Nanofluids are suspensions of nanosized particles in any base fluid that show significant enhancement of their heat transfer properties at modest nanoparticle concentrations. Due to enhanced thermal properties at low nanoparticle concentration, it is a potential candidate for utilization in nuclear heat transfer applications. In the last decade, there have been few studies which indicate possible advantages of using nanofluids as a coolant in nuclear reactors during normal as well as accidental conditions. In continuation with these studies, the utilization of nanofluids as a viable candidate for emergency core cooling in nuclear reactors is explored in this paper by carrying out experiments in a scaled facility. The experiments carried out mainly focus on quenching behavior of a simulated nuclear fuel rod bundle by using 1% Alumina nanofluid as a coolant in emergency core cooling system (ECCS). In addition, its performance is compared with water. In the experiments, nuclear decay heat (from 1.5% to 2.6% reactor full power) is simulated through electrical heating. The present experiments show that, from heat transfer point of view, alumina nanofluids have a definite advantage over water as coolant for ECCS. Additionally, to assess the suitability of using nanofluids in reactors, their stability was investigated in radiation field. Our tests showed good stability even after very high dose of radiation, indicating the feasibility of their possible use in nuclear reactor heat transfer systems.
The physical phenomena of rewetting and quenching are of prime importance in nuclear reactor safety in the event of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). In such a case, the fuel pins become dry hot. Under this condition, cold water is injected from emergency core cooling system (ECCS). The quenching behavior of such heated rod bundle (re-flood heat transfer behavior) is quite complex. It is well known that Nanofluids have better heat removal capability and a high heat transfer coefficient owing to their enhanced thermal properties. Recent investigations have shown that the addition of the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles result in better cooling capabilities as compared to the traditionally used quenching media. In this context, the authors have carried out experiments on quenching behavior of hot zircalloy tube with water and nanofluids as stated above. Quenching of the tube was observed to occur within few seconds in both the cases in the presence of decay heat. It was also observed that the nanofluids showed slightly reduced quenching time as compared to water.
The physical phenomena of rewetting and quenching are of prime importance in nuclear reactor safety in the event of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Generally, top spray or bottom flooding concepts are used in reactors. Numerical simulation of these processes entails the use of the concept of a rewetting velocity. However, heat transfer just before and after the rewetting front is often assumed in an ad hoc fashion. The present work aims to evaluate the surface heat flux during quenching as a function of surface temperature. The experiments presented herein are primarily applicable to the bottom flooding scenario with high flooding rate. In the experiments, a rod heated above Leidenfrost point is immersed in a pool of water. The surface temperature was recorded using a surface-mounted thermocouple. The surface heat flux was then determined numerically and hence can be related to a particular value of surface temperature. This type of data is useful for numerical simulations of quenching phenomena. In addition to this, high-speed photography was undertaken to visualize the phenomena taking place during the rewetting and quenching. Both subcooled and saturated water pools have been used and compared in the experiments. Surface finish was seen to influence rewetting process by a mechanism which here is termed as “transition boiling enhanced film boiling.” The effect of using nanofluids was also studied. No marked change is observed in the overall quenching time with nanofluids, however, the initial cooling is apparently faster.
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