skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Ex-reactor determination of thermal gap conductance between uranium dioxide and Zircaloy-4. Stage II: high gas pressure

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6029459

A study of thermal gap conductance (H/sub g/) between depleted UO/sub 2/ and Zircaloy-4 was performed using a transient laser pulse technique under varying conditions of gas pressure (0.1 to 7 MPa), temperature (283 to 673K), gas composition (He, Ar, and He-Xe, He-Ar mixtures) and gap width (5.9 and 23.1 ..mu..m). At fixed gap width, H/sub g/ is dependent upon these variables with the following behavior observed: H/sub g/ exhibits a strong dependence on gas pressure over the range 0.1 to 1 MPa; H/sub g/ decreases with increasing xenon or argon gas concentration at any given temperature and gas pressure; H/sub g/ increases with argon gas pressure over the range 1 to 7 MPa corresponding to the reported increase in argon gas thermal conductivity; and, at a gap of 5.9 ..mu..m, H/sub 2/ exhibits a pronounced hump at gas pressures between 0.1 and 2 MPa for He and He-Xe (90:10) gas mixtures progressively diminishing with decreasing temperature, xenon or argon concentration; and/or increased gap width separation. Comparison of results to predictions based on an ideal expression for thermal gap conductance is made. Gaseous mechanisms of heat transfer under narrow gap conditions are discussed.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6029459
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-9582; CONF-8106164-6; ON: TI85004755
Resource Relation:
Conference: National Bureau of Standards joint conferences: 8. symposium on thermophysical properties; 17. thermal conductivity conference; 8, Gaithersburg, MD, USA, 15 Jun 1981
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English