Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Heat Transfer Measurements in the University of Wisconsin Supercritical Water Loop

Conference ·
OSTI ID:21021118
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (United States)
The status of experiments conducted on the University of Wisconsin supercritical water loop is presented. The first series of experiments are conducted with a 4.27 cm circular outer geometry and a single 3 m long 1 cm diameter simulated fuel pin. The electrically heated simulated fuel pin can achieve 1500 kW/m{sup 2} heat flux at temperatures up to 650 deg C. A linear heat flux is established over the 1 m heated length of the 3 m long pin. Heat transfer measurements are based off of 16 thermocouples uniformly positioned in the heater and corresponding adjacent bulk flow thermocouple measurements. A variety of flow conditions established with a SCW pump, controlled with a frequency drive, capable of pumping the 500 deg C 25 MPa water at flow rates of up to 2000 kg/m{sup 2}s, measured with a calibrated orifice flow meter, are presented. The range of flow rates, heat fluxes and bulk fluid temperatures allow the study of the heat transfer below, above and at the conditions anticipated to cause heat transfer deterioration. Details of a series of shakedown tests performed at 1400 kg/m{sup 2}/s with bulk water temperatures of 300 and 370 deg C in up-flow will be the focus of the paper. Along with the heat transfer data the status of the diagnostic development to allow the measurement of the density and velocity next to the fuel pin will be reviewed. The calibration of molecular Raman scattering signal from SCW will be presented and discussed. These measurements pave the way to non-intrusive high frequency {approx}3 kHz point density measurements in the SCW flows. Tests conducted in a static cell to perform the calibration and development of the diagnostic technique are presented. (authors)
Research Organization:
American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
OSTI ID:
21021118
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English