Neutron imaging of annular flows in a tight lattice fuel bundle model

Robert Zboray, Horst Michael Prasser

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    High conversion light water reactors (HCLWRs), featuring tight lattice fuel bundles, could fulfill the transition between present-day and future, fast reactor based technology allowing an improved fuel utilization. Nevertheless, the cooling of the tight lattice and the thermal-hydraulic feasibility should be thoroughly examined. We have studied annular flows and the influence of functional spacer on them in a tight lattice fuel bundle model using cold-neutron imaging, a non-intrusive technique. The investigation focused on adiabatic, air-water annular flows in a scaled-up model of four neighboring subchannels of a tight lattice fuel bundle model. Liquid film thickness distributions have been measured for different flow conditions with and without spacer to quantify the influence of the latter. The film thickness is determined with a minimal bias and a reasonable statistical uncertainty (7-10%) at a high spatial resolution (∼60 μm). The entrained liquid hold-up fraction and the effect of the spacer on it is given as well.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)589-599
    Number of pages11
    JournalNuclear Engineering and Design
    Volume262
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2013

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
    • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
    • General Materials Science
    • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
    • Waste Management and Disposal
    • Mechanical Engineering

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Neutron imaging of annular flows in a tight lattice fuel bundle model'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this