TY - JOUR
T1 - Thermal hydraulic effect of fuel plate surface roughness
AU - Guillen, Donna Post
AU - Yoder, Timothy S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported through funding provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to the Idaho National Laboratory, operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517. This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the US Government. Neither the US Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the US Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the US Government or any agency thereof.
PY - 2008/9/1
Y1 - 2008/9/1
N2 - This study presents surface roughness measurements characteristic of the pre-film layer applied to a typical Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) fuel plate. This data is used to estimate the friction factor for thermal hydraulic flow calculations of a Gas Test Loop (GTL) system proposed for incorporation into ATR to provide a fast neutron flux environment for the testing of nuclear fuels and materials. To attain the required neutron flux, the design includes booster fuel plates clad with the same aluminum alloy as the ATR driver fuel and cooled with water supplied by the ATR primary coolant pumps. The objectives of this study are to (1) determine the surface roughness of the protective boehmite layer applied to the ATR driver fuel prior to reactor operations in order to specify the machining tolerances for the surface finish on simulated booster fuel plates in a GTL hydraulic flow test model and (2) assess the consequent thermal hydraulic impact due to surface roughness on the coolability of the booster fuel with a similar pre-film layer applied. While the maximum roughness of this coating is specified to be 1.6 μm (63 μin.), no precise data on the actual roughness were available. A representative sample coupon autoclaved with the ATR driver fuel to produce the pre-film coating was analyzed using optical profilometry. Measurements yielded a mean surface roughness of 0.53 μm (21 μin.). Results from a sensitivity study show that a ±15% deviation from the mean measured surface finish would have a minimal effect on coolant temperature, coolant flow rate, and fuel temperature. However, frictional losses from roughnesses greater than 1.5 μm (∼60 μin.) produce a marked decrease in flow rate, causing fuel and coolant temperatures to rise sharply. © 2008 Elsevier B.V.
AB - This study presents surface roughness measurements characteristic of the pre-film layer applied to a typical Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) fuel plate. This data is used to estimate the friction factor for thermal hydraulic flow calculations of a Gas Test Loop (GTL) system proposed for incorporation into ATR to provide a fast neutron flux environment for the testing of nuclear fuels and materials. To attain the required neutron flux, the design includes booster fuel plates clad with the same aluminum alloy as the ATR driver fuel and cooled with water supplied by the ATR primary coolant pumps. The objectives of this study are to (1) determine the surface roughness of the protective boehmite layer applied to the ATR driver fuel prior to reactor operations in order to specify the machining tolerances for the surface finish on simulated booster fuel plates in a GTL hydraulic flow test model and (2) assess the consequent thermal hydraulic impact due to surface roughness on the coolability of the booster fuel with a similar pre-film layer applied. While the maximum roughness of this coating is specified to be 1.6 μm (63 μin.), no precise data on the actual roughness were available. A representative sample coupon autoclaved with the ATR driver fuel to produce the pre-film coating was analyzed using optical profilometry. Measurements yielded a mean surface roughness of 0.53 μm (21 μin.). Results from a sensitivity study show that a ±15% deviation from the mean measured surface finish would have a minimal effect on coolant temperature, coolant flow rate, and fuel temperature. However, frictional losses from roughnesses greater than 1.5 μm (∼60 μin.) produce a marked decrease in flow rate, causing fuel and coolant temperatures to rise sharply. © 2008 Elsevier B.V.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/48149109778
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/983963c0-4d02-33e8-8ffe-6bb2ce016a32/
U2 - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.03.014
DO - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.03.014
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:48149109778
SN - 0029-5493
VL - 238
SP - 2480
EP - 2483
JO - Nuclear Engineering and Design
JF - Nuclear Engineering and Design
IS - 9
ER -