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Title: Joint U. S. --U. S. S. R. test of U. S. MHD electrode systems in U. S. S. R. U-02 MHD facility (phase I). Final report

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7237502· OSTI ID:7237502

The first (Phase I) joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. test of U.S. electrode materials was carried out in Moscow between September 25 and October 8, 1975 in the Soviet U-02 MHD facility. The test procedure followed closely a predetermined work plan designed to test five different zirconia based materials and the cathode and anode electrode wall modules under MHD operating conditions. The materials which were selected were 88Zr0/sub 2/-12Y/sub 2/0/sub 3/, 82Zr0/sub 2/-18Ce02, 50Zr0/sub 2/-50Ce0/sub 2/, 25Zr0/sub 2/-75Ce0/sub 2/ and 20Zr0/sub 2/-78Ce0/sub 2/-2Ta/sub 2/0/sub 5/. The electrode modules were constructed by Westinghouse Research and Development Laboratory. Each of the five electrode materials had four different current densities established between the anode and cathode during the experiment which lasted a total of 127 hours. There were four main phases in the test schedule: (1) start-up of the channel over a specific heating period. No seed (K/sub 2/C0/sub 3/) introduction - 18 hours. (2) Electrical tests at operating temperature to investigate electro-physical characteristics of the channel and electrodes - 6 hours. (3) Operating life test - 94 hours. (4) Shut-down of the channel over a specific cool down period - 9 hours. All except six electrode pairs performed satisfactorily during the entire test. These were the pairs which were designated to carry maximum or near maximum current density. Five pairs failed early in the life test and the sixth pair failed in the last several hours. Failure was not due to the electrode materials, however, but due to lead-out melting caused by joule heating in the platinum wires. The U-02 facility is described and the operational parameters are given for each phase of the test. The electrode and insulating walls are described and the appropriate parameters that are used to predict the performance of the module are given.

Research Organization:
Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States); National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC (United States); Westinghouse Research Labs., Pittsburgh, PA (USA); AN SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Vysokikh Temperatur
OSTI ID:
7237502
Report Number(s):
ERDA-76/154
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English