TESTS ON GAS SPACE REFLECTIVE INSULATIONS

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4836828

Results are presented from tests on reflective insulations for use in gas cooled reactor coolant ducts. Reflective insulation restricts heat flow by enclosing gas in narrow vertical gas spaces thus inhibiting convection and restricting heat flow to that by gas conduction and radiation, and by reducing radiation heat flow by using the gas convection inhibiting shields as reflectors. The program was divided into two stages. The object of the first stage was to obtain thermal conductivity data for helium in some existing gas space insulation configuration, and to discover whether heat transfer performance of gas space insulations with helium could be predicted from relevant established non- dimensional correlations. The object of the second stage was to establish thermal conductivity data for ORNL reflective insulation configurations. Test data were to cover sufficient range and be of sufficient accuracy for use in reactor loop design. Data are presented on the seven configurations tested. Results indicate that the ORNL arrangement was suitable for He, but not entirely suitable for CO/sub 2/. With He, low pressure results for gross thermal conductivity were within the range of 0.15 to 0.21 BTU/ft hr deg F at pressures of 100 psia or less. An increase of up to 35% is observed with increase of pressure from 50 to 1000 psia. Tests on a control gas space configuration produced values for thermal conductivity of He approximately 10% lower than that generally accepted. This could be taken as an indication that all thermal conductivity values presented in this report are approximately 10% low. In CO/ sub 2/, gross thermal conductivity increases from 0.06 to approximately 0.3 BTU/ ft hr deg F with an increase of pressure from 50 to 1000 psia. (auth)

• Research Organization: Orenda Engines Ltd., Malton, Ont.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-031818
• OSTI ID: 4836828
• Report Number(s): TID-13441
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CARBON DIOXIDE
CONVECTION
COOLANT LOOPS
DIAGRAMS
GAS COOLANT
HEAT TRANSFER
HELIUM
MEASURED VALUES
PRESSURE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REFLECTION
TESTING
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMAL INSULATION
THERMAL RADIATION
VARIATIONS