ENEA-Brasimone Research Centre. NACIE is a rectangular loop, made by stainless steel pipes. It consists mainly of a cold and hot leg and an expansion tank installed on the top of the loop. A fuel bundle simulator, made by three electrical heaters placed in a triangular lattice, is located in the lower part of the cold leg, while a tube in tube heat exchanger is installed in the upper part of the hot leg. The adopted secondary fluid is THT oil, while the foreseen primary fluid for the tests is lead-bismuth in eutectic composition (LBE). The aim of the facility is to carry out experimental tests of natural circulation and collect data on the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) for heavy liquid metal flowing through rod bundles. The paper is focused on the preliminary estimation of the LBE flow rate along the loop. An analytical methodology has been applied, solving the continuity, momentum and energy transport equations under appropriate hypothesis. Moreover numerical simulations have been performed. The FLUENT 6.2 CFD code has been utilized for the numerical simulations. The main results carried out from the pre-tests simulations are illustrated in the paper, and a comparison with the theoretical estimations is done.     

Dryout characteristics and flow behavior of gas-water two-phase flow through U-shaped and inverted U-shaped bends

Experimental results are presented on the flow behavior, pressure drop characteristics, and dryout characteristics by joule heating for the gas-water two-phase flow through U-shaped and inverted U-shaped tubes in vertical plane. The height of the vertical straight section of the test tube is 4100 mm, and two bend radii, 116 mm and 435 mm, are chosen for the experiments. The test tubes used are of transparent acrylic resin for the flow behavior test, and of stainless steel for the other tests, inside diameter being 18 mm for the former and 18.5 mm for the latter. Flow patterns in the vertical upflow and downflow sections are shown on the diagram of the superficial gas velocity versus liquid velocity. Further, the flow behavior in the bend section is made clear in relation to flow rates of gas and liquid. The pressure drop between inlet and outlet of the test tube for the two-phase flow is shown in comparisons with that for the single-phase flow of water. The threshold conditions of dryout in the bend section by joule heating are shown on the diagram of the superficial gas velocity versus liquid velocity. The location of the dryout in the bend section is also clarified.     

Aspects of minimizing steel corrosion in liquid lead-alloys by addition of oxygen

Minimizing steel corrosion in liquid lead-alloys by addition of oxygen requires devices for efficient oxygen transfer and reliable oxygen sensors. The accuracy of electrochemical oxygen sensors is analyzed using theoretical considerations and results from experiments in stagnant lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE). Additionally, the feasibility of gas/liquid oxygen-transfer and the long-term performance of electrochemical sensors in flowing liquid metal are addressed on the basis of the operating experience of the CORRIDA loop, a facility for testing steels in flowing LBE.     

液态铅铋合金回路氧输运特性的数值研究

为研究液态铅铋合金（LBE）冷却剂系统气态氧控装置——膨胀箱中覆盖气体的氧输运特性,利用计算流体动力学（CFD）软件ANSYS Fluent对氧输运进行了数值计算。根据覆盖气体流动特性和混合气体中低氧分压特点,对膨胀箱气相空间进行简化,将气-液交界面视为氧浓度恒定的自由表面边界,采用组分输运模型计算气体和液态LBE之间传质后的液态LBE氧浓度。结果表明,传质系数随液态LBE入口流速增大而增大,液态LBE入口流速增大则膨胀箱内气-液对流强度增加,有利于增强膨胀箱的氧输运;膨胀箱中液态LBE温度越高,则氧输运的平均传质系数越大;在液态LBE入口流速一定时,平均传质系数可表示为温度的递增函数。在饱和氧浓度阈值内,入口氧浓度和气-液交界面氧浓度不影响膨胀箱的传质系数,对液态LBE回路的氧浓度控制有利。本研究定量获得了使液态LBE回路处于合理氧浓度范围内的操作条件,为实验及系统设计提供数据参考。     

基于扩散界面法的液态铅铋合金中气泡上升行为模拟

基于扩散界面法,对单个氮气气泡在液态铅铋合金内从静止到充分发展整个过程中的动力学行为进行数值模拟,得到气泡形变特性和气泡上升速度随时间的变化关系,将模拟结果与Grace经验关系图对比,发现模拟得到的气泡形变结果在Grace经验关系图中均可找到且很好地吻合,从而验证了扩散界面法在模拟液态铅铋合金中气泡上升行为的可行性和准确性。同时基于界面扩散法的模拟,对比了5种不同初始直径的氮气泡在液态铅铋合金中的上升行为,发现初始直径较小的气泡在上升过程中扰动会更剧烈,初始直径较大的气泡在上升过程中易发生分裂现象。     

Preliminary results of post-irradiation examinations on LiSoR-2 test section

Liquid-solid reaction under irradiation (LiSoR) experiments are aimed at understanding the effects of liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) corrosion and embrittlement under irradiation on structural materials, which is one of the key items of the materials R&D for the future accelerator-driven system (ADS). The LiSoR setup is basically a LBE loop with a test section irradiated with 72 MeV protons. The second irradiation was conducted for about 34 h and terminated after a leakage of LBE was detected. Post-irradiation examinations (PIE) are being performed on both the tube and tensile specimen in the test section. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and microhardness tests have been completed. The results show that a crack formed in the irradiation zone of the tube. In the material in the irradiation zones of both the tube and the tensile specimen dislocation cell structure is well developed, which indicates heavy deformation due to thermal fatigue. The crack should start at the inner surface and propagate to the outer surface. The fracture surfaces of the crack are dominated by a brittle cleavage fracture mode. However, on the surfaces of the tensile specimen, no microcracks are observed.     

Equilibrium Evaporation Behavior of Polonium and Its Homologue Tellurium in Liquid Lead-Bismuth Eutectic

Experimental study using the transpiration method investigates equilibrium evaporation behavior of radionuclide polonium (²¹⁰Po) generated and accumulated in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled nuclear systems. The experiment consists of two series of tests: preliminary evaporation tests for homologue element tellurium (Te) in LBE, and evaporation tests for ²¹⁰Po-accumulated LBE in which test specimens are prepared by neutron irradiation.

The evaporation tests of Te in LBE provide the suggestion that Te exists in a chemical form of PbTe as well as the information for confirming the validity of technique and conditions of Po test. From the evaporation tests of ²¹⁰Po in LBE, we obtain fundamental data and empirical equations such as ²¹⁰Po vapor concentration in the gas phase, ²¹⁰Po partial vapor pressure, thermodynamic activity coefficients, and gas-liquid equilibrium partition coefficients of ²¹⁰Po in LBE in the temperature range from 450 to 750°C. Additionally, radioactivity concentration of ²¹⁰Po and ^210mBi vapor in a cover gas region of a typical LBE-cooled nuclear system is specifically estimated based on the obtained experimental results, and the importance of ²¹⁰Po evaporation behavior is quantitatively demonstrated.     

Determination of strain components in low-cycle multiaxial fatigue tests on tubes

Many thermal cycling tests are characterized by an equibaxial stress distribution. To simulate this kind of loading under isothermal conditions at room temperature, a test facility for multiaxial isothermal tests on tubes has been developed. The tubes are subjected to a longitudinal tension compression load within a superimposed circumferential load using internal and external pressures. Owing to the gradient of stresses and strains over the wall thickness, the stress-strain distribution at the inner tube wall differs markedly from the values outside. Therefore they have to be calculated depending on the measured forces, pressures and the dimensions of the specimen. In the present paper, measurement and evaluation of the stress-strain distribution over the tube wall are described.     

Novel experimental measuring techniques required to provide data for CFD validation

CFD code validation requires experimental data that characterize the distributions of parameters within large flow domains. On the other hand, the development of geometry-independent closure relations for CFD codes have to rely on instrumentation and experimental techniques appropriate for the phenomena that are to be modelled, which usually requires high spatial and time resolution. The paper reports about the use of wire-mesh sensors to study turbulent mixing processes in single-phase flow as well as to characterize the dynamics of the gas–liquid interface in a vertical pipe flow. Experiments at a pipe of a nominal diameter of 200 mm are taken as the basis for the development and test of closure relations describing bubble coalescence and break-up, interfacial momentum transfer and turbulence modulation for a multi-bubble-class model. This is done by measuring the evolution of the flow structure along the pipe. The transferability of the extended CFD code to more complicated 3D flow situations is assessed against measured data from tests involving two-phase flow around an asymmetric obstacle placed in a vertical pipe. The obstacle, a half-moon-shaped diaphragm, is movable in the direction of the pipe axis; this allows the 3D gas fraction field to be recorded without changing the sensor position. In the outlook, the pressure chamber of TOPFLOW is presented, which will be used as the containment for a test facility, in which experiments can be conducted in pressure equilibrium with the inner atmosphere of the tank. In this way, flow structures can be observed by optical means through large-scale windows even at pressures of up to 5 MPa. The so-called “Diving Chamber” technology will be used for Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) tests. Finally, some important trends in instrumentation for multi-phase flows will be given. This includes the state-of-art of X-ray and gamma tomography, new multi-component wire-mesh sensors, and a discussion of the potential of other non-intrusive techniques, such as neutron radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).     

铅铋快堆螺旋管直流蒸汽发生器热工水力特性数值研究

本研究以铅铋快堆螺旋管直流蒸汽发生器（HOTSG）设计结构为研究对象,采用精细网格与多孔介质相结合的物理建模方法,通过一次侧三维湍流计算与二次侧用户自定义函数（UDF）分区传热计算相耦合的手段,在FLUENT求解器中开展了蒸汽发生器的热工水力特性数值分析研究。研究表明:铅铋入口附近的流量分配孔和腔室对应的直管段区域出现铅铋流速峰值,径向最大速度为0.431 m/s;入口腔室至管束区位置受到阻力突变的影响,压力、横流速度、轴向速度变化较大;热工参数变化符合流动与传热机理,临界热流密度（CHF）点附近一二次侧温差最大为109.61 K,此处最大热流密度为323.55 kW/m2。该研究将为铅铋快堆HOTSG结构设计、流致振动及安全评价提供重要的参考。      

Upgrading the NIFS superconductor test facility for JT-60SA cable-in-conduit conductors

The superconductor test facility at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) was upgraded to test cable-in-conduit (CIC) conductors for the JT-60SA equilibrium field (EF) coil. Supercritical helium (SHe) lines were assembled with transfer tubes and a heat exchanger. The CIC conductor was covered with a thermal insulation vessel, filled with gas helium at atmospheric pressure. The temperature of the conductor was varied using a film heater attached to an inlet pipe. Critical current (Ic) and current sharing temperature (Tcs) measurements of the prototype CIC conductor were carried out successfully in the upgraded test facility. During the measurements, the conductor temperature was precisely controlled.     

薄壁管高温爆破试验装置研制及应用

为获得燃料组件及燃料相关组件用包壳管的高温爆破性能,研制了薄壁金属管高温爆破试验装置,主要由高压气源单元、试验气氛单元、加热单元、试验台架及测控单元组成。该装置可实现的最高试验温度为1 200 ℃、最高升温速率为10 ℃/s、最大试验压力为100 MPa;可完成压水堆运行工况下的等温高温爆破及模拟事故工况下的瞬态加热高温爆破两种试验。利用该装置完成了316L不锈钢薄壁管的瞬态加热高温爆破试验,获得了600~1 200 ℃、升温速率为5 ℃/s条件下的高温爆破强度（极限环向应力）和周向延伸率数据。试验装置的验证及不锈钢薄壁管的高温爆破试验表明,研制的薄壁金属管高温爆破试验装置满足试验要求,试验灵活方便、控制精度高。     

Characteristics of the local bubble parameters of a subcooled boiling flow in an annulus

An experimental study on the subcooled boiling phenomena was carried out in the SUBO (SUbcooled BOiling) test facility under steam-water flow condition. The test section is a vertical annulus of which axial length is 4.165 m with a heater rod at the center of a channel. The inner and outer diameters of the test section and the heater rod are 35.5 mm and 9.98 mm, respectively. For the measurement of the local bubble parameters, double sensor optical fiber probes were applied at six elevations along the test channel. Among them, one is installed in the unheated region which is located downstream of the heated section for the measurement of bubble condensation. A total of six test cases was chosen for the parametric study of the heat flux of 370-563 kW/m², mass flux of 1110-2100 kg/(m² s) and inlet subcooling of 19-31 K at pressure condition of 0.15-0.2 MPa. From the test, local void fraction, interfacial area concentration, Sauter mean diameter and bubble velocity were measured at 11 radial locations at each elevation. The measured data shows well development and propagation of the bubble parameters along the test channel. The present data is expected to be suitable for a benchmark, validation and model development of the CFD codes or existing safety analysis codes.     

On the thermal analysis of pressure tube/calandria tube contact in CANDU reactors

Under abnormal conditions contact between a pressure tube and the surrounding calandria tube in the core of a CANDU reactor may take place. The resulting temperature field may adversely affect the hydrogen diffusion characteristics in the pressure tube material. This paper is concerned with the thermal aspects of contacting pressure and calandria tubes. A critical review of existing thermal interfacial conductance correlations and their applicability to this problem was carried out. Experiments were also carried out to obtain detailed temperature distribution in the walls of typical pressure and calandria tubes in contact under simulated operating conditions. The thermal fields in both tubes were obtained as functions of the contact pressure and system temperatures. The results showed that the heat flow within the contact area is essentially one-dimensional. The data was used to calculate the interfacial thermal conductance as a function of contact pressure. The results were compared with available interfacial conductance correlations and an assessment of their applicability was accordingly made.     

Effect of the presence of In and Sn in the oxygen chemistry in molten 44.5% lead-55.5% bismuth alloy

The oxygen activity and its control is a key parameter in the use of molten lead-bismuth eutectic LBE in accelerator-driven systems (ADS) reactors. The presence of pollutants in the molten alloy, such as metallic impurities dissolved from the structural material or from other sources, can modify the oxygen chemistry in the molten alloy. For this reason, the oxygen activity in molten LBE has been studied under the presence of In and Sn as a metallic impurities. All the experiments were performed with a shift of the covering gas from a reductive environment (Ar + 10% H₂) to air (20% O₂). These covering gas conditions were used to enable measurement of the electrochemical potential of the sensor in a low oxygen environment and under oxygen saturation conditions of the molten alloy (Me/LBE). All of the tests were performed at 500 °C and in stagnant conditions in an autoclave.