Experimental hydraulic study of a fluidized-bed reactor

This article reports the results of an experimental rig that was developed to study the bed fluidization in a fluidized-bed nuclear reactor model by measuring bed porosity using gamma absorptiometry. This hydraulic study reveals some problems with the fluidized bed control resulting from the original design concept for some reactor components. As a consequence, the limiting screen and control ring will have to be redesigned, making possible the formation of a stable fluidization for fuel/moderator aspect ratio between 0.75 and 1.0.