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Title: Experiments on High-Speed Liquid Films Over Downward-Facing Wetting and Nonwetting Surfaces

Abstract

The fusion event in inertial fusion energy reactors can damage the chamber first walls. The Prometheus design study used a high-speed tangentially injected thin film of molten lead to protect the upper endcap of the reactor chamber. To assure full chamber coverage, the film must remain attached. Film detachment due to gravitational effects is most likely to occur on downward-facing surfaces.Experiments were therefore conducted on turbulent water films with initial thicknessess and speeds up to 2 mm and 11 m/s, respectively, onto the downward-facing surface of a flat plate 0-45 deg. below the horizontal. Average film detachment and lateral extent along the plate were measured. Detachment length appears to be a linear function of Froude number. Results for film flows over wetting and nonwetting surfaces show that surface wettability has a major impact. The data are used to establish conservative 'design windows' for film detachment. Film flow around cylindrical obstacles, modeling protective dams around chamber penetrations, was also studied. The results suggest that cylindrical dams cannot be used to protect penetrations, and that new chamber penetration geometries that avoid flow separation are a major design issue for this type of thin liquid protection.

Authors:
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Georgia Institute of Technology (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
20849501
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Fusion Science and Technology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 44; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2006 American Nuclear Society (ANS), United States, All rights reserved. http://epubs.ans.org/; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1536-1055
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION; DESIGN; FILM FLOW; FIRST WALL; FROUDE NUMBER; ICF DEVICES; INERTIAL CONFINEMENT; INERTIAL FUSION DRIVERS; LIQUIDS; PLATES; SURFACES; THIN FILMS; VELOCITY; WATER; WETTABILITY

Citation Formats

Anderson, J K, Yoda, M, Abdel-Khalik, S I, and Sadowski, D L. Experiments on High-Speed Liquid Films Over Downward-Facing Wetting and Nonwetting Surfaces. United States: N. p., 2003. Web.
Anderson, J K, Yoda, M, Abdel-Khalik, S I, & Sadowski, D L. Experiments on High-Speed Liquid Films Over Downward-Facing Wetting and Nonwetting Surfaces. United States.
Anderson, J K, Yoda, M, Abdel-Khalik, S I, and Sadowski, D L. 2003. "Experiments on High-Speed Liquid Films Over Downward-Facing Wetting and Nonwetting Surfaces". United States.
@article{osti_20849501,
title = {Experiments on High-Speed Liquid Films Over Downward-Facing Wetting and Nonwetting Surfaces},
author = {Anderson, J K and Yoda, M and Abdel-Khalik, S I and Sadowski, D L},
abstractNote = {The fusion event in inertial fusion energy reactors can damage the chamber first walls. The Prometheus design study used a high-speed tangentially injected thin film of molten lead to protect the upper endcap of the reactor chamber. To assure full chamber coverage, the film must remain attached. Film detachment due to gravitational effects is most likely to occur on downward-facing surfaces.Experiments were therefore conducted on turbulent water films with initial thicknessess and speeds up to 2 mm and 11 m/s, respectively, onto the downward-facing surface of a flat plate 0-45 deg. below the horizontal. Average film detachment and lateral extent along the plate were measured. Detachment length appears to be a linear function of Froude number. Results for film flows over wetting and nonwetting surfaces show that surface wettability has a major impact. The data are used to establish conservative 'design windows' for film detachment. Film flow around cylindrical obstacles, modeling protective dams around chamber penetrations, was also studied. The results suggest that cylindrical dams cannot be used to protect penetrations, and that new chamber penetration geometries that avoid flow separation are a major design issue for this type of thin liquid protection.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20849501}, journal = {Fusion Science and Technology},
issn = {1536-1055},
number = 1,
volume = 44,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2003},
month = {Tue Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2003}
}