Energy transfer mechanisms in LMR rod bundles under mixed convection conditions

The energy transfer mechanisms operative under mixed convection conditions in heated rod arrays are identified. The relative importance of these various mechanisms of energy transfer has been assessed and is presented in regime maps which allow the designer and experimentalist to rapidly assess the characteristics of an operating regime and the capabilities needed in an analysis tool to treat such a regime. Azimuthal heater rod conduction is important for boron nitride insulated rods typically utilized in out-of-pile sodium tests. Therefore the comparison of energy transfer mechanisms necessitated the development of a correlation for azimuthal heater rod conduction. This correlation has been derived from a physical model formulated to describe this conduction effect. The proposed correlation has been tested against experimental data from out-of-pile tests and has been proven accurate for predicting the azimuthal heater rod conduction effect in LMR rod bundles.