Radiolytic reactions in the coolant of helium cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tingey, G.L.; Morgan, W.C.

1975-01-01

The success of helium cooled reactors is dependent upon the ability to prevent significant reaction between the coolant and the other components in the reactor primary circuit. Since the thermal reaction of graphite with oxidizing gases is rapid at temperatures of interest, the thermal reactions are limited primarily by the concentration of impurity gases in the helium coolant. On the other hand, the rates of radiolytic reactions in helium are shown to be independent of reactive gas concentration until that concentration reaches a very low level. Calculated steady-state concentrations of reactive species in the reactor coolant and core burnoff rates are presented for current U. S. designed, helium cooled reactors. Since precise base data are not currently available for radiolytic rates of some reactions and thermal reaction rate data are often variable, the accuracy of the predicted gas composition is being compared with the actual gas compositions measured during startup tests of the Fort Saint Vrain high temperature gas-cooled reactor. The current status of these confirmatory tests is discussed. 12 references

LOFA analyses for the water and helium cooled SEAFP reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sponton, L.; Sjoeberg, A.; Nordlinder, S.

2001-01-01

This study was performed in the frame of the European long-term fusion safety programme 1999 (SEAFP99). Loss of flow accidents (LOFA) have been studied for two cases, first for a helium cooled reactor with advanced dual-coolant (DUAL) blanket at 100% nominal power. The second case applies to a water-cooled reactor at 20% nominal power. Both transients were simulated with the code MELCOR 1.8.4. The results for the helium cooled reactor show that with a natural circulation flow of helium after the pump stops, the first wall temperature will stay below the temperature for excepted failure of the construction material. For the water cooled reactor, the results show that the pressurizer set point for its liquid volumetric inventory is reached before the plasma facing components attain a critical temperature. The pressurizer set point will induce a plasma shutdown

Design of a power conversion system for an indirect cycle, helium cooled pebble bed reactor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, C.; Ballinger, R.G.; Stahle, P.W.; Demetri, E.; Koronowski, M.

2002-01-01

A design is presented for the turbomachinery for an indirect cycle, closed, helium cooled modular pebble bed reactor system. The design makes use of current technology and will operate with an overall efficiency of 45%. The design uses an intermediate heat exchanger which isolated the reactor cycle from the turbomachinery. This design excludes radioactive fission products from the turbomachinery. This minimizes the probability of an air ingress accident and greatly simplifies maintenance. (author)

Solutions for Liquid Nitrogen Pre-Cooling in Helium Refrigeration Cycles

CERN Document Server

Wagner, U

2000-01-01

Pre-cooling of helium by means of liquid nitrogen is the oldest and one of the most common process features used in helium liquefiers and refrigerators. Its two principle tasks are to allow or increase the rate of pure liquefaction, and to permit the initial cool-down of large masses to about 80 K. Several arrangements for the pre-cooling process are possible depending on the desired application. Each arrangement has its proper advantages and drawbacks. The aim of this paper is to review the possible process solutions for liquid nitrogen pre-cooling and their particularities.

Helium release rates and ODH calculations from RHIC magnet cooling line failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liaw, C.J.; Than, Y.; Tuozzolo, J.

2011-03-28

A catastrophic failure of the magnet cooling lines, similar to the LHC superconducting bus failure incident, could discharge cold helium into the RHIC tunnel and cause an Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) problem. A SINDA/FLUINT{reg_sign} model, which simulated the 4.5K/4 atm helium flowing through the magnet cooling system distribution lines, then through a line break into the insulating vacuum volumes and discharging via the reliefs into the RHIC tunnel, had been developed. Arc flash energy deposition and heat load from the ambient temperature cryostat surfaces are included in the simulations. Three typical areas: the sextant arc, the Triplet/DX/D0 magnets, and the injection area, had been analyzed. Results, including helium discharge rates, helium inventory loss, and the resulting oxygen concentration in the RHIC tunnel area, are reported. Good agreement had been achieved when comparing the simulation results, a RHIC sector depressurization test measurement, and some simple analytical calculations.

Liquid helium-cooled MOSFET preamplifier for use with astronomical bolometer

Science.gov (United States)

Goebel, J. H.

1977-01-01

A liquid helium-cooled p-channel enhancement mode MOSFET, the 3N167, is found to have sufficiently low noise for use as a preamplifier with helium-cooled bolometers that are used in infrared astronomy. Its characteristics at 300, 77, and 4.2 K are presented. It is also shown to have useful application with certain photoconductive and photovoltaic infrared detectors.

Supercritical Helium Cooling of the LHC Beam Screens

CERN Document Server

Hatchadourian, E; Tavian, L

1998-01-01

The cold mass of the LHC superconducting magnets, operating in pressurised superfluid helium at 1.9 K, must be shielded from the dynamic heat loads induced by the circulating particle beams, by means of beam screens maintained at higher temperature. The beam screens are cooled between 5 and 20 K by forced flow of weakly supercritical helium, a solution which avoids two-phase flow in the long, narr ow cooling channels, but still presents a potential risk of thermohydraulic instabilities. This problem has been studied by theoretical modelling and experiments performed on a full-scale dedicated te st loop.

Is cold better ? - exploring the feasibility of liquid-helium-cooled optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assoufid, L.; Mills, D.; Macrander, A.; Tajiri, G.

1999-01-01

Both simulations and recent experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source showed that the performance of liquid-nitrogen-cooled single-silicon crystal monochromators can degrade in a very rapid nonlinear fashion as the power and for power density is increased. As a further step towards improving the performance of silicon optics, we propose cooling with liquid helium, which dramatically improves the thermal properties of silicon beyond that of liquid nitrogen and brings the performance of single silicon-crystal-based synchrotrons radiation optics up to the ultimate limit. The benefits of liquid helium cooling as well as some of the associated technical challenges will be discussed, and results of thermal and structural finite elements simulations comparing the performance of silicon monochromators cooled with liquid nitrogen and helium will be given

Gas-cooled fast-breeder reactor. Helium Circulator Test Facility updated design cost estimate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-04-01

Costs which are included in the cost estimate are: Titles I, II, and III Architect-Engineering Services; Titles I, II, and III General Atomic Services; site clearing, grading, and excavation; bulk materials and labor of installation; mechanical and electrical equipment with installation; allowance for contractors' overhead, profit, and insurance; escalation on materials and labor; a contingency; and installation of GAC supplied equipment and materials. The total estimated cost of the facility in As Spent Dollars is $27,700,000. Also included is a cost comparison of the updated design and the previous conceptual design. There would be a considerable penalty for the direct-cooled system over the indirect-cooled system due to the excessive cost of the large diameter helium loop piping to an outdoor heat exchanger. The indirect cooled system which utilizes a helium/Dowtherm G heat exchanger and correspondingly smaller and lower pressure piping to its outdoor air cooler proved to be the more economical of the two systems

Thermal Performance of a Dual-Channel, Helium-Cooled, Tungsten Heat Exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youchison, Dennis L.; North, Mart T.

2000-01-01

Helium-cooled, refractory heat exchangers are now under consideration for first wall and divertor applications. These refractory devices take advantage of high temperature operation with large delta-Ts to effectively handle high heat fluxes. The high temperature helium can then be used in a gas turbine for high-efficiency power conversion. Over the last five years, heat removal with helium was shown to increase dramatically by using porous metal to provide a very large effective surface area for heat transfer in a small volume. Last year, the thermal performance of a bare-copper, dual-channel, helium-cooled, porous metal divertor mock-up was evaluated on the 30 kW Electron Beam Test System at Sandia National Laboratories. The module survived a maximum absorbed heat flux of 34.6 MW/m 2 and reached a maximum surface temperature of 593 C for uniform power loading of 3 kW absorbed on a 2-cm 2 area. An impressive 10 kW of power was absorbed on an area of 24 cm 2 . Recently, a similar dual-module, helium-cooled heat exchanger made almost entirely of tungsten was designed and fabricated by Thermacore, Inc. and tested at Sandia. A complete flow test of each channel was performed to determine the actual pressure drop characteristics. Each channel was equipped with delta-P transducers and platinum RTDs for independent calorimetry. One mass flow meter monitored the total flow to the heat exchanger, while a second monitored flow in only one of the channels. The thermal response of each tungsten module was obtained for heat fluxes in excess of 5 MW/m 2 using 50 C helium at 4 MPa. Fatigue cycles were also performed to assess the fracture toughness of the tungsten modules. A description of the module design and new results on flow instabilities are also presented

Superconducting cable cooling system by helium gas at two pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dean, J.W.

1977-01-01

Thermally contacting, oppositely streaming, cryogenic fluid streams in the same enclosure in a closed cycle changes the fluid from a cool high pressure helium gas to a cooler reduced pressure helium gas in an expander so as to be at different temperature ranges and pressures respectively in go and return legs that are in thermal contact with each other and in thermal contact with a longitudinally extending superconducting transmission line enclosed in the same cable enclosure that insulates the line from the ambient at a temperature T 1 . By first circulating the fluid from a refrigerator at one end of the line as a cool gas at a temperature range T 2 to T 3 in the go leg, then circulating the gas through an expander at the other end of the line where the gas becomes a cooler gas at a reduced pressure and at a reduced temperature T 4 and finally by circulating the cooler gas back again to the refrigerator in a return leg at a temperature range T 4 to T 5 , while in thermal contact with the gas in the go leg, and in the same enclosure therewith for compression into a higher pressure gas at T 2 in a closed cycle, where T 2 greater than T 3 and T 5 greater than T 4 , the fluid leaves the enclosure in the go leg as a gas at its coldest point in the go leg, and the temperature distribution is such that the line temperature decreases along its length from the refrigerator due to the cooling from the gas in the return leg

Evaluation of US demo helium-cooled blanket options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; McQuillan, B.W.; Schleicher, R.W.

1995-10-01

A He-V-Li blanket design was developed as a candidate for the U.S. fusion demonstration power plant. This paper presents an 18 MPa helium-cooled, lithium breeder, V-alloy design that can be coupled to the Brayton cycle with a gross efficiency of 46%. The critical issue of designing to high gas pressure and the compatibility between helium impurities and V-alloy are addressed

Reduction of circulation power for helium-cooled fusion reactor blanket using additive CO{sub 2} gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yeon-Gun [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Nuclear and Energy Engineering, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehakno, Jeju-si 690-756, Jeju (Korea, Republic of); Park, Il-Woong [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Won [Nuclear Fusion Engineering Development Center, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeokdaero 989 beon-gil, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Goon-Cherl [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Eung-Soo, E-mail: kes7741@snu.ac.kr [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-11-15

Helium (He) cooling requires large circulation power to remove high heat from plasma side and nuclear heating by high energy neutron in fusion reactors due to its low density. Based on the recent findings that the heat transfer capability of the light gas can be enhanced by mixing another heavier gas, this study adds CO{sub 2} to a reference helium coolant and evaluates the cooling performance of the binary mixture for various compositions. To assess the cooling performance, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses on the KO HCML (Korea Helium Cooled Molten Lithium) TBM are conducted. As a result, it is revealed that the binary mixing of helium, which has favorable thermophysical properties but the density, with a heavier noble gas or an unreactive gas significantly reduces the required circulation power by an order of magnitude with meeting the thermal design requirements. This is attributed to the fact that the density can be highly increased with small amount of a heavier gas while other gas properties are kept relatively comparable. The optimal CO{sub 2} mole fraction is estimated to be 0.4 and the circulation power, in this case, can be reduced to 13% of that of pure helium. This implies that the thermal efficiency of a He-cooled blanket system can be fairly enhanced by means of the proposed binary mixing.

The early history of high-temperature helium gas-cooled nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simnad, M.T.; California Univ., San Diego, La Jolla, CA

1991-01-01

The original concepts in the proposals for high-temperature helium gas-cooled power reactors by Farrington Daniels, during the decade 1944-1955, are summarized. The early research on the development of the helium gas-cooled power reactors is reviewed, and the operational experiences with the first generation of HTGRs are discussed. (author)

Cooling System Design Options for a Fusion Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Natalizio, Antonio; Collén, Jan; Vieider, Gottfried

1997-06-01

The objective of a fusion power reactor is to produce electricity safely and reliably. Accordingly, the design, objective of the heat transport system is to optimize power production, safety, and reliability. Such an optimization process, however, is constrained by many factors, including, among others: public safety, worker safety, steam cycle efficiency, reliability, and cost. As these factors impose conflicting requirements, there is a need to find an optimum design solution, i.e., one that satisfies all requirements, but not necessarily each requirement optimally. The SEAFP reactor study developed helium-cooled and water-cooled models for assessment purposes. Among other things, the current study demonstrates that neither model offers an optimum solution. Helium cooling offers a high steam cycle efficiency but poor reliability for the cooling of high heat flux components (divertor and first wall). Alternatively, water cooling offers a low steam cycle efficiency, but reasonable reliability for the cooling of such components. It is concluded that an optimum solution includes helium cooling of low heat flux components and water cooling of high heat flux components. Relative to the SEAFP helium model, this hybrid system enhances safety and reliability, while retaining the high steam cycle efficiency of that model.

Dynamic simulation for scram of high temperature gas-cooled reactor with indirect helium turbine cycle system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Wenlong; Xie Heng

2011-01-01

A dynamic analysis code for this system was developed after the mathematical modeling and programming of important equipment of 10 MW High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Helium Turbine Power Generation (HTR-10GT), such as reactor core, heat exchanger and turbine-compressor system. A scram accident caused by a 0.1 $ reactivity injection at 5 second was simulated. The results show that the design emergency shutdown plan for this system is safe and reasonable and that the design of bypass valve has a large safety margin. (authors)

Helium-Hydrogen Recovery System, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Immense quantities of expensive liquefied helium are required at Stennis and Kennedy Space Centers for pre-cooling rocket engine propellant systems prior to filling...

ITER cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Natalizio, A.; Hollies, R.E.; Sochaski, R.O.; Stubley, P.H.

1992-06-01

The ITER reference system uses low-temperature water for heat removal and high-temperature helium for bake-out. As these systems share common equipment, bake-out cannot be performed until the cooling system is drained and dried, and the reactor cannot be started until the helium has been purged from the cooling system. This study examines the feasibility of using a single high-temperature fluid to perform both heat removal and bake-out. The high temperature required for bake-out would also be in the range for power production. The study examines cost, operational benefits, and impact on reactor safety of two options: a high-pressure water system, and a low-pressure organic system. It was concluded that the cost savings and operational benefits are significant; there are no significant adverse safety impacts from operating either the water system or the organic system; and the capital costs of both systems are comparable

Test results from a helium gas-cooled porous metal heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

North, M.T.; Rosenfeld, J.H.; Youchison, D.L.

1996-01-01

A helium-cooled porous metal heat exchanger was built and tested, which successfully absorbed heat fluxes exceeding all previously tested gas-cooled designs. Helium-cooled plasma-facing components are being evaluated for fusion applications. Helium is a favorable coolant for fusion devices because it is not a plasma contaminant, it is not easily activated, and it is easily removed from the device in the event of a leak. The main drawback of gas coolants is their relatively poor thermal transport properties. This limitation can be removed through use of a highly efficient heat exchanger design. A low flow resistance porous metal heat exchanger design was developed, based on the requirements for the Faraday shield for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) device. High heat flux tests were conducted on two representative test articles at the Plasma Materials Test Facility (PMTF) at Sandia National Laboratories. Absorbed heat fluxes as high as 40 MW/m 2 were successfully removed during these tests without failure of the devices. Commercial applications for electronics cooling and other high heat flux applications are being identified

Thermal optimization of the helium-cooled power leads for the SSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demko, J.A.; Schiesser, W.E.; Carcagno, R.; McAshan, M.; McConeghy, R.

1992-01-01

The optimum thermal design of the power leads for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) will minimize the amount of Carnot work (which is a combination of refrigeration and liquefaction work) required. This optimization can be accomplished by the judicious selection of lead length and diameter. Even though an optimum set of dimensions is found, the final design must satisfy other physical constraints such as maximum allowable heat leak and helium vapor mass flow rate. A set of corresponding lengths and diameters has been determined that meets these requirements for the helium vapor-cooled, spiral-fin power lead design of the SSC. Early efforts by McFee and Mallon investigated optimizing power leads for cryogenic applications with no convection cooling. Later designs utilized the boiled-off helium vapor to cool the lead. One notable design for currents up to several thousand amps is presented by Efferson based on a series of recommendations discussed by Deiness. Buyanov presents many theoretical models and design formulae but does not demonstrate an approach to thermally optimizing the design of a vapor-cooled lead. In this study, a detailed numerical thermal model of a power lead design for the SSC has been developed. It was adapted from the dynamic model developed by Schiesser. This model was used to determine the optimum dimensions that minimize the Carnot refrigeration and liquefaction work due to the leads. Since the SSC leads will be cooled by supercritical helium, the flow of vapor is regulated by a control valve. These leads include a superconducting portion at the cold end. All of the material properties in the model are functions of temperature, and for the helium are functions of pressure and temperature. No pressure drop calculations were performed as part of this analysis. The diameter that minimizes the Carnot work was determined for four different lengths at a design current of 6600 amps

Thermal optimization of the helium-cooled power leads for the SSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demko, J.A.; Schiesser, W.E.; Carcagno, R.; McAshan, M.; McConeghy, R.

1992-03-01

The optimum thermal design of the power leads for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) will minimize the amount of Carnot work (which is a combination of refrigeration and liquefaction work) required. This optimization can be accomplished by the judicious selection of lead length and diameter. Even though an optimum set of dimensions is found, the final design must satisfy other physical constraints such as maximum allowable heat leak and helium vapor mass flow rate. A set of corresponding lengths and diameters has been determined that meets these requirements for the helium vapor-cooled, spiral-fin power lead design of the SSC. Early efforts by McFee and Mallon investigated optimizing power leads for cryogenic applications with no convection cooling. Later designs utilized the boiled-off helium vapor to cool the lead. One notable design for currents up to several thousand amps is presented by Efferson based on a series of recommendations discussed by Deiness. Buyanov presents many theoretical models and design formulate but does not demonstrate an approach to thermally optimizing the design of a vapor-cooled lead. A method for optimizing superconducting magnet current leads is described by Maehata et al. The approach assumes that the helium boil-off caused by heat conduction along with power lead into the low-temperature helium is used to cool the lead. The optimum solution is found when the heat flow at the cold end is minimized.. In this study, a detailed numerical thermal model of a power lead design for the SSC has been developed. It was adapted from the dynamic model developed by Schiesser. This model was used to determine the optimum dimensions that minimize the Carnot refrigeration and liquefaction work due to the leads

Preliminary design of the cooling system for a gas-cooled, high-fluence fast pulsed reactor (HFFPR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monteith, H.C.

1978-10-01

The High-Fluence Fast Pulsed Reactor (HFFPR) is a research reactor concept currently being evaluated as a source for weapon effects experimentation and advanced reactor safety experiments. One of the designs under consideration is a gas-cooled design for testing large-scale weapon hardware or large bundles of full-length, fast reactor fuel pins. This report describes a conceptual cooling system design for such a reactor. The primary coolant would be helium and the secondary coolant would be water. The size of the helium-to-water heat exchanger and the water-to-water heat exchanger will be on the order of 0.9 metre (3 feet) in diameter and 3 metres (10 feet) in length. Analysis indicates that the entire cooling system will easily fit into the existing Sandia Engineering Reactor Facility (SERF) building. The alloy Incoloy 800H appears to be the best candidate for the tube material in the helium-to-water heat exchanger. Type 316 stainless steel has been recommended for the shell of this heat exchanger. Estimates place the cost of the helium-to-water heat exchanger at approximately $100,000, the water-to-water heat exchanger at approximately $25,000, and the helium pump at approximately $450,000. The overall cost of the cooling system will approach $2 million

Brookhaven program to develop a helium-cooled power transmission system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsyth, E.B.

1975-01-01

The particular system under design consists of flexible cables installed in a cryogenic enclosure at room temperature and cooled to the range 6 to 9 0 K by supercritical helium, contraction of the cable is accommodated by proper choice of helix angles of the components of the cable. The superconductor is Nb 3 Sn and at the present time the dielectric insulation is still the subject of intensive development. Two good choices appear to be forms of polyethylene and polycarbonate. Sample cables incorporating various dielectrics have been manufactured commercially in lengths of 1500 ft and tested in laboratory cryostats in shorter sections of about 70 ft. A test facility is under construction to evaluate cables and cryogenic components for this type of service, the first refrigerator uses a 350 H.P. screw compressor and three turbo-expander stages. It is hoped to achieve reliability of a very high order. The first three-phase tests will be conducted at 69 kV, although it appears that 230 to 345 kV is the most likely voltage range for future applications. (auth)

Operation of a forced two phase cooling system on a large superconducting magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Burns, W.A.; Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.H.; Pripstein, M.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Van Slyke, H.

1980-05-01

This paper describes the operation of a forced two phase cooling system on a two meter diameter superconducting solenoid. The magnet is a thin high current density superconducting solenoid which is cooled by forced two phase helium in tubes around the coil. The magnet, which is 2.18 meters in diameter and 3.4 meters long, has a cold mass of 1700 kg. The two phase cooling system contains less than 300 liters of liquid helium, most of which is contained in a control dewar. This paper describes the operating characteristics of the LBL two phase forced cooling system during cooldown and warm up. The paper presents experimental data on operations of the magnet using either a helium pump or the refrigerator compressor to circulate two phase helium through the superconducting coil cooling tubes

Study of Transient Heat Transport Mechanisms in Superfluid Helium Cooled Rutherford-Cables

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2100615

The Large Hadron Collider leverages superconducting magnets to focus the particle beam or keep it in its circular track. These superconducting magnets are composed of NbTi-cables with a special insulation that allows superfluid helium to enter and cool the superconducting cable. Loss mechanisms, e.g. continuous random loss of particles escaping the collimation system heating up the magnets. Hence, a local temperature increase can occur and lead to a quench of the magnets when the superconductor warms up above the critical temperature. A detailed knowledge about the temperature increases in the superconducting cable (Rutherford type) ensures a secure operation of the LHC. A sample of the Rutherford cable has been instrumented with temperature sensors. Experiments with this sample have been performed within this study to investigate the cooling performance of the helium in the cable due to heat deposition. The experiment uses a superconducting coil, placed in a cryostat, to couple with the magnetic field loss m...

Development of gas cooled reactors and experimental setup of high temperature helium loop for in-pile operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miletić, Marija, E-mail: marija_miletic@live.com [Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague (Czech Republic); Fukač, Rostislav, E-mail: fuk@cvrez.cz [Research Centre Rez Ltd., Rez (Czech Republic); Pioro, Igor, E-mail: Igor.Pioro@uoit.ca [University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa (Canada); Dragunov, Alexey, E-mail: Alexey.Dragunov@uoit.ca [University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa (Canada)

2014-09-15

Highlights: • Gas as a coolant in Gen-IV reactors, history and development. • Main physical parameters comparison of gas coolants: carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen with water. • Forced convection in turbulent pipe flow. • Gas cooled fast reactor concept comparisons to very high temperature reactor concept. • High temperature helium loop: concept, development, mechanism, design and constraints. - Abstract: Rapidly increasing energy and electricity demands, global concerns over the climate changes and strong dependence on foreign fossil fuel supplies are powerfully influencing greater use of nuclear power. In order to establish the viability of next-generation reactor concepts to meet tomorrow's needs for clean and reliable energy production the fundamental research and development issues need to be addressed for the Generation-IV nuclear-energy systems. Generation-IV reactor concepts are being developed to use more advanced materials, coolants and higher burn-ups fuels, while keeping a nuclear reactor safe and reliable. One of the six Generation-IV concepts is a very high temperature reactor (VHTR). The VHTR concept uses a graphite-moderated core with a once-through uranium fuel cycle, using high temperature helium as the coolant. Because helium is naturally inert and single-phase, the helium-cooled reactor can operate at much higher temperatures, leading to higher efficiency. Current VHTR concepts will use fuels such as uranium dioxide, uranium carbide, or uranium oxycarbide. Since some of these fuels are new in nuclear industry and due to their unknown properties and behavior within VHTR conditions it is very important to address these issues by investigate their characteristics within conditions close to those in VHTRs. This research can be performed in a research reactor with in-pile helium loop designed and constructed in Research Center Rez Ltd. One of the topics analyzed in this article are also physical characteristic and benefits of gas

COOLING STAGES OF CRYOGENIC SYSTEMS

OpenAIRE

Троценко, А. В.

2011-01-01

The formalized definition for cooling stage of low temperature system is done. Based on existing information about the known cryogenic unit cycles the possible types of cooling stages are single out. From analyses of these stages their classification by various characteristics is suggested. The results of thermodynamic optimization of final throttle stage of cooling, which are used as working fluids helium, hydrogen and nitrogen, are shown.

Study on fundamental features of helium turbomachine for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jie; Gu Yihua

2004-01-01

The High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coupled with helium turbine cycle is considered as one of the leading candidates for future nuclear power plants. The HTGR helium turbine cycle was analyzed and optimized. Then the focal point of investigation was concentrated on the fundamental thermodynamic and aerodynamic features of helium turbomachine. As a result, a helium turbomachine is different from a general combustion gas turbine in two main design features, that is a helium turbomachine has more blade stages and shorter blade length, which are caused by the helium property and the high pressure of a closed cycle, respectively. (authors)

CARR-CNS with crescent-shape moderator cell and sub-cooling helium jacket surrounding cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Qingfeng; Feng, Quanke; Kawai, Takeshi; Shen, Feng; Yuan, Luzheng

2005-01-01

The new type of the moderator cell was developed for the Cold Neutron Source (CNS) of the China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) which is now constructing at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. A crescent-shape moderator cell covered by the sub-cooling helium jacket is adopted. A crescent-shape would help to increase the volume of the moderator cell for corresponding it to the 4 cold neutron guide tubes, even if liquid hydrogen not liquid deuterium were used as a cold moderator. The sub-cooling helium jacket covering the moderator cell removes the nuclear heating of the outer shell wall of the cell. It contributes to reduce the void fraction of liquid hydrogen in the inner shell. Such a type of a moderator cell is suitable for the CNS with higher nuclear heating. The cold helium gas flows down firstly into the sub-cooling helium jacket and then flows up to the condenser. Therefore, the theory of the self-regulation for the thermo-siphon type of the CNS is also applicable

CARR-CNS with crescent-shape moderator cell and sub-cooling helium jacket around cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Qingfeng; Feng, Quanke; Kawai, Takeshi; Cheng, Liang; Shen, Feng; Yuan, Luzheng

2005-01-01

The new type of the moderator cell was developed for the Cold Neutron Source (CNS) of the China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) which is now constructing at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. A crescent-shape moderator cell covered by the sub-cooling helium jacket is adopted. A crescent-shape would help to increase the volume of the moderator cell for corresponding it to the 4 cold neutron guide tubes, even if liquid hydrogen not liquid deuterium were used as a cold moderator. The sub-cooling helium jacket covering the moderator cell removes the nuclear heating of the outer shell wall of the cell. It contributes to reduce the void fraction of liquid hydrogen in the inner shell. Such a type of a moderator cell is suitable for the CNS with higher nuclear heating. The cold helium gas flows down firstly into the sub-cooling helium jacket and then flows up to the condenser. Therefore, the theory of the self-regulation for the thermo-siphon type of the CNS is also applicable

Ceramic BOT type blanket with poloidal helium cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardella, A.; Daenenr, W.; Iseli, M.; Ferrari, M.; Gallina, M.; Rado, V.; Simbolotti, G.; Violante, V.

1989-01-01

This paper briefly describes the work done and results achieved over the past two years on the ceramic breeder BOT blanket with poloidal helium cooling. A conclusive remark on the brick/plate option described previously is followed by short descriptions of the low and high performance pebble bed options elaborated as alternatives for both NET and DEMO. The results show, togethre with those about the poloidal cooling of the First Wall, good prospects for this blanket type provided that the questions connected wiht an extensive use of beryllium find a satisfactor answer. (author). 5 refs.; 7 figs.; 1 tab

Operating Manual of Helium Refrigerator (Rev. 2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, K.M.; Son, S.H.; Kim, K.S.; Lee, S.K.; Kim, M.S. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

2002-07-01

A helium refrigerator was installed as a supplier of 20K cold helium to the cryogenic distillation system of WTRF pilot plant. The operating procedures of the helium refrigerator, helium compressor and auxiliary apparatus are described for the safety and efficient operation in this manual. The function of the helium refrigerator is to remove the impurities from the compressed helium of about 250psig, to cool down the helium from ambient temperature to 20K through the heat exchanger and expansion engine and to transfer the cold helium to the cryogenic distillation system. For the smoothly operation of helium refrigerator, the preparation, the start-up, the cool-down and the shut-down of the helium refrigerator are described in this operating manual. (author). 3 refs., 14 tabs.

Experimental investigations of flow distribution in coolant system of Helium-Cooled-Pebble-Bed Test Blanket Module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ilić, M.; Schlindwein, G., E-mail: georg.schlindwein@kit.edu; Meyder, R.; Kuhn, T.; Albrecht, O.; Zinn, K.

2016-02-15

Highlights: • Experimental investigations of flow distribution in HCPB TBM are presented. • Flow rates in channels close to the first wall are lower than nominal ones. • Flow distribution in central chambers of manifold 2 is close to the nominal one. • Flow distribution in the whole manifold 3 agrees well with the nominal one. - Abstract: This paper deals with investigations of flow distribution in the coolant system of the Helium-Cooled-Pebble-Bed Test Blanket Module (HCPB TBM) for ITER. The investigations have been performed by manufacturing and testing of an experimental facility named GRICAMAN. The facility involves the upper poloidal half of HCPB TBM bounded at outlets of the first wall channels, at outlet of by-pass pipe and at outlets of cooling channels in breeding units. In this way, the focus is placed on the flow distribution in two mid manifolds of the 4-manifold system: (i) manifold 2 to which outlets of the first wall channels and inlet of by-pass pipe are attached and (ii) manifold 3 which supplies channels in breeding units with helium coolant. These two manifolds are connected with cooling channels in vertical/horizontal grids and caps. The experimental facility has been built keeping the internal structure of manifold 2 and manifold 3 exactly as designed in HCPB TBM. The cooling channels in stiffening grids, caps and breeding units are substituted by so-called equivalent channels which provide the same hydraulic resistance and inlet/outlet conditions, but have significantly simpler geometry than the real channels. Using the conditions of flow similarity, the air pressurized at 0.3 MPa and at ambient temperature has been used as working fluid instead of HCPB TBM helium coolant at 8 MPa and an average temperature of 370 °C. The flow distribution has been determined by flow rate measurements at each of 28 equivalent channels, while the pressure distribution has been obtained measuring differential pressure at more than 250 positions. The

Adopted Methodology for Cool-Down of SST-1 Superconducting Magnet System: Operational Experience with the Helium Refrigerator

Science.gov (United States)

Sahu, A. K.; Sarkar, B.; Panchal, P.; Tank, J.; Bhattacharya, R.; Panchal, R.; Tanna, V. L.; Patel, R.; Shukla, P.; Patel, J. C.; Singh, M.; Sonara, D.; Sharma, R.; Duggar, R.; Saxena, Y. C.

2008-03-01

The 1.3 kW at 4.5 K helium refrigerator / liquefier (HRL) was commissioned during the year 2003. The HRL was operated with its different modes as per the functional requirements of the experiments. The superconducting magnets system (SCMS) of SST-1 was successfully cooled down to 4.5 K. The actual loads were different from the originally predicted boundary conditions and an adjustment in the thermodynamic balance of the refrigerator was necessary. This led to enhanced capacity, which was achieved without any additional hardware. The required control system for the HRL was tuned to achieve the stable thermodynamic balance, while keeping the turbines' operating parameters at optimized conditions. An extra mass flow rate requirement was met by exploiting the margin available with the compressor station. The methodology adopted to modify the capacity of the HRL, the safety precautions and experience of SCMS cool down to 4.5 K, are discussed.

RF DEMO ceramic helium cooled blanket, coolant and energy transformation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalenko, V.; Leshukov, A.; Poliksha, V.; Popov, A.; Strebkov, Yu.; Borisov, A.; Shatalov, G.; Demidov, V.; Kapyshev, V.

2004-01-01

RF DEMO-S reactor is a prototype of commercial fusion reactors for further generation. A blanket is the main element unit of the reactor design. The segment structure is the basis of the ceramic blanket. The segments mounting/dismounting operations are carried out through the vacuum vessel vertical port. The inboard/outboard blanket segment is the modules welded design, which are welded by back plate. The module contains the back plate, the first wall, lateral walls and breeding zone. The 9CrMoVNb steel is used as structural material. The module internal space formed by the first wall, lateral walls and back plate is used for breeding zone arrangement. The breeding zone design based upon the poloidal BIT (Breeder Inside Tube) concept. The beryllium is used as multiplier material and the lithium orthosilicate is used as breeder material. The helium at 0.1 MPa is used as purge gas. The cooling is provided by helium at 10 MPa. The coolant supply/return to the blanket modules are carrying out on the two independent circuits. The performed investigations of possible transformation schemes of DEMO-S blanket heat power into the electricity allowed to make a conclusion about the preferable using of traditional steam-turbine facility in the secondary circuit. (author)

Helium refrigerator-liquefier system for MHD generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiyama, Y.; Ishii, H.; Mori, Y.; Yamamoto, M.; Wada, R.; Ando, M.

1974-01-01

MHD power generators have been investigated in the Electro-Technical Laboratory as one of the National Research and Development Programmes. A helium refrigerator-liquefier system has been developed to cool the superconducting magnet for a 1000 kW class MHD power generator. The turboexpander with low temperature gas bearings and an alternator had been developed for the MHD project at the Electro-Technical Laboratory previously. The liquefaction capacity is 250 iota/h and the refrigeration power is 2.9 kW at 20 K. The superconducting magnet is 50 tons and the cryostat has a liquid helium volume of 2700 iota. The evaporation rate is 60 to 80 iota/h. It takes, in all 2 to 3 weeks to fill the cryostat with liquid helium. (author)

A review of helium gas turbine technology for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

No, Hee Cheon; Kim, Ji Hwan; Kim, Hyeun Min

2007-01-01

Current High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) are based on a closed brayton cycle with helium gas as the working fluid. Thermodynamic performance of the axial-flow helium gas turbines is of critical concern as it considerably affects the overall cycle efficiency. Helium gas turbines pose some design challenges compared to steam or air turbomachinery because of the physical properties of helium and the uniqueness of the operating conditions at high pressure with low pressure ratio. This report present a review of the helium Brayton cycle experiences in Germany and in Japan. The design and availability of helium gas turbines for HTGR are also presented in this study. We have developed a new throughflow calculation code to calculate the design-point performance of helium gas turbines. Use of the method has been illustrated by applying it to the GTHTR300 reference

Preliminary study on application of Pd composite membrane in helium purification system of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Jianhua; Yang Xiaoyong; Wang Jie; Yu Suyuan

2008-01-01

Helium purification system (HPS) is the main part of the helium auxiliary system of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR), also in fusion reactors. Some exploratory work was carried out on the application of Pd composite membrane in the separation of He and H 2 . A typical single stripper permeator with recycle (SSP) system was designed, based on the design parameters of a small scale He purification test system CIGNE in CADARACHE, CEA, France, and finite element analysis method was used to solve the model. The total length of membrane module is fixed to 0.5 m. The results show that the concentration of H 2 is found to reduce from 1 000 μL/L in feed gas to 5 μL/L in the product He (the upper limitation of HPS in HTGR). And the molar ratio of product He to feed gas is 96.18% with the optimized ratio of sweep gas to retentive gas 0. 3970. It's an exponential distribution of H 2 concentration along the membrane module. The results were also compared with the other two popular designs, two stripper in series permeator (TSSP) and continuous membrane column (CMC). (authors)

Evaluation, Comparison and Optimization of the Compact Recuperator for the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Helium Turbine System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Haoran; Yang Xiaoyong; Wang Jie; Ye Ping; Yu Xiaoli; Zhao Gang

2014-01-01

Helium turbine system is a promising method to covert the nuclear power generated by the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) into electricity with inherent safety, compact configuration and relative high efficiency. And the recuperator is one of the key components for the HTGR helium turbine system. It is used to recover the exhaust heat out of turbine and pass it to the helium from high pressure compressor, and hence increase the cycle’s efficiency dramatically. On the other hand, the pressure drop within the recuperator will reduce the cycle efficiency, especially on low pressure side of recuperator. It is necessary to optimize the design of recuperator to achieve better performance of HTGR helium turbine system. However, this optimization has to be performed with the restriction of the size of the pressure vessel which contains the power conversion unit. This paper firstly presents an analysis to investigate the effects of flow channel geometry, recuperator’s power and size on heat transfer and pressure drop. Then the relationship between the recuperator design and system performance is established with an analytical model, followed by the evaluations of the current recuperator designs of GT-MHR, GTHTR300 and PBMR, in which several effective technical measures to optimize the recuperator are compared. Finally it is found that the most important factors for optimizing recuperator design, i.e. the cross section dimensions and tortuosity of flow channel, which can also be extended to compact intermediate heat exchangers. It turns out that a proper optimization can increase the cycle’s efficiency by 1~2 percentage, which could also raise the economy and competitiveness of future commercial HTGR plants. (author)

Conceptual design of two helium cooled fusion blankets (ceramic and liquid breeder) for INTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Dorner, S.; Taczanowski, S.

1983-08-01

Neutronic and heat transfer calculations have been performed for two helium cooled blankets for the INTOR design. The neutronic calculations show that the local tritium breeding ratios, both for the ceramic blanket (Li 2 SiO 3 ) and for the liquid blanket (Li 17 Pb 83 ) solutions, are 1.34 for natural tritium and about 1.45 using 30% Li 6 enrichment. The heat transfer calculations show that it is possible to cool the divertor section of the torus (heat flux = 1.7 MW/m 2 ) with helium with an inlet pressure of 52 bar and an inlet temperature of 40 0 C. The temperature of the back face of the divertor can be kept at 130 0 C. With helium with the same inlet conditions it is possible to cool the first wall as well (heat flux = 0.136 MW/m 2 ) and keep the back-face of this wall at a temperature of 120 0 C. For the ceramic blanket we use helium with 52 bar inlet pressure and 400 0 C inlet temperature to ensure sufficiently high temperatures in the breeder material. The maximum temperature in the pressure tubes containing the blanket is 450 0 C, while the maximum breeder particle temperature is 476 0 C. (orig./RW) [de

Helium storage and control system for the PBMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verkerk, E.C.

1997-01-01

The power conversion unit will convert the heat energy in the reactor core to electrical power. The direct-closed cycle recuperated Brayton Cycle employed for this concept consists of a primary helium cycle with helium powered turbo compressors and a power turbine. The helium is actively cooled with water before the compression stages. A recuperator is used to preheat the helium before entering the core. The start of the direct cycle is initiated by a mass flow from the helium inventory and control system via a jet pump. When the PBMR is connected to the grid, changes in power demand can be followed by changing the helium flow and pressure inside the primary loop. Small rapid adjustments can be performed without changing the helium inventory of the primary loop. The stator blade settings on the turbines and compressors are adjustable and it is possible to bypass reactor and turbine. This temporarily reduces the efficiency at which the power conversion unit is operating. Larger or long term adjustments require storage or addition of helium in order to maintain a sufficient level of efficiency in the power conversion unit. The helium will be temporarily stored in high pressure tanks. After a rise in power demand it will be injected back into the system. Some possibilities how to store the helium are presented in this paper. The change of helium inventory will cause transients in the primary helium loop in order to acquire the desired power level. At this stage, it seems that the change of helium inventory does not strongly effect the stability of the power conversion unit. (author)

Design, fabrication, and testing of a helium-cooled module for the ITER divertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxi, C.B.; Smith, J.P.; Youchison, D.

1994-08-01

The International Thermonuclear Reactor (ITER) will have a single-null divertor with total power flow of 200 MW and a peak heat flux of about 5 MW/m 2 . The reference coolant for the divertor is water. However, helium is a viable alternative and offers advantages from safety considerations, such as excellent radiation stability and chemical inertness. In order to prove the feasibility of helium cooling at ITER relevant heat flux conditions, General Atomics designed, fabricated, and tested a helium-cooled divertor module. The module was made from dispersion strengthened copper, with a heat flux surface 25 mm wide and 80 mm long, designed for twice the ITER divertor heat flux. Different techniques were examined to enhance the heat transfer, which in turn reduced the flow and pumping power required to cool the module. It was concluded that an extended surface was the most practical solution. An optimization study was performed to find the best extended surface parameters. The optimum extended surface geometry consisted of fins: 10 mm high, 0.4 mm thick with a 1 mm pitch. It was estimated to require a pumping power of 150 W to remove 20 kW of power. This is more than an order of magnitude reduction in pumping power requirement, compared to smooth surface. The module was fabricated by electric discharge machining (EDM) process. The testing was carried out at SNLA during August 1993. The testing confirmed the design calculations. The peak heat flux during the test was 10 MW/m 2 applied over a surface area of 20 cm 2 . The pumping power calculated from flow rate and pressure drop measurement was about 160 W, which was less than 1% of the power removed. It is planned to test the module to higher temperature limits and higher heat fluxes during coming months. As a result of this effort we conclude that helium cooling of the ITER divertor is feasible without requiring a very large helium pressure or a large pumping power

Numerical modeling and validation of helium jet impingement cooling of high heat flux divertor components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koncar, Bostjan; Simonovski, Igor; Norajitra, Prachai

2009-01-01

Numerical analyses of jet impingement cooling presented in this paper were performed as a part of helium-cooled divertor studies for post-ITER generation of fusion reactors. The cooling ability of divertor cooled by multiple helium jets was analysed. Thermal-hydraulic characteristics and temperature distributions in the solid structures were predicted for the reference geometry of one cooling finger. To assess numerical errors, different meshes (hexagonal, tetra, tetra-prism) and discretisation schemes were used. The temperatures in the solid structures decrease with finer mesh and higher order discretisation and converge towards finite values. Numerical simulations were validated against high heat flux experiments, performed at Efremov Institute, St. Petersburg. The predicted design parameters show reasonable agreement with measured data. The calculated maximum thimble temperature was below the tile-thimble brazing temperature, indicating good heat removal capability of reference divertor design. (author)

Unexpected mobility of OH+ and OD+ molecular ions in cooled helium gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isawa, R; Yamazoe, J; Tanuma, H; Ohtsuki, K

2012-01-01

Mobilities of OH + and OD + ions in cooled helium gas have been measured at gas temperature of 4.3 K. Measured mobilities of both ions as a function of an effective temperature T eff show a minimum around 80 K, and they are approaching to the polarization limits at very low T eff . These findings will be related to the extremely strong anisotropy of the interaction potential between the molecular ion and helium atom.

Cryogenic filter method produces super-pure helium and helium isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrandt, A. F.

1964-01-01

Helium is purified when cooled in a low pressure environment until it becomes superfluid. The liquid helium is then filtered through iron oxide particles. Heating, cooling and filtering processes continue until the purified liquid helium is heated to a gas.

Helium refrigeration system for BNL colliding beam accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.P.; Farah, Y.; Gibbs, R.J.; Schlafke, A.P.; Schneider, W.J.; Sondericker, J.H.; Wu, K.C.

1983-01-01

A Helium Refrigeration System which will supply the cooling required for the Colliding Beam Accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory is under construction. Testing of the compressor system is scheduled for late 1983 and will be followed by refrigerator acceptance tests in 1984. The refrigerator has a design capacity of 24.8 kW at a temperature level near 4K while simultaneously producing 55 kW for heat shield loads at 55K. When completed, the helium refrigerator will be the world's largest. Twenty-five oil-injected screw compressors with an installed total of 23,250 horsepower will supply the gas required. One of the unique features of the cycle is the application of three centrifugal compressors used at liquid helium temperature to produce the low temperatures (2.5K) and high flow rates (4154 g/s) required for this service

High-heat-flux testing of helium-cooled heat exchangers for fusion applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youchison, D.L.; Izenson, M.G.; Baxi, C.B.; Rosenfeld, J.H.

1996-01-01

High-heat-flux experiments on three types of helium-cooled divertor mock-ups were performed on the 30-kW electron beam test system and its associated helium flow loop at Sandia National Laboratories. A dispersion-strengthened copper alloy (DSCu) was used in the manufacture of all the mock-ups. The first heat exchanger provides for enhanced heat transfer at relatively low flow rates and much reduced pumping requirements. The Creare sample was tested to a maximum absorbed heat flux of 5.8 MW/m 2 . The second used low pressure drops and high mass flow rates to achieve good heat removal. The GA specimen was tested to a maximum absorbed heat flux of 9 MW/m 2 while maintaining a surface temperature below 400 degree C. A second experiment resulted in a maximum absorbed heat flux of 34 MW/m 2 and surface temperatures near 533 degree C. The third specimen was a DSCu, axial flow, helium-cooled divertor mock-up filled with a porous metal wick which effectively increases the available heat transfer area. Low mass flow and high pressure drop operation at 4.0 MPa were characteristic of this divertor module. It survived a maximum absorbed heat flux of 16 MW/m 2 and reached a surface temperature of 740 degree C. Thermacore also manufactured a follow-on, dual channel porous metal-type heat exchanger, which survived a maximum absorbed heat flux of 14 MW/m 2 and reached a maximum surface temperature of 690 degree C. 11refs., 20 figs., 3 tabs

Options for a high heat flux enabled helium cooled first wall for DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arbeiter, Frederik, E-mail: f.arbe@kit.edu; Chen, Yuming; Ghidersa, Bradut-Eugen; Klein, Christine; Neuberger, Heiko; Ruck, Sebastian; Schlindwein, Georg; Schwab, Florian; Weth, Axel von der

2017-06-15

Highlights: • Design challenges for helium cooled first wall reviewed and otimization approaches explored. • Application of enhanced heat transfer surfaces to the First Wall cooling channels. • Demonstrated a design point for 1 MW/m{sup 2} with temperatures <550 °C and acceptable stresses. • Feasibility of several manufacturing processes for ribbed surfaces is shown. - Abstract: Helium is considered as coolant in the plasma facing first wall of several blanket concepts for DEMO fusion reactors, due to the favorable properties of flexible temperature range, chemical inertness, no activation, comparatively low effort to remove tritium from the gas and no chemical corrosion. Existing blanket designs have shown the ability to use helium cooled first walls with heat flux densities of 0.5 MW/m{sup 2}. Average steady state heat loads coming from the plasma for current EU DEMO concepts are expected in the range of 0.3 MW/m{sup 2}. The definition of peak values is still ongoing and depends on the chosen first wall shape, magnetic configuration and assumptions on the fraction of radiated power and power fall off lengths in the scrape off layer of the plasma. Peak steady state values could reach and excess 1 MW/m{sup 2}. Higher short-term transient loads are expected. Design optimization approaches including heat transfer enhancement, local heat transfer tuning and shape optimization of the channel cross section are discussed. Design points to enable a helium cooled first wall capable to sustain heat flux densities of 1 MW/m{sup 2} at an average shell temperature lower than 500 °C are developed based on experimentally validated heat transfer coefficients of structured channel surfaces. The required pumping power is in the range of 3–5% of the collected thermal power. The FEM stress analyses show code-acceptable stress intensities. Several manufacturing methods enabling the application of the suggested heat transfer enhanced first wall channels are explored. An

Accident tolerant high-pressure helium injection system concept for light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Massey, Caleb; Miller, James; Vasudevamurthy, Gokul

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Potential helium injection strategy is proposed for LWR accident scenarios. • Multiple injection sites are proposed for current LWR designs. • Proof-of-concept experimentation illustrates potential helium injection benefits. • Computational studies show an increase in pressure vessel blowdown time. • Current LOCA codes have the capability to include helium for feasibility calculations. - Abstract: While the design of advanced accident-tolerant fuels and structural materials continues to remain the primary focus of much research and development pertaining to the integrity of nuclear systems, there is a need for a more immediate, simple, and practical improvement in the severe accident response of current emergency core cooling systems. Current blowdown and reflood methodologies under accident conditions still allow peak cladding temperatures to approach design limits and detrimentally affect the integrity of core components. A high-pressure helium injection concept is presented to enhance accident tolerance by increasing operator response time while maintaining lower peak cladding temperatures under design basis and beyond design basis scenarios. Multiple injection sites are proposed that can be adapted to current light water reactor designs to minimize the need for new infrastructure, and concept feasibility has been investigated through a combination of proof-of-concept experimentation and computational modeling. Proof-of-concept experiments show promising cooling potential using a high-pressure helium injection concept, while the developed choked-flow model shows core depressurization changes with added helium injection. Though the high-pressure helium injection concept shows promise, future research into the evaluation of system feasibility and economics are needed.Classification: L. Safety and risk analysis

A robust helium-cooled shield/blanket design for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; Bourque, R.F.; Baxi, C.B.

1993-11-01

General Atomics Fusion and Reactor Groups have completed a helium-cooled, conceptual shield/blanket design for ITER. The configuration selected is a pressurized tubes design embedded in radially oriented plates. This plate can be made from ferritic steel or from V-alloy. Helium leakage to the plasma chamber is eliminated by conservative, redundant design and proper quality control and inspection programs. High helium pressure at 18 MPa is used to reduce pressure drop and enhance heat transfer. This high gas pressure is believed practical when confined in small diameter tubes. Ample industrial experience exists for safe high gas pressure operations. Inboard shield design is highlighted in this study since the allowable void fraction is more limited. Lithium is used as the thermal contacting medium and for tritium breeding, its safety concerns are minimized by a modular, low inventory design that requires no circulation of the liquid metal for the purpose of heat removal. This design is robust, conservative, reliable, and meets all design goals and requirements. It can also be built with present-day technology

Cryogenic thermometer calibration system using a helium cooling loop and a temperature controller [for LHC magnets

CERN Document Server

Chanzy, E; Thermeau, J P; Bühler, S; Joly, C; Casas-Cubillos, J; Balle, C

1998-01-01

The IPN-Orsay and CERN are designing in close collaboration a fully automated cryogenic thermometer calibration facility which will calibrate in 3 years 10,000 cryogenic thermometers required for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operation. A reduced-scale model of the calibration facility has been developed, which enables the calibration of ten thermometers by comparison with two rhodium-iron standard thermometers in the 1.8 K to 300 K temperature range under vacuum conditions. The particular design, based on a helium cooling loop and an electrical temperature controller, gives good dynamic performances. This paper describes the experimental set-up and the data acquisition system. Results of experimental runs are also presented along with the estimated global accuracy for the calibration. (3 refs).

Pressurized helium II-cooled magnet test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, R.P.; Lambertson, G.R.; Gilbert, W.S.; Meuser, R.B.; Caspi, S.; Schafer, R.V.

1980-06-01

A facility for testing superconducting magnets in a pressurized bath of helium II has been constructed and operated. The cryostat accepts magnets up to 0.32 m diameter and 1.32 m length with current to 3000 A. In initial tests, the volume of helium II surrounding the superconducting magnet was 90 liters. Minimum temperature reached was 1.7 K at which point the pumping system was throttled to maintain steady temperature. Helium II reservoir temperatures were easily controlled as long as the temperature upstream of the JT valve remained above T lambda; at lower temperatures control became difficult. Positive control of the temperature difference between the liquid and cold sink by means of an internal heat source appears necessary to avoid this problem. The epoxy-sealed vessel closures, with which we have had considerable experience with normal helium vacuum, also worked well in the helium II/vacuum environment

Adsorption removal of carbon dioxide from the helium coolant of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varezhin, A.V.; Fedoseenkov, A.N.; Khrulev, A.A.; Metlik, I.V.; Zel venskii, Y.D.

1986-01-01

This paper conducts experiments on the removal of CO 2 from helium by means of a Soviet-made adsorbent under the conditions characteristic of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cleaning systems. The adsorption of CO 2 from helium was studied under dynamic conditions with a fixed layer of adsorbent in a flow-through apparatus with an adsorber 16 mm in diameter. The analysis of the helium was carried out by means of a TVT chromatograph. In order to compare the adsorption of CO 2 on CaA zeolite under dynamic conditions from the helium stream under pressure with the equilibrium adsorption on the basis of pure CO 2 , the authors determined the adsorption isotherm at 293 K by the volumetric method over a range of CO 2 equilibrium pressures from 260 to 11,970 Pa. Reducing the adsorption temperature to 273 K leads to a considerable reduction in the energy costs for regeneration, owing to the increase in adsorption and the decrease in the number of regeneration cycles; the amount of the heating gas used is reduced to less than half

Preliminary study on helium turbomachine for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yihua; Wang Jie; Zhang Zuoyi

2003-01-01

In the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), gas turbine cycle is a new concept in the field of nuclear power. It combines two technologies of HTGR and gas turbine cycle, which represent the state-of-the-art technologies of nuclear power and fossil fuel generation respectively. This approach is expected to improve safety and economy of nuclear power plant significantly. So it is a potential scheme with competitiveness. The heat-recuperated cycle is the main stream of gas turbine cycle. In this cycle, the work medium is helium, which is very different from the air, so that the design features of the helium turbomachine and combustion gas turbomachine are different. The paper shows the basic design consideration for the heat-recuperated cycle as well as helium turbomachine and highlights its main design features compared with combustion gas turbomachine

A MEASUREMENT OF THE ADIABATIC COOLING INDEX FOR INTERSTELLAR HELIUM PICKUP IONS IN THE INNER HELIOSPHERE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saul, Lukas; Wurz, Peter; Kallenbach, Reinald

2009-01-01

Interstellar neutral gas enters the inner heliosphere where it is ionized and becomes the pickup ion population of the solar wind. It is often assumed that this population will subsequently cool adiabatically, like an expanding ideal gas due, to the divergent flow of the solar wind. Here, we report the first independent measure of the effective adiabatic cooling index in the inner heliosphere from SOHO CELIAS measurements of singly charged helium taken during times of perpendicular interplanetary magnetic field. We use a simple adiabatic transport model of interstellar pickup helium ions, valid for the upwind region of the inner heliosphere. The time averaged velocity spectrum of helium pickup ions measured by CELIAS/CTOF is fit to this model with a single free parameter which indicates an effective cooling rate with a power-law index of γ = 1.35 ± 0.2. While this average is consistent with the 'ideal-gas' assumption of γ = 1.5, the analysis indicates that such an assumption will not apply in general, and that due to observational constraints further measurements are necessary to constrain the cooling process. Implications are discussed for understanding the transport processes in the inner heliosphere and improving this measurement technique.

Assessing the feasibility of a high-temperature, helium-cooled vacuum vessel and first wall for the Vulcan tokamak conceptual design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnard, H.S.; Hartwig, Z.S.; Olynyk, G.M.; Payne, J.E.

2012-01-01

The Vulcan conceptual design (R = 1.2 m, a = 0.3 m, B 0 = 7 T), a compact, steady-state tokamak for plasma–material interaction (PMI) science, must incorporate a vacuum vessel capable of operating at 1000 K in order to replicate the temperature-dependent physical chemistry that will govern PMI in a reactor. In addition, the Vulcan divertor must be capable of handling steady-state heat fluxes up to 10 MW m −2 so that integrated materials testing can be performed under reactor-relevant conditions. A conceptual design scoping study has been performed to assess the challenges involved in achieving such a configuration. The Vulcan vacuum system comprises an inner, primary vacuum vessel that is thermally and mechanically isolated from the outer, secondary vacuum vessel by a 10 cm vacuum gap. The thermal isolation minimizes heat conduction between the high-temperature helium-cooled primary vessel and the water-cooled secondary vessel. The mechanical isolation allows for thermal expansion and enables vertical removal of the primary vessel for maintenance or replacement. Access to the primary vessel for diagnostics, lower hybrid waveguides, and helium coolant is achieved through ∼1 m long intra-vessel pipes to minimize temperature gradients and is shown to be commensurate with the available port space in Vulcan. The isolated primary vacuum vessel is shown to be mechanically feasible and robust to plasma disruptions with analytic calculations and finite element analyses. Heat removal in the first wall and divertor, coupled with the ability to perform in situ maintenance and replacement of divertor components for scientific purposes, is achieved by combining existing helium-cooled techniques with innovative mechanical attachments of plasma facing components, either in plate-type helium-cooled modules or independently bolted, helium-jet impingement-cooled tiles. The vacuum vessel and first wall design enables a wide range of potential PFC materials and configurations to

Strength analysis of CARR-CNS with crescent-shape moderator cell and helium sub-cooling jacket covering cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Qingfeng; Feng Quanke; Kawai Takeshi; Shen Feng; Yuan Luzheng; Cheng Liang

2005-01-01

The new type of the moderator cell was developed for the cold neutron source (CNS) of the China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) which is now being constructed at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. A crescent-shape moderator cell covered by the helium sub-cooling jacket is adopted. The structure of the moderator cell is optimized by the stress FEM analysis. A crescent-shape would help to increase the volume of the moderator cell for fitting it to the four cold neutron guide tubes, even if liquid hydrogen, not liquid deuterium, was used as a cold moderator. The helium sub-cooling jacket covering the moderator cell removes the nuclear heating of the outer shell wall of the cell. It contributes to reduce the void fraction of liquid hydrogen in the outer shell of the moderator cell. Such a type of a moderator cell is suitable for the CNS with higher nuclear heating. The cold helium gas flows down first into the helium sub-cooling jacket and then flows up to the condenser. The theory of the self-regulation suitable to the thermo-siphon type of the CNS is also applicable and validated

RAMI analysis for DEMO HCPB blanket concept cooling system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dongiovanni, Danilo N., E-mail: danilo.dongiovanni@enea.it [ENEA, Unità Tecnica Fusione, ENEA C. R. Frascati (Italy); Pinna, Tonio [ENEA, Unità Tecnica Fusione, ENEA C. R. Frascati (Italy); Carloni, Dario [KIT, Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR) – KIT (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability and inspectability) preliminary assessment for HCPB blanket concept cooling system. • Reliability block diagram (RBD) modeling and analysis for HCPB primary heat transfer system (PHTS), coolant purification system (CPS), pressure control system (PCS), and secondary cooling system. • Sensitivity analysis on system availability performance. • Failure models and repair models estimated on the base of data from the ENEA fusion component failure rate database (FCFRDB). - Abstract: A preliminary RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability and inspectability) assessment for the HCPB (helium cooled pebble bed) blanket cooling system based on currently available design for DEMO fusion power plant is presented. The following sub-systems were considered in the analysis: blanket modules, primary cooling loop including pipework and steam generators lines, pressure control system (PCS), coolant purification system (CPS) and secondary cooling system. For PCS and CPS systems an extrapolation from ITER Test Blanket Module corresponding systems was used as reference design in the analysis. Helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) system reliability block diagrams (RBD) models were implemented taking into account: system reliability-wise configuration, operating schedule currently foreseen for DEMO, maintenance schedule and plant evolution schedule as well as failure and corrective maintenance models. A simulation of plant activity was then performed on implemented RBDs to estimate plant availability performance on a mission time of 30 calendar years. The resulting availability performance was finally compared to availability goals previously proposed for DEMO plant by a panel of experts. The study suggests that inherent availability goals proposed for DEMO PHTS system and Tokamak auxiliaries are potentially achievable for the primary loop of the HCPB concept cooling system, but not for the secondary loop. A

Particle exhaust of helium plasmas with actively cooled outboard pump limiter on Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uckan, T.; Mioduszewski, P.K.; Loarer, T.; Chatelier, M.; Guilhem, D.; Lutz, T.; Nygren, R.E.; Mahdavi, M.A.

1995-08-01

The superconducting tokamak Tore Supra was designed for long-pulse (30-s) high input power operation. Here observations on the particle-handling characteristics of the actively cooled modular outboard pump limiter (OPL) are presented for helium discharges. The important experimental result was that a modest pumping speed (1 m 3 /s) of the OPL turbomolecular pump (TMP) provided background helium exhaust. This result came about due to a well-conditioned vessel wall with helium discharges that caused no wall outgasing. The particle accountability in these helium discharges was excellent, and the well-conditioned wall did not play a significant role in the particle balance. The helium density control, 25% density drop with OPL exhaust efficiency of ∼1%, was possible with TMP although this may not be the case with reactive gases such as deuterium. The observed quadratic increase of the OPL neutral pressure with helium density was consistent with an improvement of the particle control with increasing plasma density

Cryogenic systems for proof of the principle experiment of coherent electron cooling at RHIC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Yuenian; Belomestnykh, Sergey; Brutus, Jean Clifford; Lederle, Dewey; Orfin, Paul; Skaritka, John; Soria, Victor; Tallerico, Thomas; Than, Roberto [Collider Accelerator Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States)

2014-01-29

The Coherent electron Cooling (CeC) Proof of Principle (PoP) experiment is proposed to be installed in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to demonstrate proton and ion beam cooling with this new technique that may increase the beam luminosity in certain cases, by as much as tenfold. Within the scope of this project, a 112 MHz, 2MeV Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) electron gun and a 704 MHz 20MeV 5-cell SRF cavity will be installed at IP2 in the RHIC ring. The superconducting RF electron gun will be cooled in a liquid helium bath at 4.4 K. The 704 MHz 5-cell SRF cavity will be cooled in a super-fluid helium bath at 2.0 K. This paper discusses the cryogenic systems designed for both cavities. For the 112 MHz cavity cryogenic system, a condenser/boiler heat exchanger is used to isolate the cavity helium bath from pressure pulses and microphonics noise sources. For the 704 MHz 5-cell SRF cavity, a heat exchanger is also used to isolate the SRF cavity helium bath from noise sources in the sub-atmospheric pumping system operating at room temperature. Detailed designs, thermal analyses and discussions for both systems will be presented in this paper.

Computer simulation of multiple stability regions in an internally cooled superconducting conductor and of helium replenishment in a bath-cooled conductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L.R.; Shindler, J.

1984-09-01

For upcoming fusion experiments and future fusion reactors, superconducting magnetic have been chosen or considered which employ cooling by pool-boiling HeI, by HeII, and by internally flowing HeI. The choice of conductor and cooling method should be determined in part by the response of the magnet to sudden localized heat pulses of various magnitudes. The paper describes the successful computer simulation of multiple stability in internally cooled conductors, as observed experimentally, using the computer code SSICC. It also describes the modeling of helium replenishment in the cooling channels of a bath-cooled conductor, using the computer code TASS

Conceptual design and analysis of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn; Li, Min; Lv, Zhongliang; Zhou, Guangming; Liu, Qianwen; Wang, Shuai; Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Ye, Minyou

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A helium cooled solid blanket was proposed as a candidate blanket concept for CFETR. • Material selection, basic structure and gas flow scheme of the blanket were introduced. • A series of performance analyses for the blanket were summarized. - Abstract: To bridge the gap between ITER and DEMO and to realize the fusion energy in China, a fusion device Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) was proposed and is being designed mainly to demonstrate 50–200 MW fusion power, 30–50% duty time factor, tritium self-sustained. Because of the high demand of tritium production and the realistic engineering consideration, the design of tritium breeding blanket for CFETR is a challenging work and getting special attention. As a blanket candidate, a helium cooled solid breeder blanket has been designed with the emphasis on conservative design and realistic blanket technology. This paper introduces the basic blanket scheme, including the material selection, structural design, cooling scheme and purge gas flow path. In addition, some results of neutronics, thermal-hydraulic and stress analysis are presented.

Supercritical helium cooled, cabled, superconducting hollow conductors for large high field magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoenig, M.O.; Iwasa, Y.; Montgomery, D.B.; Bejan, A.

1976-01-01

Within the last two years a new concept of cabled superconducting hollow conductors has been developed which are able to recover from transient instabilities by virtue of on-going, single-phase helium cooling. It has been possible to correlate small scale experimental results with an iterative computer program. The latter has been recently upgraded to include axial as well as radial heat transfer and predict more closely the chances of recovery. Nearly 1 g/s of supercritical helium has been circulated in a closed loop using a high speed centrifugal fan and up to 10 g/s using a reciprocating single pulse bellows pump. The loop is now being adapted to a 3 m length of a tightly wound 5000 A cabled hollow conductor equipped with pulse coils designed to fit inside a water cooled Bitter magnet. The combination will allow for a steady background field of 7.5 t with a 2 t superimposed pulse. (author)

A helium-cooled blanket design of the low aspect ratio reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.; Baxi, C.B.; Reis, E.E.; Cerbone, R.; Cheng, E.T.

1998-03-01

An aggressive low aspect ratio scoping fusion reactor design indicated that a 2 GW(e) reactor can have a major radius as small as 2.9 m resulting in a device with competitive cost of electricity at 49 mill/kWh. One of the technology requirements of this design is a high performance high power density first wall and blanket system. A 15 MPa helium-cooled, V-alloy and stagnant LiPb breeder first wall and blanket design was utilized. Due to the low solubility of tritium in LiPb, there is the concern of tritium migration and the formation of V-hydride. To address these issues, a lithium breeder system with high solubility of tritium has been evaluated. Due to the reduction of blanket energy multiplication to 1.2, to maintain a plant Q of > 4, the major radius of the reactor has to be increased to 3.05 m. The inlet helium coolant temperature is raised to 436 C in order to meet the minimum V-alloy temperature limit everywhere in the first wall and blanket system. To enhance the first wall heat transfer, a swirl tape coolant channel design is used. The corresponding increase in friction factor is also taken into consideration. To reduce the coolant system pressure drop, the helium pressure is increased from 15 to 18 MPa. Thermal structural analysis is performed for a simple tube design. With an inside tube diameter of 1 cm and a wall thickness of 1.5 mm, the lithium breeder can remove an average heat flux and neutron wall loading of 2 and 8 MW/m(2), respectively. This reference design can meet all the temperature and material structural design limits, as well as the coolant velocity limits. Maintaining an outlet coolant temperature of 650 C, one can expect a gross closed cycle gas turbine thermal efficiency of 45%. This study further supports the use of helium coolant for high power density reactor design. When used with the low aspect ratio reactor concept a competitive fusion reactor can be projected at 51.9 mill/kWh

[Fluid dynamics of supercritical helium within internally cooled cabled superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Sciver, S.W.

1995-01-01

The Applied Superconductivity Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison proposes to conduct research on low temperature helium fluid dynamics as it applies to the cooling of internally cooled cabled superconductors (ICCS). Such conductors are used in fusion reactor designs including most of the coils in ITER. The proposed work is primarily experimental involving measurements of transient and steady state pressure drop in a variety of conductor configurations. Both model and prototype conductors for actual magnet designs will be investigated. The primary goal will be to measure and model the friction factor for these complex geometries. In addition, an effort will be made to study transient processes such as heat transfer and fluid expulsion associated with quench conditions

Conceptual design of helium experimental loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Xingfu; Feng Kaiming

2007-01-01

In a future demonstration fusion power station (DEMO), helium is envisaged as coolant for plasma facing components, such as blanket and dive,or. All these components have a very complex geometry, with many parallel cooling channels, involving a complex helium flow distribution. Test blanket modules (TBM) of this concept will under go various tests in the experimental reactor ITER. For the qualification of TBM, it is indispensable to test mock-ups in a helium loop under realistic pressure and temperature profiles, in order to validate design codes, especially regarding mass flow and heat transition processes in narrow cooling channels. Similar testing must be performed for DEMO blanket, currently under development. A Helium Experimental Loop (HELOOP) is planed to be built for TBM tests. The design parameter of temperature, pressure, flow rate is 550 degree C, 10 MPa, l kg/s respectively. In particular, HELOOP is able to: perform full-scale tests of TBM under realistic conditions; test other components of the He-cooling system in ITER; qualify the purification circuit; obtain information for the design of the ITER cooling system. The main requirements and characteristics of the HELOOP facility and a preliminary conceptual design are described in the paper. (authors)

A methodology for accident analysis of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled lead–lithium blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panayotov, Dobromir; Poitevin, Yves; Grief, Andrew; Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael

2016-01-01

'Fusion for Energy' (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. Furthermore, the methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCLL TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Coupling a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle to a Helium-Cooled Reactor.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Middleton, Bobby [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Pasch, James Jay [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kruizenga, Alan Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Walker, Matthew [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-01-01

This report outlines the thermodynamics of a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) recompression closed Brayton cycle (RCBC) coupled to a Helium-cooled nuclear reactor. The baseline reactor design for the study is the AREVA High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR). Using the AREVA HTGR nominal operating parameters, an initial thermodynamic study was performed using Sandia's deterministic RCBC analysis program. Utilizing the output of the RCBC thermodynamic analysis, preliminary values of reactor power and of Helium flow rate through the reactor were calculated in Sandia's HelCO₂ code. Some research regarding materials requirements was then conducted to determine aspects of corrosion related to both Helium and to sCO₂ , as well as some mechanical considerations for pressures and temperatures that will be seen by the piping and other components. This analysis resulted in a list of materials-related research items that need to be conducted in the future. A short assessment of dry heat rejection advantages of sCO₂> Brayton cycles was also included. This assessment lists some items that should be investigated in the future to better understand how sCO₂ Brayton cycles and nuclear can maximally contribute to optimizing the water efficiency of carbon free power generation

Safety analysis on tokamak helium cooling slab fuel fusion-fission hybrid reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Renjie; Jian Hongbing

1992-01-01

The thermal analyses for steady state, depressurization and total loss of flow in the tokamak helium cooling slab fuel element fusion-fission hybrid reactor are presented. The design parameters, computed results of HYBRID program and safety evaluation for conception design are given. After all, it gives some recommendations for developing the design

An evaluation of reactor cooling and coupled hydrogen production processes using the modular helium reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvego, E.A.; Reza, S.M.M.; Richards, M.; Shenoy, A.

2006-01-01

The high-temperature characteristics of the modular helium reactor (MHR) make it a strong candidate for producing hydrogen using either thermochemical or high-temperature electrolysis (HTE) processes. Using heat from the MHR to drive a sulfur-iodine (SI) thermochemical hydrogen production process has been the subject of a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored Nuclear Engineering Research Initiative (NERI) project led by General Atomics, with participation from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Texas A and M University. While the focus of much of the initial work was on the SI thermochemical production of hydrogen, recent activities included development of a preconceptual design for an integral HTE hydrogen production plant driven by the process heat and electricity produced by a 600 MW MHR. This paper describes ATHENA analyses performed to evaluate alternative primary system cooling configurations for the MHR to minimize peak reactor vessel and core temperatures while achieving core helium outlet temperatures in the range of 900-1000 deg. C that are needed for the efficient production of hydrogen using either the SI or HTE process. The cooling schemes investigated are intended to ensure peak fuel temperatures do not exceed specified limits under normal or transient upset conditions, and that reactor vessel temperatures do not exceed American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code limits for steady-state or transient conditions using standard light water reactor vessel materials. Preconceptual designs for SI and HTE hydrogen production plants driven by one or more 600 MW MHRs at helium outlet temperatures in the range of 900-1000 deg. C are described and compared. An initial SAPHIRE model to evaluate the reliability, maintainability, and availability of the SI hydrogen production plant is also described. Finally, a preliminary flowsheet for a conceptual design of an HTE hydrogen production plant coupled to a 600 MW modular helium reactor is presented and

Optomechanics in a Levitated Droplet of Superfluid Helium

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Charles; Harris, Glen; Harris, Jack

2017-04-01

A critical issue common to all optomechanical systems is dissipative coupling to the environment, which limits the system's quantum coherence. Superfluid helium's extremely low optical and mechanical dissipation, as well as its high thermal conductivity and its ability cool itself via evaporation, makes the mostly uncharted territory of superfluid optomechanics an exciting avenue for exploring quantum effects in macroscopic objects. I will describe ongoing work that aims to exploit the unique properties of superfluid helium by constructing an optomechanical system consisting of a magnetically levitated droplet of superfluid helium., The optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of the droplet, as well as the mechanical oscillations of its surface, should offer exceptionally low dissipation, and should couple to each other via the usual optomechanical interactions. I will present recent progress towards this goal, and also discuss the background for this work, which includes prior demonstrations of magnetic levitation of superfluid helium, high finesse WGMs in liquid drops, and the self-cooling of helium drops in vacuum.

Optimal thermal-hydraulic performance for helium-cooled divertors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izenson, M.G.; Martin, J.L.

1996-01-01

Normal flow heat exchanger (NFHX) technology offers the potential for cooling divertor panels with reduced pressure drops (<0.5% Δp/p), reduced pumping power (<0.75% pumping/thermal power), and smaller duct sizes than conventional helium heat exchangers. Furthermore, the NFHX can easily be fabricated in the large sizes required for divertors in large tokamaks. Recent experimental and computational results from a program to develop NFHX technology for divertor coolings using porous metal heat transfer media are described. We have tested the thermal and flow characteristics of porous metals and identified the optimal heat transfer material for the divertor heat exchanger. Methods have been developed to create highly conductive thermal bonds between the porous material and a solid substrate. Computational fluid dynamics calculations of flow and heat transfer in the porous metal layer have shown the capability of high thermal effectiveness. An 18-kW NFHX, designed to meet specifications for the international Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor divertor, has been fabricated and tested for thermal and flow performance. Preliminary results confirm design and fabrication methods. 11 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab

Updated conceptual design of helium cooling ceramic blanket for HCCB-DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Suhao [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui (China); Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Cao, Qixiang; Wu, Xinghua; Wang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Guoshu [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Feng, Kaiming, E-mail: fengkm@swip.ac.cn [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • An updated design of Helium Cooled Ceramic breeder Blanket (HCCB) for HCCB-DEMO is proposed in this paper. • The Breeder Unit is transformed to TBM-like sub-modules, with double “banana” shape tritium breeder. Each sub-module is inserted in space formed by Stiffen Grids (SGs). • The performance analysis is performed based on the R&D development of material, fabrication technology and safety assessment in CN ITER TBM program. • Hot spots will be located at the FW bend side. - Abstract: The basic definition of the HCCB-DEMO plant and preliminary blanket designed by Southwestern Institution of Physics was proposed in 2009. The DEMO fusion power is 2550 MW and electric power is 800 MW. Based on development of R&D in breeding blanket, a conceptual design of helium cooled blanket with ceramic breeder in HCCB-DEMO was presented. The main design features of the HCCB-DEMO blanket were: (1) CLF-1 structure materials, Be multiplier and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} breeder; (2) neutronic wall load is 2.3 MW/m{sup 2} and surface heat flux is 0.43 MW/m{sup 2} (2) TBR ≈ 1.15; (3) geometry of breeding units is ITER TBM-like segmentation; (4)Pressure of helium is 8 MPa and inlet/outlet temperature is 300/500 °C. On the basis of these design, some important analytical results are presented in aspects of (i) neutronic behavior of the blanket; (ii) design of 3D structure and thermal-hydraulic lay-out for breeding blanket module; (iii) structural-mechanical behavior of the blanket under pressurization. All of these assessments proved current stucture fulfill the design requirements.

Thermodynamic analysis and economical evaluation of two 310-80 K pre-cooling stage configurations for helium refrigeration and liquefaction cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Z. G.; Zhuang, M.; Jiang, Q. F.; Y Zhang, Q.; Feng, H. S.

2017-12-01

In 310-80 K pre-cooling stage, the temperature of the HP helium stream reduces to about 80 K where nearly 73% of the enthalpy drop from room temperature to 4.5 K occurs. Apart from the most common liquid nitrogen pre-cooling, another 310-80 K pre-cooling configuration with turbine is employed in some helium cryoplants. In this paper, thermodynamic and economical performance of these two kinds of 310-80 K pre-cooling stage configurations has been studied at different operating conditions taking discharge pressure, isentropic efficiency of turbines and liquefaction rate as independent parameters. The exergy efficiency, total UA of heat exchangers and operating cost of two configurations are computed. This work will provide a reference for choosing 310-80 K pre-cooling stage configuration during design.

SAFE AND FAST QUENCH RECOVERY OF LARGE SUPERCONDUCTING SOLENOIDS COOLED BY FORCED TWO-PHASE HELIUM FLOW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, L.X.

1999-01-01

The cryogenic characteristics in energy extraction of the four fifteen-meter-diameter superconducting solenoids of the g-2 magnet are reported in this paper. The energy extraction tests at full-current and half-current of its operating value were deliberately carried out for the quench analyses and evaluation of the cryogenic system. The temperature profiles of each coil mandrel and pressure profiles in its helium cooling tube during the energy extraction are discussed. The low peak temperature and pressure as well as the short recovery time indicated the desirable characteristics of the cryogenic system

The maintenance record of the KSTAR helium refrigeration system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moon, K. M.; Joo, J. J.; Kim, N. W. [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); and others

2013-12-15

Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) has a helium refrigeration system (HRS) with the cooling capacity of 9 kW at 4.5 K. Main cold components are composed of 300 tons of superconducting (SC) magnets, main cryostat thermal shields, and SC current feeder system. The HRS comprises six gas storage tanks, a liquid nitrogen tank, the room temperature compression sector, the cold box (C/B), the 1st stage helium distribution box (DB no.1), the PLC base local control system interconnected to central control tower and so on. Between HRS and cold components, there is another distribution box (DB#2) nearby the KSTAR device. The entire KSTAR device was constructed in 2007 and has been operated since 2008. This paper will present the maintenance result of the KSTAR HRS during the campaign and discuss the operation record and maintenance history of the KSTAR HRS.

Application of Hastelloy X in gas-cooled reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brinkman, C.R.; Rittenhouse, P.L.; Corwin, W.R.; Strizak, J.P.; Lystrup, A.; DiStefano, J.R.

1976-10-01

Hastelloy X, an Ni--Cr--Fe--Mo alloy, may be an important structural alloy for components of gas-cooled reactor systems. Expected applications of this alloy in the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) are discussed, and the development of interim mechanical properties and supporting data are reported. Properties of concern include tensile, creep, creep-rupture, fatigue, creep-fatigue interaction, subcritical crack growth, thermal stability, and the influence of helium environments with controlled amounts of impurities on these properties. In order to develop these properties in helium environments that are expected to be prototypic of HTGR operating conditions, it was necessary to construct special environmental test systems. Details of construction and operating parameters are described. Interim results from tests designed to determine the above properties are presented. To date a fairly extensive amount of information has been generated on this material at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and elsewhere concerning behavior in air, which is reviewed. However, only limited data are available from tests conducted in helium. Comparisons of the fatigue and subcritical growth behavior in air between Hastelloy X and a number of other structural alloys are given

Initial assessment of environmental effects on SiC/SiC composites in helium-cooled nuclear systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Contescu, Cristian I [ORNL

2013-09-01

This report summarized the information available in the literature on the chemical reactivity of SiC/SiC composites and of their components in contact with the helium coolant used in HTGR, VHTR and GFR designs. In normal operation conditions, ultra-high purity helium will have chemically controlled impurities (water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, hydrogen) that will create a slightly oxidizing gas environment. Little is known from direct experiments on the reactivity of third generation (nuclear grade) SiC/SiC composites in contact with low concentrations of water or oxygen in inert gas, at high temperature. However, there is ample information about the oxidation in dry and moist air of SiC/SiC composites at high temperatures. This information is reviewed first in the next chapters. The emphasis is places on the improvement in material oxidation, thermal, and mechanical properties during three stages of development of SiC fibers and at least two stages of development of the fiber/matrix interphase. The chemical stability of SiC/SiC composites in contact with oxygen or steam at temperatures that may develop in off-normal reactor conditions supports the conclusion that most advanced composites (also known as nuclear grade SiC/SiC composites) have the chemical resistance that would allow them maintain mechanical properties at temperatures up to 1200 1300 oC in the extreme conditions of an air or water ingress accident scenario. Further research is needed to assess the long-term stability of advanced SiC/SiC composites in inert gas (helium) in presence of very low concentrations (traces) of water and oxygen at the temperatures of normal operation of helium-cooled reactors. Another aspect that needs to be investigated is the effect of fast neutron irradiation on the oxidation stability of advanced SiC/SiC composites in normal operation conditions.

CFD Analysis on the Passive Heat Removal by Helium and Air in the Canister of Spent Fuel Dry Storage System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Do Young; Jeong, Ui Ju; Kim, Sung Joong [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

In the current commercial design, the canister of the dry storage system is mainly backfilled with helium gas. Helium gas shows very conductive behavior due to high thermal conductivity and small density change with temperature. However, other gases such as air, argon, or nitrogen are expected to show effective convective behavior. Thus these are also considered as candidates for the backfill gas to provide effective coolability. In this study, to compare the dominant cooling mechanism and effectiveness of cooling between helium gas and air, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis for the canister of spent fuel dry storage system with backfill gas of helium and air is carried out. In this study, CFD simulations for the helium and air backfilled gas for dry storage system canister were carried out using ANSYS FLUENT code. For the comparison work, two backfilled fluids were modeled with same initial and boundary conditions. The observed major difference can be summarized as follows. - The simulation results showed the difference in dominant heat removal mechanism. Conduction for helium, and convection for air considering Reynolds number distribution. - The temperature gradient inside the fuel assembly showed that in case of air, more effective heat mixing occurred compared to helium.

Two phase cooling for superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.

1986-01-01

Comments on the use of two phase helium in a closed circuit tubular cooling system and some results obtained with the TPC superconducting magnet are given. Theoretical arguments and experimental evidence are given against a previously suggested method to determine helium two phase flow regimes. Two methods to reduce pressure in the magnet cooling tubes during quenches are discussed; 1) lowering the density of helium in the magnet cooling tubes and 2) proper location of pressure relief valves. Some techniques used to protect the refrigerator from too much cold return gas are also mentioned

Low-cycle fatigue of heat-resistant alloys in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, H.; Kondo, T.

1984-01-01

Strain controlled low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted on four nickel-base heat-resistant alloys at 900 0 C in simulated high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) environments and high vacuums of about 10 -6 Pa. The observed behaviors of the materials were different and divided into two groups when tests were made in simulated HTGR helium, while all materials behaved similarly in vacuums. The materials that have relatively high ductility and compatibility with impure helium at test temperature showed considerable resistance to the fatigue damage in impure helium. On the other hand, the alloys qualified with their high creep strength were seen to suffer from the adverse effects of impure helium and the trend of intergranular cracking as well. The results were analyzed in terms of their susceptibility to the environmentenhanced fatigue damage by examining the ratios of the performance in impure helium to in vacuum. The materials that showed rather unsatisfactory resistance were considered to be characterized by their limited ductility partly due to their coarse grain structure and susceptibility to intergranular oxidation. Moderate carburization was commonly noted in all materials, particularly at the cracked portions, indicating that carbon intrusion had occurred during the crack growth stage

The liquid helium system of ATLAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nixon, J.M.; Bollinger, L.M.

1989-01-01

Starting in 1978 with one small refrigerator and distribution line, the LHe system of ATLAS has gradually grown into a complex network, as required by several enlargements of the superconducting linac. The cryogenic system now comprises 3 refrigerators, 11 helium compressors, /approximately/340 ft. of coaxial LHe transfer line, 3 1000-l dewars, and /approximately/76 LHe valves that deliver steady-state flowing LHe to 16 beam-line cryostats. In normal operation, the 3 refrigerators are linked so as to provide cooling where needed. LHe heat exchangers in distribution lines play an important role. This paper discusses design features of the system, including the logic of the controls that permit the coupled refrigerators to operate stably in the presence of large and sudden changes in heat load. 8 refs., 3 figs

Two phase cooling for superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, P.H.; Gibson, G.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Watt, R.D.

1986-01-01

Comments on the use of two phase helium in a closed circuit tubular cooling system and some results obtained with the TPC superconducting magnet are given. Theoretical arguments and experimental evidence are given against a previously suggested method to determine helium two phase flow regimes. Two methods to reduce pressure in the magnet cooling tubes during quenches are discussed; (1) lowering the density of helium in the magnet cooling tubes and (2) proper location of pressure relief valves. Some techniques used to protect the refrigerator from too much cold return gas are also mentioned. 10 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs

European Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) test blanket. ITER design description document. Status 1.12.1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, H.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Dalle Donne, M.; Fischer, U.; Gordeev, S.; Hutter, E.; Kleefeldt, K.; Norajitra, P.; Reimann, G.; Ruatto, P.; Schleisiek, K.; Schnauder, H.

1997-04-01

The Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket is based on the use of separate small lithium orthosilicate and beryllium pebble beds placed between radial toroidal cooling plates. The cooling is provided by helium at 8 MPa. The tritium produced in the pebble beds is purged by the flow of helium at 0.1 MPa. The structural material is martensitic steel. It is foreseen, after an extended R and D work, to test in ITER a blanket module based on the HCPB design, which is one of the two European proposals for the ITER Test Blanket Programme. To facilitate the handling operation the Blanket Test Module (BTM) is bolted to a surrounding water cooled frame fixed to the ITER shield blanket back plate. For the design of the test module, three-dimensional Monte Carlo neutronic calculations and thermohydraulic and stress analyses for the operation during the Basic Performance Phase (BPP) and during the Extended Performance Phase (EPP) of ITER have been performed. The behaviour of the test module during LOCA and LOFA has been investigated. Conceptual designs of the required ancillary loops have been performed. The present report is the updated version of the Design Description Document (DDD) for the HCPB Test Module. It has been written in accordance with a scheme given by the ITER Joint Central Team (JCT) and accounts for the comments made by the JCT to the previous version of this report. This work has been performed in the framework of the Nuclear Fusion Project of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhne and it is supported by the European Union within the European Fusion Technology Program. (orig.) [de

High-power frequency-stabilized laser for laser cooling of metastable helium at 389 nm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koelemeij, J.C.J.; Hogervorst, W.; Vassen, W.

2005-01-01

A high-power, frequency-stabilized laser for cooling of metastable helium atoms using the 2 S13 →3 P23 transition at 389 nm has been developed. The 389 nm light is generated by frequency doubling of a titanium:sapphire laser in an external enhancement cavity containing a lithium-triborate nonlinear

Helium-flow measurement using ultrasonic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sondericker, J.H.

1983-01-01

While designing cryogenic instrumentation for the Colliding Beam Accelerator (CBA) helium-distribution system it became clear that accurate measurement of mass flow of helium which varied in temperature from room to sub-cooled conditions would be difficult. Conventional venturi flow meters full scale differential pressure signal would decrease by more than an order of magnitude during cooldown causing unacceptable error at operating temperature. At sub-cooled temperatures, helium would be pumped around cooling loops by an efficient, low head pressure circulating compressor. Additional pressure drop meant more pump work was necessary to compress the fluid resulting in a higher outlet temperature. The ideal mass flowmeter for this application was one which did not add pressure drop to the system, functioned over the entire temperature range, has high resolution and delivers accurate mass flow measurement data. Ultrasonic flow measurement techniques used successfully by the process industry, seemed to meet all the necessary requirements. An extensive search for a supplier of such a device found that none of the commercial stock flowmeters were adaptable to cryogenic service so the development of the instrument was undertaken by the CBA Cryogenic Control and Instrumentation Engineering Group at BNL

Helium circulator design concepts for the modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR) plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.; Nichols, M.K.; Kaufman, J.S.

1988-01-01

Two helium circulators are featured in the Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) power plant - (1) the main circulator, which facilitates the transfer of reactor thermal energy to the steam generator, and (2) a small shutdown cooling circulator that enables rapid cooling of the reactor system to be realized. The 3170 kW(e) main circulator has an axial flow compressor, the impeller being very similar to the unit in the Fort St. Vrain (FSV) plant. The 164 kW(e) shutdown cooling circulator, the design of which is controlled by depressurized conditions, has a radial flow compressor. Both machines are vertically oriented, have submerged electric motor drives, and embody rotors that are supported on active magnetic bearings. As outlined in this paper, both machines have been conservatively designed based on established practice. The circulators have features and characteristics that have evolved from actual plant operating experience. With a major goal of high reliability, emphasis has been placed on design simplicity, and both machines are readily accessible for inspection, repair, and replacement, if necessary. In this paper, conceptual design aspects of both machines are discussed, together with the significant technology bases. As appropriate for a plant that will see service well into the 21st century, new and emerging technologies have been factored into the design. Examples of this are the inclusion of active magnetic bearings, and an automated circulator condition monitoring system. (author). 18 refs, 20 figs, 13 tabs

Fluid Induced Vibration Analysis of a Cooling Water Pipeline for the HANARO CNS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bong Soo; Lee, Young Sub; Kim, Ik Soo; Kim, Young Ki

2007-01-01

CNS is the initial of Cold Neutron Source and the CNS facility system consists of hydrogen, a vacuum, a gas blanketing, a helium refrigeration and a cooling water supply system. Out of these subsystems, the helium refrigeration system has the function of removal of heat from a thermal neutron under reactor operation. Therefore, HRS (helium refrigeration system) must be under normal operation for the production of cold neutron. HRS is mainly made up of a helium compressor and a coldbox. This equipment is in need of cooling water to get rid of heat generation under stable operation and a cooling water system is essential to maintain the normal operation of a helium compressor and a coldbox. The main problem for the cooling water system is the vibration issue in the middle of operation due to a water flow in a pipeline. In order to suppress the vibration problem for a pipeline, the characteristics of a pipeline and fluid flow must be analyzed in detail. In this paper, fluid induced vibration of a cooling water pipe is analyzed numerically and the stability of the cooling water pipeline is investigated by using pipe dynamic theory

Low-temperature dynamic nuclear polarization with helium-cooled samples and nitrogen-driven magic-angle spinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurber, Kent; Tycko, Robert

2016-03-01

We describe novel instrumentation for low-temperature solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and magic-angle spinning (MAS), focusing on aspects of this instrumentation that have not been described in detail in previous publications. We characterize the performance of an extended interaction oscillator (EIO) microwave source, operating near 264 GHz with 1.5 W output power, which we use in conjunction with a quasi-optical microwave polarizing system and a MAS NMR probe that employs liquid helium for sample cooling and nitrogen gas for sample spinning. Enhancement factors for cross-polarized (13)C NMR signals in the 100-200 range are demonstrated with DNP at 25K. The dependences of signal amplitudes on sample temperature, as well as microwave power, polarization, and frequency, are presented. We show that sample temperatures below 30K can be achieved with helium consumption rates below 1.3 l/h. To illustrate potential applications of this instrumentation in structural studies of biochemical systems, we compare results from low-temperature DNP experiments on a calmodulin-binding peptide in its free and bound states. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Detailed Design of Cooling Water System for Cold Neutron Source in HANARO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Bong Soo; Choi, Jung Woon; Kim, Y. K.; Wu, S. I.; Lee, Y. S

2007-04-15

To make cold neutron, a cryogenic refrigerator is necessary to transform moderator into cryogenic state so, thermal neutron is changed into cold neutron through heat transfer with moderator. A cryogenic refrigerator mainly consists of two apparatus, a helium compressor and a cold box which needs supply of cooling water. Therefore, cooling water system is essential to operate of cryogenic refrigerator normally. This report is mainly focused on the detailed design of the cooling water system for the HANARO cold neutron source, and describes design requirement, calculation, specification of equipment and water treatment method.

Detailed Design of Cooling Water System for Cold Neutron Source in HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bong Soo; Choi, Jung Woon; Kim, Y. K.; Wu, S. I.; Lee, Y. S.

2007-04-01

To make cold neutron, a cryogenic refrigerator is necessary to transform moderator into cryogenic state so, thermal neutron is changed into cold neutron through heat transfer with moderator. A cryogenic refrigerator mainly consists of two apparatus, a helium compressor and a cold box which needs supply of cooling water. Therefore, cooling water system is essential to operate of cryogenic refrigerator normally. This report is mainly focused on the detailed design of the cooling water system for the HANARO cold neutron source, and describes design requirement, calculation, specification of equipment and water treatment method

Leak detection on the DIII-D tokamak using helium entrainment techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brooks, N.H.; Baxi, C.; Anderson, P.

1988-01-01

The entrainment of helium in a viscous gas flow was utilized to compartmentalize, and then to pinpoint, a leak across the inner skin of the double-walled DIII-D vacuum vessel. Inaccessible from the outside, the leak connected the cooling channels in the wall interspace with the primary vacuum chamber. By entraining helium in the pressurized flow from the single-pass gas circulation system, well-defined portions of the wall were exposed to helium without disassembly of the poorly accessible cooling manifolds. Varying the helium injection point permitted the localization of the leak to a single 30 0 toroidal sector of the vessel. The exact location of the leak was found from inside the vessel by spraying helium on suspect regions, while sweeping the contents of the cooling channels to the foreline of a Varian Contraflow leak detector with a 0.1 Pa m 3 /s flow of nitrogen. Flow speed calculations were used to predict the response time to entrained helium of the actual leak detection setup

Buffer-gas cooling of antiprotonic helium to 1.5 to 1.7 K, and antiproton-to–electron mass ratio

CERN Document Server

Hori, Masaki; Sótér, Anna; Barna, Daniel; Dax, Andreas; Hayano, Ryugo; Kobayashi, Takumi; Murakami, Yohei; Todoroki, Koichi; Yamada, Hiroyuki; Horváth, Dezső; Venturelli, Luca

2016-01-01

Charge, parity, and time reversal (CPT) symmetry implies that a particle and its antiparticle have the same mass. The antiproton-to-electron mass ratio Embedded Image can be precisely determined from the single-photon transition frequencies of antiprotonic helium. We measured 13 such frequencies with laser spectroscopy to a fractional precision of 2.5 × 10−9 to 16 × 10−9. About 2 × 109 antiprotonic helium atoms were cooled to temperatures between 1.5 and 1.7 kelvin by using buffer-gas cooling in cryogenic low-pressure helium gas; the narrow thermal distribution led to the observation of sharp spectral lines of small thermal Doppler width. The deviation between the experimental frequencies and the results of three-body quantum electrodynamics calculations was reduced by a factor of 1.4 to 10 compared with previous single-photon experiments. From this, Embedded Image was determined as 1836.1526734(15), which agrees with a recent proton-to-electron experimental value within 8 × 10−10.

Light induced cooling of a heated solid immersed in liquid helium I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lezak, D.; Brodie, L.C.; Semura, J.S.

1984-01-01

This chapter investigates the marked enhancement in the transient heat transfer from the heater-thermometer to the liquid helium immediately following the application of a flash of visible light. This ''light effect'' is associated with increased bubble activity, and it is possible that the light induces a rapid nucleation of bubbles in the superheated liquid at or near the heater surface. A summary of the light effect is presented and some potential uses to which this effect could be applied are suggested. Quantification of the light effect and properties of the light effect are discussed. It is determined that the light effect is an additional cooling due to a light induced enhancement of boiling in superheated liquid helium I. The effect could be applied in practical cryogenic engineering and for the acquisition of fundamental knowledge of boiling heat transfer and nucleation in cryogenic liquids

Pumped helium system for cooling positron and electron traps to 1.2 K

CERN Document Server

Wrubel, J; Kolthammer, W S; Larochelle, P; McConnell, R; Richerme, P; Grzonka, D; Oelert, W; Sefzick, T; Zielinski, M; Borbely, J S; George, M C; Hessels, E A; Storry, C H; Weel, M; Mullers, A; Walz, J; Speck, A

2011-01-01

Extremely precise tests of fundamental particle symmetries should be possible via laser spectroscopy of trapped antihydrogen ((H) over bar) atoms. (H) over bar atoms that can be trapped must have an energy in temperature units that is below 0.5 K-the energy depth of the deepest magnetic traps that can currently be constructed with high currents and superconducting technology. The number of atoms in a Boltzmann distribution with energies lower than this trap depth depends sharply upon the temperature of the thermal distribution. For example, ten times more atoms with energies low enough to be trapped are in a thermal distribution at a temperature of 1.2 K than for a temperature of 4.2 K. To date, (H) over bar atoms have only been produced within traps whose electrode temperature is 4.2 K or higher. A lower temperature apparatus is desirable if usable numbers of atoms that can be trapped are to eventually be produced. This report is about the pumped helium apparatus that cooled the trap electrodes of an (H) ove...

System code assessment with thermal-hydraulic experiment to develop helium cooled breeding blanket for nuclear fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yum, S. B.; Park, I. W.; Park, G. C.; Lee, D. W.

2012-01-01

By considering the requirements for a DEMO-relevant blanket concept, Korea (KO) has proposed a He Cooled Molten Lithium (HCML) Test Blanket Module (TBM) for testing in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). A performance analysis for the thermal-hydraulics and a safety analysis for an accident caused by a loss of coolant for the KO TBM have been carried out using a commercial CFD code, ANSYS-CFX, and a system code, GAMMA (GAs Multicomponent Mixture Analysis), which was developed by the Gas Cooled Reactor in Korea. To verify the codes, a preliminary study was performed by Lee using a single TBM First Wall (FW) mock-up made from the same material as tho KO TBM, ferritic martensitic steel, using a 6 MPa nitrogen gas loop. The test was performed at pressures of 11, 19, and 29 bar, and under various ranges of flow rate from 0.63 to 2.44kg/min with a constant wall temperature condition. In the present study, a thermal-hydraulic test was performed with the newly constructed helium supplying system, In which the design pressure and temperature were 9 MPa and 500 .deg. C, respectively. In the experiment, the same mock-up was used, and the test was performed under the conditions of 8 MPa pressure, 0.2 kg/s flow rate, which are almost same conditions of the KO TBM FW. One-side of the mock-up was heated with a constant heat flux of 0.5 MW/m 2 using a graphite heating system, KoHLT-2 (Korea Heat Load Test Facility-2). The wall temperatures were measured using installed thermocouples, and they show a strong parity with the code results simulated under the same test conditions

The installation of helium auxiliary systems in HTGR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Zhenya; Fu Xiaodong

1993-01-01

The inert gas Helium was chosen as reactor coolant in high temperature gas coolant reactor, therefore a set of Special and uncomplex helium auxiliary systems will be installed, the safe operation of HTR-10 can be safeguarded. It does not effect the inherent safety of HTR-10 MW if any one of all those systems were damaged during operation condition. This article introduces the design function and the system principle of all helium auxiliary systems to be installed in HTR-10. Those systems include: helium purification and its regeneration system, helium supply and storage system, pressure control and release system of primary system, dump system for helium auxiliary system and fuel handling, gaseous waste storage system, water extraction system for helium auxiliary systems and evacuation system for primary system

Critical Current and Stability of MgB$_2$ Twisted-Pair DC Cable Assembly Cooled by Helium Gas

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2069632; Ballarino, Amalia; Yang, Yifeng; Young, Edward Andrew; Bailey, Wendell; Beduz, Carlo

2013-01-01

Long length superconducting cables/bus-bars cooled by cryogenic gases such as helium operating over a wider temperature range are a challenging but exciting technical development prospects, with applications ranging from super-grid transmission to future accelerator systems. With limited existing knowledge and previous experiences, the cryogenic stability and quench protection of such cables are crucial research areas because the heat transfer is reduced and temperature gradient increased compared to liquid cryogen cooled cables. V-I measurements on gas-cooled cables over a significant length are an essential step towards a fully cryogenic stabilized cable with adequate quench protection. Prototype twisted-pair cables using high-temperature superconductor and MgB2 tapes have been under development at CERN within the FP7 EuCARD project. Experimental studies have been carried out on a 5-m-long multiple MgB$_2$ cable assembly at different temperatures between 20 and 30 K. The subcables of the assembly showed sim...

Helium pressures in RHIC vacuum cryostats and relief valve requirements from magnet cooling line failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liaw, C.J.; Than, Y.; Tuozzolo, J.

2011-03-28

A catastrophic failure of the RHIC magnet cooling lines, similar to the LHC superconducting bus failure incident, would pressurize the insulating vacuum in the magnet and transfer line cryostats. Insufficient relief valves on the cryostats could cause a structural failure. A SINDA/FLUINT{reg_sign} model, which simulated the 4.5K/4 atm helium flowing through the magnet cooling system distribution lines, then through a line break into the vacuum cryostat and discharging via the reliefs into the RHIC tunnel, had been developed to calculate the helium pressure inside the cryostat. Arc flash energy deposition and heat load from the ambient temperature cryostat surfaces were included in the simulations. Three typical areas: the sextant arc, the Triplet/DX/D0 magnets, and the injection area, had been analyzed. Existing relief valve sizes were reviewed to make sure that the maximum stresses, caused by the calculated maximum pressures inside the cryostats, did not exceed the allowable stresses, based on the ASME Code B31.3 and ANSYS results. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The S/F simulation results show that the highest internal pressure in the cryostats, due to the magnet line failure, is {approx}37 psig (255115 Pa); (2) Based on the simulation, the temperature on the cryostat chamber, INJ Q8-Q9, could drop to 228 K, which is lower than the material minimum design temperature allowed by the Code; (3) Based on the ASME Code and ANSYS results, the reliefs on all the cryostats inside the RHIC tunnel are adequate to protect the vacuum chambers when the magnet cooling lines fail; and (4) In addition to the pressure loading, the thermal deformations, due to the temperature decrease on the cryostat chambers, could also cause a high stress on the chamber, if not properly supported.

Helium pressures in RHIC vacuum cryostats and relief valve requirements from magnet cooling line failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liaw, C.J.; Than, Y.; Tuozzolo, J.

2011-01-01

A catastrophic failure of the RHIC magnet cooling lines, similar to the LHC superconducting bus failure incident, would pressurize the insulating vacuum in the magnet and transfer line cryostats. Insufficient relief valves on the cryostats could cause a structural failure. A SINDA/FLUINT(reg s ign) model, which simulated the 4.5K/4 atm helium flowing through the magnet cooling system distribution lines, then through a line break into the vacuum cryostat and discharging via the reliefs into the RHIC tunnel, had been developed to calculate the helium pressure inside the cryostat. Arc flash energy deposition and heat load from the ambient temperature cryostat surfaces were included in the simulations. Three typical areas: the sextant arc, the Triplet/DX/D0 magnets, and the injection area, had been analyzed. Existing relief valve sizes were reviewed to make sure that the maximum stresses, caused by the calculated maximum pressures inside the cryostats, did not exceed the allowable stresses, based on the ASME Code B31.3 and ANSYS results. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The S/F simulation results show that the highest internal pressure in the cryostats, due to the magnet line failure, is ∼37 psig (255115 Pa); (2) Based on the simulation, the temperature on the cryostat chamber, INJ Q8-Q9, could drop to 228 K, which is lower than the material minimum design temperature allowed by the Code; (3) Based on the ASME Code and ANSYS results, the reliefs on all the cryostats inside the RHIC tunnel are adequate to protect the vacuum chambers when the magnet cooling lines fail; and (4) In addition to the pressure loading, the thermal deformations, due to the temperature decrease on the cryostat chambers, could also cause a high stress on the chamber, if not properly supported.

Methodology for accident analyses of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled pebble bed blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panayotov, Dobromir; Grief, Andrew; Merrill, Brad J.; Humrickhouse, Paul; Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael; Murgatroyd, Julian T.; Owen, Simon; Poitevin, Yves; Peers, Karen; Lyons, Alex; Heaton, Adam; Scott, Richard

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Test Blanket Systems (TBS) DEMO breeding blankets (BB) safety demonstration. • Comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena. • Development of accident analysis specifications (AAS) via the use of phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRT). • PIRT application to identify required physical models for BB accidents analysis, code assessment and selection. • Development of MELCOR and RELAP5 codes TBS models. • Qualification of the models via comparison with finite element calculations, code-tocode comparisons, and sensitivity studies. - Abstract: ‘Fusion for Energy’ (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. The methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCPB TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Methodology for accident analyses of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled pebble bed blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panayotov, Dobromir, E-mail: dobromir.panayotov@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Josep Pla, 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, Barcelona E-08019 (Spain); Grief, Andrew [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Merrill, Brad J.; Humrickhouse, Paul [Idaho National Laboratory, PO Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael; Murgatroyd, Julian T.; Owen, Simon [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Poitevin, Yves [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Josep Pla, 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, Barcelona E-08019 (Spain); Peers, Karen; Lyons, Alex; Heaton, Adam; Scott, Richard [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Test Blanket Systems (TBS) DEMO breeding blankets (BB) safety demonstration. • Comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena. • Development of accident analysis specifications (AAS) via the use of phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRT). • PIRT application to identify required physical models for BB accidents analysis, code assessment and selection. • Development of MELCOR and RELAP5 codes TBS models. • Qualification of the models via comparison with finite element calculations, code-tocode comparisons, and sensitivity studies. - Abstract: ‘Fusion for Energy’ (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. The methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCPB TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Manufacturing and joining technologies for helium cooled divertors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aktaa, J.; Basuki, W.W.; Weber, T.; Norajitra, P.; Krauss, W.; Konys, J.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The manufacturing and joining technologies developed at KIT for helium cooled divertors are reviewed and critically discussed. • Various technologies have been pursued and further developed aiming divertor components with very high quality and sufficient reliability. • Very promising routes have been found for which however still R and D works are necessary. • Technologies developed are also useful for other divertor and even blanket concepts, particularly those with tungsten armor. - Abstract: In the helium cooled (HC) divertor, developed at KIT for a fusion power plant, tungsten has been selected as armor as well as structural material due to its crucial properties: high melting point, very low sputtering yield, good thermal conductivity, high temperature strength, low thermal expansion and low activation. Thereby the armor tungsten is attached to the structural tungsten by thermally conductive joint. Due to the brittleness of tungsten at low temperatures its use as structural material is limited to the high temperature part of the component and a structural joint to the reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel EUROFER97 is foreseen. Hence, to realize the selected hybrid material concept reliable tungsten–steel and tungsten–tungsten joints have been developed and will be reported in this paper. In addition, the modular design of the HC divertor requires tungsten armor tiles and tungsten structural thimbles to be manufactured in high numbers with very high quality. Due to the high strength and low temperature brittleness of tungsten special manufacturing techniques need to be developed for the production of parts with no cavities inside and/or surface flaws. The main achievement in developing the respective manufacturing technologies will be presented and discussed. To achieve the objectives mentioned above various manufacturing and joining technologies are pursued. Their later applicability depends on the level of development

Heat removal performance of auxiliary cooling system for the high temperature engineering test reactor during scrams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Takeshi; Tachibana, Yukio; Iyoku, Tatsuo; Takenaka, Satsuki

2003-01-01

The auxiliary cooling system of the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) is employed for heat removal as an engineered safety feature when the reactor scrams in an accident when forced circulation can cool the core. The HTTR is the first high temperature gas-cooled reactor in Japan with reactor outlet gas temperature of 950 degree sign C and thermal power of 30 MW. The auxiliary cooling system should cool the core continuously avoiding excessive cold shock to core graphite components and water boiling of itself. Simulation tests on manual trip from 9 MW operation and on loss of off-site electric power from 15 MW operation were carried out in the rise-to-power test up to 20 MW of the HTTR. Heat removal characteristics of the auxiliary cooling system were examined by the tests. Empirical correlations of overall heat transfer coefficients were acquired for a helium/water heat exchanger and air cooler for the auxiliary cooling system. Temperatures of fluids in the auxiliary cooling system were predicted on a scram event from 30 MW operation at 950 degree sign C of the reactor outlet coolant temperature. Under the predicted helium condition of the auxiliary cooling system, integrity of fuel blocks among the core graphite components was investigated by stress analysis. Evaluation results showed that overcooling to the core graphite components and boiling of water in the auxiliary cooling system should be prevented where open area condition of louvers in the air cooler is the full open

Experimental investigation of the thermal hydraulics in lead bismuth eutectic-helium experimental loop of an accelerator-driven system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xi, Wenxuan; Wang, Yong Wei; Li, Xun Feng; Huai, Xiulan; Cal, Jun [Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

2016-10-15

The heat transfer characteristics between liquid lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) and helium are of great significance for the two-loop cooling system based on an accelerator-driven system (ADS). This paper presents an experimental study on the resistance characteristics and heat transfer performance in a LBE-helium experimental loop of ADS. Pressure drops in the LBE loop, the main heat transfer, and the coupled heat transfer characteristics between LBE and helium are investigated experimentally. The temperature of LBE has a significant effect on the LBE thermo-physical properties, and is therefore considered in the prediction of pressure drops. The results show that the overall heat transfer coefficient increases with the increasing helium flow rate and the decreasing inlet temperature of helium. Increasing the LBE Reynolds number and LBE inlet temperature promotes the heat transfer performance of main heat transfer and thus the overall heat transfer coefficient. The experimental results give an insight into the flow and heat transfer properties in a LBE-helium heat exchanger and are helpful for the optimization of an ADS system design.

Adaption of the LHC cold mass cooling system to the requirements of the Future Circular Collider (FCC)

Science.gov (United States)

Kotnig, C.; Tavian, L.; Brenn, G.

2017-12-01

The cooling of the superconducting magnet cold masses with superfluid helium (He II) is a well-established concept successfully in operation for years in the LHC. Consequently, its application for the cooling of FCC magnets is an obvious option. The 12-kW heat loads distributed over 10-km long sectors not only require an adaption of the magnet bayonet heat exchangers but also present new challenges to the cryogenic plants, the distribution system and the control strategy. This paper recalls the basic LHC cooling concept with superfluid helium and defines the main parameters for the adaption to the FCC requirements. Pressure drop and hydrostatic head are developed in the distribution and pumping systems; their impact on the magnet temperature profile and the corresponding cooling efficiency is presented and compared for different distribution and pumping schemes.

Helium leak and chemical impurities control technology in HTTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tochio, Daisuke; Shimizu, Atsushi; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Sakaba, Nariaki

2014-01-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has designed and developed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) hydrogen cogeneration system named gas turbine high-temperature reactor (GTHTR300C) as a commercial HTGR. Helium gas is used as the primary coolant in HTGR. Helium gas is easy to leak, and the primary helium leakage should be controlled tightly from the viewpoint of preventing the release of radioactive materials to the environment. Moreover from the viewpoint of preventing the oxidization of graphite and metallic material, the helium coolant chemistry should be controlled tightly. The primary helium leakage and the helium coolant chemistry during the operation is the major factor in the HTGR for commercialization of HTGR system. This paper shows the design concept and the obtained operational experience on the primary helium leakage control and primary helium impurity control in the high-temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) of JAEA. Moreover, the future plan to obtain operational experience of these controls for commercialization of HTGR system is shown. (author)

Performance of the Helium Circulation System on a Commercialized MEG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, T; Miyazaki, T; Okamoto, M; Katagiri, K

2012-01-01

We report the performance of a helium circulation system (HCS) mounted on a MEG (Magnetoencephalography) at Nagoya University, Japan. This instrument is the first commercialized version of an HCS. The HCS collects warm helium gas at approximately 300 K and then cools it to approximately 40 K. The gas is returned to the neck tube of a Dewar of the MEG to keep it cold. It also collects helium gas in the region just above the liquid helium surface while it is still cold, re-liquefies the gas and returns it to the Dewar. A special transfer tube (TT) of approximately 3 m length was developed to allow for dual helium streams. This tube separates the HCS using a MEG to reduce magnetic noise. A refiner was incorporated to effectively collect contaminating gases by freezing them. The refiner was equipped with an electric heater to remove the frozen contaminants as gases into the air. A gas flow controller was also developed, which automatically controlled the heater and electric valves to clean up contamination. The developed TT exhibited a very low heat inflow of less than 0.1 W/m to the liquid helium, ensuring efficient operation. The insert tube diameter, which was 1.5 in. was reduced to a standard 0.5 in. size. This dimensional change enabled the HCS to mount onto any commercialized MEG without any modifications to the MEG. The HCS can increase liquid helium in the Dewar by at least 3 liters/Day using two GM cryocoolers (SRDK-415D, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.). The noise levels were virtually the same as before this installation.

Gas-cooled reactor power systems for space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, C.E.

1987-01-01

Efficiency and mass characteristics for four gas-cooled reactor power system configurations in the 2- to 20-MWe power range are modeled. The configurations use direct and indirect Brayton cycles with and without regeneration in the power conversion loop. The prismatic ceramic core of the reactor consists of several thousand pencil-shaped tubes made from a homogeneous mixture of moderator and fuel. The heat rejection system is found to be the major contributor to system mass, particularly at high power levels. A direct, regenerated Brayton cycle with helium working fluid permits high efficiency and low specific mass for a 10-MWe system

Experimental study on cryogenic adsorption of methane by activated carbon for helium coolant purification of High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Hua; Wu, Zong-Xin; Jia, Hai-Jun

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The cryogenic CH 4 adsorption on activated carbon was studied for design of HTGR. • The breakthrough curves at different conditions were analyzed by the MTZ model. • The CH 4 adsorption isotherm was fitted well by the Toth model and the D-R model. • The work provides valuable reference data for helium coolant purification of HTGR. - Abstract: The cryogenic adsorption behavior of methane on activated carbon was investigated for helium coolant purification of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor by using dynamic column breakthrough method. With helium as carrier gas, experiments were performed at −196 °C and low methane partial pressure range of 0–120 Pa. The breakthrough curves at different superficial velocities and different feed concentrations were measured and analyzed by the mass-transfer zone model. The methane single-component adsorption isotherm was obtained and fitted well by the Toth model and the Dubinin-Radushkevich model. The adsorption heat of methane on activated carbon was estimated. The cryogenic adsorption process of methane on activated carbon has been verified to be effective for helium coolant purification of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor.

Status on DEMO Helium Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket thermo-mechanical analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aubert, J., E-mail: julien.aubert@cea.fr [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Aiello, G.; Jaboulay, J.-C. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Kiss, B. [Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest (Hungary); Morin, A. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • CEA with the support of Wigner-RCP and IPP-CR, is in charge of the design of the HCLL blanket for DEMO. The DEMO HCLL breeding blanket design capitalizes on the experience acquired on the HCLL Test Blanket Module designed for ITER. Design improvements are being implemented to adapt the design to DEMO specifications and performance objectives. • Thermal and mechanical analyses have been carried out in order to justify the design of the HCLL breeding blanket showing promising results for tie rods modules’ attachments system and relatively good behavior of the box in case of LOCA when comparing to RCC-MRx criteria. • CFD thermal analyses on generic breeding unit have enabled the consolidation of the results obtained with previous FEM design analyses. - Abstract: The EUROfusion Consortium develops a design of a fusion power demonstrator (DEMO) in the framework of the European “Horizon 2020” innovation and research program. One of the key components in the fusion reactor is the breeding blanket surrounding the plasma, ensuring tritium self-sufficiency, heat removal for conversion into electricity, and neutron shielding. The Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) blanket is one of the concepts which is investigated for DEMO. It is made of a Eurofer structure and uses the eutectic liquid lithium–lead as tritium breeder and neutron multiplier, and helium gas as coolant. Within the EUROfusion organization, CEA with the support of Wigner-RCP and IPP-CR, is in charge of the design of the HCLL blanket for DEMO. This paper presents the status of the thermal and mechanical analyses carried out on the HCLL breeding blanket in order to justify the design. CFD thermal analyses on generic breeding unit including stiffening plates and cooling plates have been performed with ANSYS in order to consolidate results obtained with previous FEM design analyses. Moreover in order to expand the justification of the HCLL Breeding blanket design, the most loaded area of

Design and safety analysis of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Shuai; Zhou, Guangming; Lv, Zhongliang; Jin, Cheng; Chen, Hongli [University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui (China). School of Nuclear Science and Technology

2016-05-15

This paper reports the design and safety analysis results of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket of the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Materials selection and basic structure of the blanket have been presented. Performance analysis including neutronics analysis and thermo-mechanical analysis has shown good results. And the safety analysis of the blanket under Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) conditions has been described. Results showed the current design can deal well with the selected accident scenarios.

A preliminary definition of the parameters of an experimental natural - uranium, graphite - moderated, helium - cooled power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baltazar, O.

1978-01-01

A preliminary study of the technical characteristic of an experiment at 32 MWe power with a natural uconium, graphite-moderated, helium cooled reactor is described. The national participation and the use of reactor as an instrument for the technological development of future high temperature gas cooled reactor is considered in the choice of the reactor type. Considerations about nuclear power plants components based in extensive bibliography about similar english GCR reactor is presented. The main thermal, neutronic an static characteristic and in core management of the nuclear fuel is stablished. A simplified scheme of the secondary system and its thermodynamic performance is determined. A scheme of parameters calculation of the reactor type is defined based in the present capacity of calculation developed by Coordenadoria de Engenharia Nuclear and Centro de Processamento de Dados, IEA, Brazil [pt

Structural design of the toroidal configuration of the HTS SMES cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeom, H.K.; Koh, D.Y.; Ko, J.S.; Kim, H.B.; Hong, Y.J.; Kim, S.H.; Seong, K.C.

2011-01-01

The superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system is working on around 30 K, because the magnet is made of high temperature superconductor. To maintain the cryogenic temperature, the superconducting coil is cooled by cryogen, helium gas or liquid neon. But there are some weak points in the cryogen cooling system. For example periodic charge of the cryogen and size is big and so on. So, we have designed the conduction cooling system for toroidal configuration HTS SMES. The toroidal type HTS SMES has some merits, so it is very small magnetic field leakage, and magnetic field applied perpendicular to the tape surface can be reduced. Our system has 28 numbers of HTS double pancake coils and they are arrayed toroidal configuration. The toroidal inner radius is 162 mm, and outer radius is 599 mm, and height is about 162 mm. In this study, we have designed the cooling structure and analyzed temperature distribution of cooling path, thermal stress and deformation of the cooling structure.

The Gas Turbine - Modular Helium Reactor: A Promising Option for Near Term Deployment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaBar, Malcolm P.

2002-01-01

The Gas Turbine - Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) is an advanced nuclear power system that offers unparalleled safety, high thermal efficiency, environmental advantages, and competitive electricity generation costs. The GT-MHR module couples a gas-cooled modular helium reactor (MHR) with a high efficiency modular Brayton cycle gas turbine (GT) energy conversion system. The reactor and power conversion systems are located in a below grade concrete silo that provides protection against sabotage. The GT-MHR safety is achieved through a combination of inherent safety characteristics and design selections that take maximum advantage of the gas-cooled reactor coated particle fuel, helium coolant and graphite moderator. The GT-MHR is projected to be economically competitive with alternative electricity generation technologies due to the high operating temperature of the gas-cooled reactor, high thermal efficiency of the Brayton cycle power conversion system, high fuel burnup (>100,000 MWd/MT), and low operation and maintenance requirements. (author)

Adsorption pump for helium pumping out

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donde, A.L.; Semenenko, Yu.E.

1981-01-01

Adsorption pump with adsorbent cooling by liquid helium is described. Shuttered shield protecting adsorbent against radiation is cooled with evaporating helium passing along the coil positioned on the shield. The pump is also equipped with primed cylindrical shield, cooled with liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen shield has in the lower part the shuttered shield, on the pump casing there is a valve used for pump pre-burning, and valves for connection to recipient as well. Pumping- out rates are presented at different pressures and temperatures of adsorbent. The pumping-out rate according to air at absorbent cooling with liquid nitrogen constituted 5x10 -4 Pa-3000 l/s, at 2x10 -2 Pa-630 l/s. During the absorbent cooling with liquid hydrogen the pumping-out rate according to air was at 4x10 -4 Pa-580 l/s, at 2x10 -3 Pa-680 l/s, according to hydrogen - at 8x10 -5 Pa-2500 l/s, at 5x10 -3 Pa-4200 l/s. During adsorbent cooling with liquid helium the rate of pumping-out according to hydrogen at 3x10 5 Pa-2400% l/s, at 6x10 3 Pa-1200 l/s, and according to helium at 3.5x10 -5 Pa-2800 l/s, at 4x10 -3 Pa-1150 l/s. The limit vacuum is equal to 1x10 -7 Pa. The volume of the vessel with liquid helium is equal to 3.5 l. Helium consumption is 80 cm 3 /h. Consumption of liquid nitrogen from the shield is 400 cm 3 /h. The limit pressure in the pump is obtained after forevacuum pumping-out (adsorbent regeneration) at 300 K temperature. The pump is made of copper. The pump height together with primed tubes is 800 mm diameter-380 mm [ru

Cool Down Experiences with the SST-1 Helium Cryogenics System before and after Current Feeders System Modification

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, R.; Panchal, P.; Panchal, R.; Tank, J.; Mahesuriya, G.; Sonara, D.; Srikanth, G. L. N.; Garg, A.; Bairagi, N.; Christian, D.; Patel, K.; Shah, P.; Nimavat, H.; Sharma, R.; Patel, J. C.; Gupta, N. C.; Prasad, U.; Sharma, A. N.; Tanna, V. L.; Pradhan, S.

The SST-1 machine comprises a superconducting magnet system (SCMS), which includes TF and PF magnets. In order to charge the SCMS, we need superconducting current feeders consisting of SC feeders and vapor cooled current leads (VCCLs). We have installed all 10 (+/-) pairs of VCCLs for the TF and PF systems. While conducting initial engineering validation of the SST-1 machine, our prime objective was to produce circular plasma using only the TF system. During the SST-1 campaign I to VI, we have to stop the PF magnets cooling in order to get the cryo- stable conditions for current charging of the TF magnets system. In that case, the cooling of the PF current leads is not essential. It has been also observed that after aborting the PF system cooling, there was a limited experimental window of TF operation. Therefore, in the recent SST-1 campaign-VII, we removed the PF current leads (9 pairs) and kept only single (+/-) pair of the 10,000 A rated VCCLs to realize the charging of the TF system for the extended window of operation. We have observed a better cryogenic stability in the TF magnets after modifications in the CFS. In this paper, we report the comparison of the cool down performance for the SST-1 machine operation before and after modifications of the current feeders system.

A charge regulating system for turbo-generator gas-cooled high-temperature reactor power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braytenbah, A.S.; Jaegtnes, K.O.

1975-01-01

The invention relates to a regulating system for gas-cooled high-temperature reactors power stations (helium coolant), equipped with several steam-boilers, each of which deriving heat from a corresponding cooling-gas flow circulating in the reactor, so as to feed superheated steam into a main common steam-manifold and re-superheated steam into a re-superheated hot common manifold [fr

Deep Burn: Development of Transuranic Fuel for High-Temperature Helium-Cooled Reactors- Monthly Highlights September 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snead, Lance Lewis; Besmann, Theodore M.; Collins, Emory D.; Bell, Gary L.

2010-01-01

The DB Program monthly highlights report for August 2010, ORNL/TM-2010/184, was distributed to program participants by email on September 17. This report discusses: (1) Core and Fuel Analysis - (a) Core Design Optimization in the HTR (high temperature helium-cooled reactor) Prismatic Design (Logos), (b) Core Design Optimization in the HTR Pebble Bed Design (INL), (c) Microfuel analysis for the DB HTR (INL, GA, Logos); (2) Spent Fuel Management - (a) TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) repository behavior (UNLV), (b) Repository performance of TRISO fuel (UCB); (3) Fuel Cycle Integration of the HTR (high temperature helium-cooled reactor) - Synergy with other reactor fuel cycles (GA, Logos); (4) TRU (transuranic elements) HTR Fuel Qualification - (a) Thermochemical Modeling, (b) Actinide and Fission Product Transport, (c) Radiation Damage and Properties; (5) HTR Spent Fuel Recycle - (a) TRU Kernel Development (ORNL), (b) Coating Development (ORNL), (c) Characterization Development and Support, (d) ZrC Properties and Handbook; and (6) HTR Fuel Recycle - (a) Graphite Recycle (ORNL), (b) Aqueous Reprocessing, (c) Pyrochemical Reprocessing METROX (metal recovery from oxide fuel) Process Development (ANL).

Preliminary Analysis on Decay Heat Removal Capability of Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Test Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, Mu Young; Cho, Seung Yon; Kim, Duck Hoi; Lee, Eun Seok; Kim, Hyung Seok; Suh, Jae Seung; Yun, Sung Hwan; Cho, Nam Zin

2007-01-01

One of the main ITER goals is to test and validate design concepts of tritium breeding blankets relevant to DEMO or fusion power plants. Korea Helium-Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) has been developed with overall objectives of achieving this goal. The TBM employs high pressure helium to cool down the First Wall (FW), Side Wall (SW) and Breeding Zone (BZ). Therefore, safety consideration is a part of the design process. Each ITER Party performing the TBM program is requested to reach a similar level of confidence in the TBM safety analysis. To meet ITER's request, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) studies have been performed on the TBM to identify the Postulated Initial Event (PIE). Although FMEA on the KO TBM has not been completed, in-vessel, in-box and ex-vessel Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) are considered as enveloping cases of PIE in general. In this paper, accidental analyses for the three selected LOCA were performed to investigate the decay heat removal capability of the TBM. To simulate transient thermo-hydraulic behavior of the TBM for the selected scenarios, RELAP5/MOD3.2 code was used

PIP-II Cryogenic System and the evolution of Superfluid Helium Cryogenic Plant Specifications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakravarty, Anindya [Fermilab; Rane, Tejas [Fermilab; Klebaner, Arkadiy [Fermilab

2017-07-06

The PIP-II cryogenic system consists of a Superfluid Helium Cryogenic Plant (SHCP) and a Cryogenic Distribution System (CDS) connecting the SHCP to the Superconducting (SC) Linac consisting of 25 cryomodules. The dynamic heat load of the SC cavities for continuous wave (CW) as well as pulsed mode of operation has been listed out. The static heat loads of the cavities along with the CDS have also been discussed. Simulation study has been carried out to compute the supercritical helium (SHe) flow requirements for each cryomodule. Comparison between the flow requirements of the cryomodules for the CW and pulsed modes of operation have also been made. From the total computed heat load and pressure drop values in the CDS, the basic specifications for the SHCP, required for cooling the SC Linac, have evolved.

Activation analysis of Chinese ITER helium cooled solid breeder test blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Jingru; Chen Yixue; Ma Xubo; Wang Shouhai; Forrest, R.A.

2009-01-01

Based on the Chinese ITER helium cooled solid breeder(CH-HCSB) test blanket module (TBM) of the 3 x 6 sub-modules options, the activation characteristics of the TBM were calculated. Three-dimensional neutronic calculations were performed using the Monte-Carlo code MCNP and the nuclear data library FENDL/2. Furthermore, the activation calculations of HCSB-TBM were carried out with the European activation system EASY-2007. At shutdown the total activity is 1.29 x 10 16 Bq, and the total afterheat is 2.46 kW. They are both dominated by the Eurofer steel. The activity and afterheat are both in the safe range of TBM design, and will not have a great impact on the environment. Meanwhile,on basis of the calculated contact dose rate, the activated materials can be re-used following the remote handling recycling options. The activation results demonstrate that the current HCSB-TBM design can satisfy the ITER safety design requirements from the activation point of view. (authors)

Process optimization of helium cryo plant operation for SST-1 superconducting magnet system

Science.gov (United States)

Panchal, P.; Panchal, R.; Patel, R.; Mahesuriya, G.; Sonara, D.; Srikanth G, L. N.; Garg, A.; Christian, D.; Bairagi, N.; Sharma, R.; Patel, K.; Shah, P.; Nimavat, H.; Purwar, G.; Patel, J.; Tanna, V.; Pradhan, S.

2017-02-01

Several plasma discharge campaigns have been carried out in steady state superconducting tokamak (SST-1). SST-1 has toroidal field (TF) and poloidal field (PF) superconducting magnet system (SCMS). The TF coils system is cooled to 4.5 - 4.8 K at 1.5 - 1.7 bar(a) under two phase flow condition using 1.3 kW helium cryo plant. Experience revealed that the PF coils demand higher pressure heads even at lower temperatures in comparison to TF coils because of its longer hydraulic path lengths. Thermal run away are observed within PF coils because of single common control valve for all PF coils in distribution system having non-uniform lengths. Thus it is routine practice to stop the cooling of PF path and continue only TF cooling at SCMS inlet temperature of ˜ 14 K. In order to achieve uniform cool down, different control logic is adopted to make cryo stable system. In adopted control logic, the SCMS are cooled down to 80 K at constant inlet pressure of 9 bar(a). After authorization of turbine A/B, the SCMS inlet pressure is gradually controlled by refrigeration J-T valve to achieve stable operation window for cryo system. This paper presents process optimization for cryo plant operation for SST-1 SCMS.

Accelerator-based cold neutron sources and their cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Kazuhiko; Yanai, Masayoshi; Ishikawa, Yoshikazu.

1985-01-01

We have developed and installed two accelerator-based cold neutron sources within a electron linac at Hokkaido University and a proton synchrotoron at National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. Solid methane at 20K was adopted as the cold moderator. The methane condensing heat exchangers attached directly to the moderator chambers were cooled by helium gas, which was kept cooled in refrigerators and circulated by ventilation fans. Two cold neutron sources have operated smoothly and safely for the past several years. In this paper we describe some of the results obtained in the preliminary experiments by using a modest capacity refrigerator, the design philosophy of the cooling system for the pulsed cold neutron sources, and outline of two facilities. (author)

Study of heat transfer in superconducting cable electrical insulation of accelerator magnet cooled by superfluid helium; Etude des transferts de chaleur dans les isolations electriques de cables supraconducteurs d'aimant d'accelerateur refroidi par helium superfluide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudouy, B

1996-10-04

Heat transfer studies of electrical cable insulation in superconducting winding are of major importance for stability studies in superconducting magnets. This work presents an experimental heat transfer study in superconducting cables of Large Hadron Collider dipoles cooled by superfluid helium and submitted to volume heat dissipation due to beam losses. For NbTi magnets cooled by superfluid helium the most severe heat barrier comes from the electrical insulation of the cables. Heat behaviour of a winding is approached through an experimental model in which insulation characteristics can be modified. Different tests on insulation patterns show that heat transfer is influenced by superfluid helium contained in insulation even for small volume of helium (2 % of cable volume). Electrical insulation can be considered as a composite material made of a solid matrix with a helium channels network which cannot be modelled easily. This network is characterised by another experimental apparatus which allows to study transverse and steady-state heat transfer through an elementary insulation pattern. Measurements in Landau regime ({delta}T{approx}10{sup -5} to 10{sup -3} K) and in Gorter-Mellink regime ({delta}T>10{sup -3} K) and using assumptions that helium thermal paths and conduction in the insulation are decoupled allow to determine an equivalent channel area (10{sup -6} m{sup 2}) and an equivalent channel diameter (25 {mu}). (author)

Cool-down performance of CICC superconducting coils for the CHMFL

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Y.; Li, J.; Ouyang, Z. R.

2017-10-01

A hybrid magnet composed of a water-cooled magnet and a superconducting magnet was developed at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The superconducting coils made of Nb3Sn CICC were cooled by the forced flow of supercritical helium at 4.5 K. The paper presents the cryogenic system framework, and reports the characteristics of the supercritical helium in a cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC), including the friction factor change during the cooling process, the heat transfer coefficient from 4.6 K to 6.8 K, and the helium mass flow rate distribution. After the 23-day cooling process, the temperature reached 4.5 K. The operation process was introduced in the paper.

Development Status of the Helium Circulator for the HCS of HCCR-TBS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Eo Hwak; Jin, Hyung Gon; Yoon, Jae Sung; Kim, Suk Kwon; Lee, Dong Won; Lee, Si Woo; Cho, Seung Yon

2016-01-01

The calculated eddy current loss on the stainless steel sealing cap of the magnetic coupling device is very high. To solve the eddy current loss problem of the sealing cap, a glass fiber composite, non-conductive and high strength material, is adapted as a material of the sealing cap. The HCCR TBM will be cooled down by HCS (Helium Cooling System), supply high pressure (8 MPa) and temperature (300 .deg. C) helium coolant with 1.15 kg/s of mass flow for nominal operation. The real-scale helium circulator, which is main component of the HCS, has been developed since 2014. In present study, design and manufacture progress of the helium circulator and its verification test plan are described. The real-scale circulator has been developed to provide high temperature and pressure of helium flow as a coolant of the HCCR TBM. To prevent helium leakage, magnetic coupling design was adapted between the shaft and the impeller

Commissioning of a 20 K Helium Refrigeration System for NASA-JSC Chamber A

Science.gov (United States)

Homan, J.; Redman, R.; Ganni, V.; Sidi-Yekhlef, A.; Knudsen, P.; Norton, R.; Lauterbach, J.; Linza, R.; Vargas, G.

2013-01-01

A new 20 K helium refrigerator installed at NASA Johnson Space Center s Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) was successfully commissioned and tested in 2012. The refrigerator is used to create a deep space environment within SESL s Chamber A to perform ground testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The chamber previously and currently still has helium cryo-pumping panels (CPP) and liquid nitrogen shrouds used to create low earth orbit environments. Now with the new refrigerator and new helium shrouds the chamber can create a deep space environment. The process design, system analysis, specification development, and commissioning oversight were performed by the cryogenics department at Jefferson Lab, while the contracts and system installation was performed by the ESC group at JSC. Commissioning data indicate an inverse coefficient of performance better than 70 W/W for a 18 kW load at 20 K (accounting for liquid nitrogen pre-cooling power) that remains essentially constant down to one third of this load. Even at 10 percent of the maximum capacity, the performance is better than 150 W/W at 20 K. The refrigerator exceeded all design goals and demonstrated the ability to support a wide load range from 10 kW at 15 K to 100 kW at 100 K. The refrigerator is capable of operating at any load temperature from 15 K to ambient with tight temperature stability. The new shroud (36 tons of aluminum) can be cooled from room temperature to 20 K in 24 hours. This paper will outline the process design and commissioning results.

A small scale remote cooling system for a superconducting cyclotron magnet

Science.gov (United States)

Haug, F.; Berkowitz Zamorra, D.; Michels, M.; Gomez Bosch, R.; Schmid, J.; Striebel, A.; Krueger, A.; Diez, M.; Jakob, M.; Keh, M.; Herberger, W.; Oesterle, D.

2017-02-01

Through a technology transfer program CERN is involved in the R&D of a compact superconducting cyclotron for future clinical radioisotope production, a project led by the Spanish research institute CIEMAT. For the remote cooling of the LTc superconducting magnet operating at 4.5 K, CERN has designed a small scale refrigeration system, the Cryogenic Supply System (CSS). This refrigeration system consists of a commercial two-stage 1.5 W @ 4.2 K GM cryocooler and a separate forced flow circuit. The forced flow circuit extracts the cooling power of the first and the second stage cold tips, respectively. Both units are installed in a common vacuum vessel and, at the final configuration, a low loss transfer line will provide the link to the magnet cryostat for the cooling of the thermal shield with helium at 40 K and the two superconducting coils with two-phase helium at 4.5 K. Currently the CSS is in the testing phase at CERN in stand-alone mode without the magnet and the transfer line. We have added a “validation unit” housed in the vacuum vessel of the CSS representing the thermo-hydraulic part of the cyclotron magnet. It is equipped with electrical heaters which allow the simulation of the thermal loads of the magnet cryostat. A cooling power of 1.4 W at 4.5 K and 25 W at the thermal shield temperature level has been measured. The data produced confirm the design principle of the CSS which could be validated.

Considerations on the design of a helium circulator for a high temperature modular reactor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumm, K.; Donaldson, J.

1988-01-01

A modular helium cooled, high temperature reactor system with a thermal output of 200 MW per reactor has been developed by the KWU group for cogeneration of electricity and process steam. The flow of the reactor coolant - Helium at 60 bars and 250/700 deg. C is maintained by one circulator per reactor. The circulator is driven by a variable speed Siemens asynchronous motor and is submerged in the helium primary system. For operational reasons high reliability and availability of the circulator is required. The operational requirements for the circulator design are presented in this paper. The actual design has been carried out in close cooperation with the designer and manufacturer of all submerged circulators operating in AGR plants in Great Britain, James Howden Co. Renfrew, Scotland. Design solutions received so far and mainly based on sufficiently proven components - such as oil bath lubricated bearing systems - will be described. Special attention will be paid on the necessary test work; especially for the prototype to confirm the lay out. (author). 9 figs

Selection of a cryostabilized Nb3Sn conductor cooling system for the large coil program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chi, J.W.H.; Murphy, J.H.; Jones, C.K.

1977-01-01

The Large Coil Project (LCP) is a program to design, fabricate and test relatively large superconducting toroidal field coils for tokamak fusion reactor applications. Some basic requirements that affect the conductor design are cryostabilization, 8 tesla peak magnetic field, and a specified maximum refrigeration load. The engineering considerations that led to the selection of a forced flow supercritical helium-cooled cable conductor are described. Comparisons of forced flow supercritical helium cooled cable conductors with pool boiling cooled monolithic conductors were made with regard to a number of factors such as the thermal capacity of the coolant, the thermal design margins, propensity for conductor normalization, predictability of the thermal-flow performance, controllability of the cooling conditions, etc. It was concluded that, although there exists a number of design uncertainties and engineering problems, forced flow supercritical helium cooled conductors can provide a far more reliable coil design than the pool boiling monolithic concept. The design of a cryostabilized Nb 3 Sn hollow cabled conductor involved detailed considerations of the need for fully transposed conductor strands, the nonuniform void and helium flow distributions, heat transfer from the twisted conductor strands, and helium flow rate and pump work requirements. The uncertainties in the design are discussed and the specifications of a reference Nb 3 Sn conductor concept that meets the design requirements and constraints are presented

Progress on the MICE Liquid Absorber Cooling and Cryogenic Distribution System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Baynham, E.; Bradshaw, T.; Drumm, P.; Ivanyushenkov, Y.; Ishimoto, S.; Cummings, M.A.C.; Lau, W.W.; Yang, S.Q.

2005-01-01

This report describes the progress made on the design of the cryogenic cooling system for the liquid absorber for the international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE). The absorber consists of a 20.7-liter vessel that contains liquid hydrogen (1.48 kg at 20.3 K) or liquid helium (2.59 kg at 4.2 K). The liquid cryogen vessel is located within the warm bore of the focusing magnet for the MICE. The purpose of the magnet is to provide a low beam beta region within the absorber. For safety reasons, the vacuum vessel for the hydrogen absorber is separated from the vacuum vessel for the superconducting magnet and the vacuum that surrounds the RF cavities or the detector. The absorber thin windows separate the liquid in the absorber from the absorber vacuum. The absorber vacuum vessel also has thin windows that separate the absorber vacuum space from adjacent vacuum spaces. Because the muon beam in MICE is of low intensity, there is no beam heating in the absorber. The absorber can use a single 4 K cooler to cool either liquid helium or liquid hydrogen within the absorber

Numerical Analysis for Heat transfer characteristic of Helium cooling system in Helium cooled ceramic reflector Test Module Blanket (HCCR-TBM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seong Dae; Lee, Dong Won; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoon, Jae Sung; Kim, Suk Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The main objectives of ITER project can be summarized into three types as follows - Plasma operation for a long time - Large tokamak device technology - Test blanket module (TBM) installation and verification The thermal-hydraulic analysis was performed in the He cooling channel in the BZ region of the HCCR TBM. The maximum temperature in the breeder material is equal to the limit temperature in the present design cooling channel. Nuclear fusion energy has advantage in terms of safety, resource availability, cost and waste management. There is not enough experimental results about the fusion reactor due to the severe experiments restrictions like vacuum environment, plasma production and significant nuclear heating at the same time. Much research and time is required for the commercial fusion reactor. For technical verification against the commercialization of fusion reactor, 7 countries which are EU, USA, Japan, Russia, China, India, and South Korea are building an ITER in the south of France. New designed cooling channels were proposed to improve the cooling performance. The swirl flow accelerates the mixture flow in the channels.

Study of heat transfer in superconducting cable electrical insulation of accelerator magnet cooled by superfluid helium; Etude des transferts de chaleur dans les isolations electriques de cables supraconducteurs d'aimant d'accelerateur refroidi par helium superfluide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudouy, B

1996-10-04

Heat transfer studies of electrical cable insulation in superconducting winding are of major importance for stability studies in superconducting magnets. This work presents an experimental heat transfer study in superconducting cables of Large Hadron Collider dipoles cooled by superfluid helium and submitted to volume heat dissipation due to beam losses. For NbTi magnets cooled by superfluid helium the most severe heat barrier comes from the electrical insulation of the cables. Heat behaviour of a winding is approached through an experimental model in which insulation characteristics can be modified. Different tests on insulation patterns show that heat transfer is influenced by superfluid helium contained in insulation even for small volume of helium (2 % of cable volume). Electrical insulation can be considered as a composite material made of a solid matrix with a helium channels network which cannot be modelled easily. This network is characterised by another experimental apparatus which allows to study transverse and steady-state heat transfer through an elementary insulation pattern. Measurements in Landau regime ({delta}T{approx}10{sup -5} to 10{sup -3} K) and in Gorter-Mellink regime ({delta}T>10{sup -3} K) and using assumptions that helium thermal paths and conduction in the insulation are decoupled allow to determine an equivalent channel area (10{sup -6} m{sup 2}) and an equivalent channel diameter (25 {mu}). (author)

A new helium gas recovery and purification system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamotot, T.; Suzuki, H.; Ishii, J.; Hamana, I.; Hayashi, S.; Mizutani, S.; Sanjo, S.

1974-01-01

A helium gas recovery and purification system, based on the principle of gas permeation through a membrane, is described. The system can be used for the purification of helium gas containing air as a contaminant. The apparatus, operating at ambient temperature does not need constant attention, the recovery ratio of helium gas is satisfactory and running costs are low. Gases other than helium can be processed with the apparatus. (U.K.)

Cryogenic recovery analysis of forced flow supercritical helium cooled superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, A.Y.

1977-08-01

A coupled heat conduction and fluid flow method of solution was presented for cryogenic stability analysis of cabled composite superconductors of large scale magnetic coils. The coils are cooled by forced flow supercritical helium in parallel flow channels. The coolant flow reduction in one of the channels during the spontaneous recovery transient, after the conductor undergoes a transition from superconducting to resistive, necessitates a parallel channel analysis. A way to simulate the parallel channel analysis is described to calculate the initial channel inlet flow rate required for recovery after a given amount of heat is deposited. The recovery capability of a NbTi plus copper composite superconductor design is analyzed and the results presented. If the hydraulics of the coolant flow is neglected in the recovery analysis, the recovery capability of the superconductor will be over-predicted

Study of Temperature Wave Propagation in Superfluid Helium Focusing on Radio-Frequency Cavity Cooling

CERN Document Server

Koettig, T; Avellino, S; Junginger, T; Bremer, J

2015-01-01

Oscillating Superleak Transducers (OSTs) can be used to localize quenches of superconducting radio-frequency cavities. Local hot spots at the cavity surface initiate temperature waves in the surrounding superfluid helium that acts as cooling fluid at typical temperatures in the range of 1.6 K to 2 K. The temperature wave is characterised by the properties of superfluid helium such as the second sound velocity. For high heat load densities second sound velocities greater than the standard literature values are observed. This fast propagation has been verified in dedicated small scale experiments. Resistors were used to simulate the quench spots under controlled conditions. The three dimensional propagation of second sound is linked to OST signals. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the OST signal especially the incident angle dependency. The characterised OSTs are used as a tool for quench localisation on a real size cavity. Their sensitivity as well as the time resolution was proven to b...

Manufacturing aspects in the design of the breeder unit for Helium Cooled Pebble Bed blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rey, J.; Ihli, T.; Filsinger, D.; Polixa, C.

2007-01-01

The breeding blanket programme has been in the focus of European fusion research for more than a decade. Recently, it has been driven by the EU Power Plant Conceptual Study (PPCS), investigating the potential of fusion energy in a future economic environment. On the way to the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor (DEMO) new studies for reactor in-vessel components have been initiated. One central focus is the design and manufacturing of the blankets that have to ensure the breeding process to maintain the fuel cycle and are also responsible for the extraction of the main part of the reactor heat for power generation. Two kinds are established: One is the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) and the other the Helium Cooled Liquid Lead (HCLL) blanket. Both designs employ three different cooling plate assemblies. The outer, cooled U-shaped shell, namely the First Wall (FW), with two caps builds the blanket box. The structural strength of the blanket box is realized by integrating Stiffening Grids (SG) that separate the equally spaced Breeder Unit (BU) and allow the box, in case of faulted conditions, to withstand an internal pressure of 8 MPa. The cooled SG constitute the side walls of the BU and are also cooled. The BU consists of a dedicated Cooling Plate (CP) assembly. In present studies about the fabrication of Cooling Plates two kinds of diffusion welding processes are focused on. One is based on a Hot Isostatic Gas Process (HIP). The second is a uni-axial Diffusion Welding Process (DWP). In both cases the bond between the two halves of the cooling plate structure is reached by controlled pressure and heat cycles. Approaching larger, realistic scaled components the uncertainty of ensuring uniform process parameters across the bonding zone increases the risk of defect sources and, therefore, makes it difficult to guarantee the required bonding penetration. This study presents an alternative manufacturing strategy. The premises for this strategy are the reduction of

Dynamics of cold helium flow inside a cryoline used for large cryogenic distribution system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Uday; Jadon, Mohit; Choukekar, Ketan; Shukla, Vinit; Patel, Pratik; Kapoor, Himanshu; Shah, Nitin; Muralidhara, Srinivasa; Sarkar, Biswanath

2015-01-01

The Cryolines, which by definition transfers cryogens from the source, normally a cryogenic plant, to several systems requiring cooling at cryogenic temperature to the level of 4 K and 80 K. The operations of cryolines are normally assumed to be steady state following a cool down from room temperature to the cryogenic temperature. It is to be noted that in a distributed cryogenic system, especially in a nuclear facility such as ITER having confinement definition due to the regulatory requirements, do also attract the attention in the system design that the release from safety valves cannot be allowed inside a building. Therefore, all safety valves need to be discharged inside a confined space, which is a specific space requiring fulfillment of definition for a cryogenic line. The specificity in such cases is that such cryogenic lines will realize dynamic conditions for each release of safety valves or a combination of safety valves in terms of pressure, temperature and flow, leading to unexpected failures. Such operating scenarios also lead to serious impact on fatigue with a question mark on the reliability. Therefore, one can define such cryolines as Relief Collection Header (RCH) which collects discharged helium and transport it to the appropriate place as defined in the system design. The discharges of cold helium from safety relief discharge ports of equipment can result into significantly unsteady and compressible flow in RCH. The proper design of the RCH has to be supported by detailed dynamic of expected flow phenomena for specific cases. The paper presents the dynamics of cold helium flow inside the typical RCH that has been performed to investigate the variation in flow parameters (pressure, temperature, velocity and density) along the axis of RCH and predictions on its reliability. (author)

Bed system performance in helium circulation mode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yean Jin; Jung, Kwang Jin; Ahn, Do Hee; Chung, Hong Suk [UST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hee Suk [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Sei Hun [NFRI, Deajeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

As a part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project, We have conducted an experiment for storing hydrogen to depleted uranium and zirconium cobalt. The helium blanket effect has been observed in experiments using metal hydrides. The collapse of the hydrogen isotopes are accompanied by the decay heat and helium-3. Helium-3 dramatically reduces the hydrogen isotope storage capacity by surrounding the metal. This phenomenon is called a helium blanket effect. In addition the authors are working on the recovery and removal techniques of helium-3. In this paper, we discuss the equipment used to test the helium blanket effect and the results of a helium circulation experiment. The helium-3 produced surrounds the storage material surface and thus disturbs the reaction of the storage material and the hydrogen isotope. Even if the amount of helium-3 is small, the storage capacity of the SDS bed significantly drops. This phenomenon is the helium blanket effect. To resolve this phenomenon, a circulating loop was introduced. Using a circulating system, helium can be separated from the storage material. We made a helium loop that includes a ZrCo bed. Then using a metal bellows pump, we tested the helium circulation.

Forced flow cooling of ISABELLE dipole magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamberger, J.A.; Aggus, J.; Brown, D.P.; Kassner, D.A.; Sondericker, J.H.; Strobridge, T.R.

1976-01-01

The superconducting magnets for ISABELLE will use a forced flow supercritical helium cooling system. In order to evaluate this cooling scheme, two individual dipole magnets were first tested in conventional dewars using pool boiling helium. These magnets were then modified for forced flow cooling and retested with the identical magnet coils. The first evaluation test used a l m-long ISA model dipole magnet whose pool boiling performance had been established. The same magnet was then retested with forced flow cooling, energizing it at various operating temperatures until quench occurred. The magnet performance with forced flow cooling was consistent with data from the previous pool boiling tests. The next step in the program was a full-scale ISABELLE dipole ring magnet, 4.25 m long, whose performance was first evaluated with pool boiling. For the forced flow test the magnet was shrunk-fit into an unsplit laminated core encased in a stainless steel cylinder. The high pressure gas is cooled below 4 K by a helium bath which is pumped below atmospheric pressure with an ejector nozzle. The performance of the full-scale dipole magnet in the new configuration with forced flow cooling, showed a 10 percent increase in the attainable maximum current as compared to the pool boiling data

ATLAS' major cooling project

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

In 2005, a considerable effort has been put into commissioning the various units of ATLAS' complex cryogenic system. This is in preparation for the imminent cooling of some of the largest components of the detector in their final underground configuration. The liquid helium and nitrogen ATLAS refrigerators in USA 15. Cryogenics plays a vital role in operating massive detectors such as ATLAS. In many ways the liquefied argon, nitrogen and helium are the life-blood of the detector. ATLAS could not function without cryogens that will be constantly pumped via proximity systems to the superconducting magnets and subdetectors. In recent weeks compressors at the surface and underground refrigerators, dewars, pumps, linkages and all manner of other components related to the cryogenic system have been tested and commissioned. Fifty metres underground The helium and nitrogen refrigerators, installed inside the service cavern, are an important part of the ATLAS cryogenic system. Two independent helium refrigerators ...

Helium turbomachinery operating experience from gas turbine power plants and test facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, Colin F.

2012-01-01

The closed-cycle gas turbine, pioneered and deployed in Europe, is not well known in the USA. Since nuclear power plant studies currently being conducted in several countries involve the coupling of a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor with a helium closed-cycle gas turbine power conversion system, the experience gained from operated helium turbomachinery is the focus of this paper. A study done as early as 1945 foresaw the use of a helium closed-cycle gas turbine coupled with a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor, and some two decades later this was investigated but not implemented because of lack of technology readiness. However, the first practical use of helium as a gas turbine working fluid was recognized for cryogenic processes, and the first two small fossil-fired helium gas turbines to operate were in the USA for air liquefaction and nitrogen production facilities. In the 1970's a larger helium gas turbine plant and helium test facilities were built and operated in Germany to establish technology bases for a projected future high efficiency large nuclear gas turbine power plant concept. This review paper covers the experience gained, and the lessons learned from the operation of helium gas turbine plants and related test facilities, and puts these into perspective since over three decades have passed since they were deployed. An understanding of the many unexpected events encountered, and how the problems, some of them serious, were resolved is important to avoid them being replicated in future helium turbomachines. The valuable lessons learned in the past, in many cases the hard way, particularly from the operation in Germany of the Oberhausen II 50 MWe helium gas turbine plant, and the technical know-how gained from the formidable HHV helium turbine test facility, are viewed as being germane in the context of current helium turbomachine design work being done for future high efficiency nuclear gas turbine plant concepts. - Highlights: �

Thermohydraulics design and thermomechanics analysis of two European breeder blanket concepts for DEMO. Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. Pt. 1: BOT helium cooled solid breeding blanket. Pt. 2: Dual coolant self-cooled liquid metal blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norajitra, P.

1995-06-01

Two different breeding blanket concepts are being elaborated at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe within the framework of the DEMO breeding blanket development, the concept of a helium cooled solid breeding blanket and the concept of a self-cooled liquid metal blanket. The breeder material used in the first concept is Li 4 SiO 4 as a pebble bed arranged separate from the beryllium pebble bed, which serves as multiplier. The breeder material zone is cooled by several toroidally-radially configurated helium cooling plates which, at the same time, act as reinforcements of the blanket structures. In the liquid metal blanket concept lead-lithium is used both as the breeder material and the coolant. It flows at low velocity in poloidal direction downwards and back in the blanket front zone. In both concepts the First Wall is cooled by helium gas. This report deals with the thermohydraulics design and thermomechanics analysis of the two blanket concepts. The performance data derived from the Monte-Carlo computations serve as a basis for the design calculations. The coolant inlet and outlet temperatures are chosen with the design criteria and the economics aspects taken into account. Uniform temperature distribution in the blanket structures can be achieved by suitable branching and routing of the coolant flows which contributes to reducing decisively the thermal stress. The computations were made using the ABAQUS computer code. The results obtained of the stresses have been evaluated using the ASME code. It can be demonstrated that all maximum values of temperature and stress are below the admissible limit. (orig.) [de

Turbine airfoil cooling system with cooling systems using high and low pressure cooling fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Jan H.; Messmann, Stephen John; Scribner, Carmen Andrew

2017-10-25

A turbine airfoil cooling system including a low pressure cooling system and a high pressure cooling system for a turbine airfoil of a gas turbine engine is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the low pressure cooling system may be an ambient air cooling system, and the high pressure cooling system may be a compressor bleed air cooling system. In at least one embodiment, the compressor bleed air cooling system in communication with a high pressure subsystem that may be a snubber cooling system positioned within a snubber. A delivery system including a movable air supply tube may be used to separate the low and high pressure cooling subsystems. The delivery system may enable high pressure cooling air to be passed to the snubber cooling system separate from low pressure cooling fluid supplied by the low pressure cooling system to other portions of the turbine airfoil cooling system.

Numerical benchmark for the deep-burn modular helium-cooled reactor (DB-MHR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taiwo, T. A.; Kim, T. K.; Buiron, L.; Varaine, F.

2006-01-01

Numerical benchmark problems for the deep-burn concept based on the prismatic modular helium-cooled reactor design (a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR)) are specified for joint analysis by U.S. national laboratories and industry and the French CEA. The results obtained with deterministic and Monte Carlo codes have been inter-compared and used to confirm the underlying feature of the DB-MHR concept (high transuranics consumption). The results are also used to evaluate the impact of differences in code methodologies and nuclear data files on the code predictions for DB-MHR core physics parameters. The code packages of the participating organizations (ANL and CEA) are found to give very similar results. (authors)

Operating experience using venturi flow meters at liquid helium temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, K.C.

1992-01-01

Experiences using commercial venturi to measure single phase helium flow near 4 K (degree Kelvin) for cooling superconducting magnets have been presented. The mass flow rate was calculated from the differential pressure and the helium density evaluated from measured pressure and temperature. The venturi flow meter, with a full range of 290 g/s (0.29 Kg/s) at design conditions, has been found to be reliable and accurate. The flow measurements have been used, with great success, for evaluating the performance of a cold centrifugal compressor, the thermal acoustic heat load of a cryogenic system and the cooling of a superconducting magnet after quench

High temperature helium-cooled fast reactor (HTHFR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karam, R.A.; Blaylock, Dwayne; Burgett, Eric; Mostafa Ghiaasiaan, S.; Hertel, Nolan

2006-01-01

Scoping calculations have been performed for a very high temperature (1000 o C) helium-cooled fast reactor involving two distinct options: (1) using graphite foam into which UC (12% enrichment) is embedded into a matrix comprising UC and graphite foam molded into hexagonal building blocks and encapsulated with a SiC shell covering all surfaces, and (2) using UC only (also 12% enrichment) molded into the same shape and size as the foam-UC matrix in option 1. Both options use the same basic hexagonal fuel matrix blocks to form the core and reflector. The reflector contains natural uranium only. Both options use 50 μm SiC as a containment shell for fission product retention within each hexagonal block. The calculations show that the option using foam (option 1) would produce a reactor that can operate continuously for at least 25 years without ever adding or removing any fuel from the reactor. The calculations show further that the UC only option (option 2) can operate continually for 50 years without ever adding or removing fuel from the reactor. Doppler and loss of coolant reactivity coefficients were calculated. The Doppler coefficient is negative and much larger than the loss of coolant coefficient, which was very small and positive. Additional progress on and development of the two concepts are continuing

An efficient cooling loop for connecting cryocooler to a helium reservoir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, C.E.; Abbott, C.S.R.; Leitner, D.; Leitner, M.; Lyneis, C.M.

2003-01-01

The magnet system of the VENUS ECR Ion Source at LBNL has two 1.5-watt cryocoolers suspended in the cryostat vacuum. Helium vapor from the liquid reservoir is admitted to a finned condenser bolted to the cryocooler 2nd stage and returns as liquid via gravity. Small-diameter flexible tubes allow the cryocoolers to be located remotely from the reservoir. With 3.1 watts load, the helium reservoir is maintained at 4.35 K, 0.05K above the cryocooler temperature. Design, analysis, and performance are presented

Re-Condensation and Liquefaction of Helium and Hydrogen Using Coolers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Michael A.

2009-01-01

Coolers are used to cool cryogen free devices at temperatures from 5 to 30 K. Cryogen free cooling involves a temperature drop within the device being cooled and between the device and the cooler cold heads. Liquid cooling with a liquid cryogen distributed over the surface of a device combined with re-condensation can result in a much lower temperature drop between the cooler and the device being cooled. The next logical step beyond simple re-condensation is using a cooler to liquefy the liquid cryogen in the device. A number of tests of helium liquefaction and re-condensation of helium have been run using a pulse tube cooler in the drop-in mode. This report discusses the parameter space over which re-condensation and liquefaction for helium and hydrogen can occur.

Assessment of tritiated activities in the radwaste generated from ITER Chinese helium cooled ceramic breeding test blanket module system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Chang An, E-mail: chenchangan@caep.cn; Liu, Lingbo; Wang, Bo; Xiang, Xin; Yao, Yong; Song, Jiangfeng

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Approaches were developed for calculation/evaluation of tritium activities in the materials and components of a TBM system, with tritium permeation being considered for the first time. • Almost all tritiated materials and components were considered in CNHCCB TBM system including the TBM set, connection pipes, and the ancillary tritium handling systems. • Tritium activity data in HCCB TBM system were updated. Some of which in directly tritium contacted components are to be 2 or 4 magnitudes higher than the original neutron transmutation calculations. • The radwaste amount from both operation and decommission of HCCB TBM system was evaluated. - Abstract: Chinese Helium Cooled Ceramic Breeding Test blanket Module (CNHCCB TBM) will be tested in the ITER machine for the feasibility of in pile tritium production for a future magnetic confinement fusion reactor. The tritium inventories/retentions in the material/components were evaluated and updated mainly based on the tritium diffusion/permeation theory and the analysis of some reported data. Tritiated activities rank from less than 10 Bq g{sup −1} to 10{sup 9} Bq g{sup −1} for the different materials or components, which are generally higher than those from the previous neutron transmutation calculation. The amounts of tritiated radwaste were also estimated according to the operation, decommission, maintenance and replacement strategies, which vary from several tens of kilograms to tons in the different operation phases. The data can be used both for the tritium radiological safety evaluation and radwaste management of CNHCCB TBM set and its ancillary systems.

20 K Helium Refrigeration System for NASA-JSC Chamber-A

Science.gov (United States)

Homan, J.; Redman, R.; Ganni, V.; Sidi-Yekhelef, A.; Knudsen, P.; Norton, R.; Lauterbach, J.; Linza, R.; Vargas, G.

2013-01-01

A new 20 K helium refrigerator installed at NASA Johnson Space Center's Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) was successfully commissioned and tested in 2012. The refrigerator is used to create a deep space environment within SESL s Chamber A to perform ground testing of the James Webb Space Telescope. The chamber previously and currently still has helium cryopumping panels (CPP) and LN2 shrouds used to create Low Earth Orbit environments. Now with the new refrigerator and new helium shrouds (45 x 65 ) the chamber can create a deep space environment. The process design, system analysis, specification development, and commissioning oversight were performed by the cryogenics department at Jefferson Labs, while the contracts and system installation was performed by the ESC group at JSC. Commissioning data indicate a inverse coefficient of performance better than 70 W/W for a 18 KW load at 20 K (accounting for liquid nitrogen precooling power) that remains essentially constant down to 1/3 of this load. Even at 10 percent of the maximum capacity, the performance is better than 140 W/W at 20K. The refrigerator exceeded all design goals and demonstrated the ability to support a wide load range from 10kW at 15 K to 100 kW at 100K. The refrigerator is capable of operating at any load temperature from 15K to ambient with tight temperature stability. The new shroud (36 tons of aluminum) can be cooled from room temperature to 20 K in 24 hours. This paper will outline the process design and commissioning results.

Construction and performance testing of a secondary cooling system with hydrogen gas (I)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hishida, M.; Nekoya, S.; Takizuka, T.; Emori, K.; Ogawa, M.; Ouchi, M.; Okamoto, Y.; Sanokawa, K.; Nakano, T.; Hagiwara, T.

1979-08-01

An experimental multi-purpose High-Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (VHTR) which is supposed to be used for a direct steel-making is now being developed in JAeRI. In order to simulate the heat exchanging system between the primary helium gas and the secondary reducing gas system of VHTR, a hydrogen gas loop was constructed as a secondary cooling system of the helium gas loop. The maximum temperature and the maximum pressure of the hydrogen gas are 900 degrees C and 42 kg/cm 2 x G respectively. The construction of the hydrogen gas loop was completed in January, 1977, and was successfully operated for 1.000 h. Various performance tests, such as the hydrogen permeation test of a He/H2 heat exchanger and the thermal performance test of heat exchangers, were made. Especially, it was proved that hydrogen permeation rate through the heat exchanger was reduced to 1/30 to approximately 1/50 by a method of calorized coating, and the coating was stable during 1.000 h's operation. It was also stable against the temperature changes. This report describes the outline of the facility and performance of the components. (orig.) [de

Commissioning of the helium cryogenic system for the HIE- ISOLDE accelerator upgrade at CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delruelle, N; Inglese, V; Leclercq, Y; Pirotte, O; Williams, L

2015-01-01

The High Intensity and Energy ISOLDE (HIE-ISOLDE) project is a major upgrade of the existing ISOLDE and REX-ISOLDE facilities at CERN. The most significant improvement will come from replacing the existing REX accelerating structure by a superconducting linear accelerator (SC linac) composed ultimately of six cryo-modules installed in series, each containing superconducting RF cavities and solenoids operated at 4.5 K. In order to provide the cooling capacity at all temperature levels between 300 K and 4.5 K for the six cryo-modules, an existing helium refrigerator, manufactured in 1986 and previously used to cool the ALEPH magnet during LEP operation from 1989 to 2000, has been refurbished, reinstalled and recommissioned in a dedicated building located next to the HIE-ISOLDE experimental hall. This helium refrigerator has been connected to a new cryogenic distribution line, consisting of a 30-meter long vacuum-insulated transfer line, a 2000-liter storage dewar and six interconnecting valve boxes, one for each cryo-module. This paper describes the whole cryogenic system and presents the commissioning results including the preliminary operation at 4.5 K of the first cryo- module in the experimental hall. (paper)

KSTAR Helium Refrigeration System Design and Manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dauguet, P.; Briend, P.; Abe, I.; Fauve, E.; Bernhardt, J.-M.; Andrieu, F.; Beauvisage, J.

2006-01-01

The tokamak developed in the KSTAR (Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) project makes intensive use of superconducting magnets operated at 4.5 K. The cold components of the KSTAR tokamak require forced flow of supercritical helium for magnets/structure, boiling liquid helium for current leads, and gaseous helium for thermal shields. The cryogenic system will provide stable operation and full automatic control. A three-pressure helium cycle composed of six turbines has been customised design for this project. The '' design '' operating mode results with a system composed of a 9 kW refrigerator (including safety margin) and using gas and liquid storages for mass balancing. During Shot/Standby mode, the heat loads are highly time-dependent. A thermal damper is used to smooth these variations and will allow stable operation. (author)

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 2: BOT helium cooled solid breeder blanket. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Bojarsky, E.; Deckers, H.; Dienst, W.; Doerr, L.; Fischer, U.; Giese, H.; Guenther, E.; Haefner, H.E.; Hofmann, P.; Kappler, F.; Knitter, R.; Kuechle, M.; Moellendorf, U. von; Norajitra, P.; Penzhorn, R.D.; Reimann, G.; Reiser, H.; Schulz, B.; Schumacher, G.; Schwenk-Ferrero, A.; Sordon, G.; Tsukiyama, T.; Wedemeyer, H.; Weimar, P.; Werle, H.; Wiegner, E.; Zimmermann, H.

1991-10-01

The BOT (Breeder Outside Tube) Helium Cooled Breeder Blanket for a fusion Demo reactor and the status of the R and D program is presented. This is the KfK contribution to the European Program for the Demo relevant test plankets to be irradiated in NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4928) contains the summary, volume 2 (KfK 4929) a more detailed version of the report. In both volumes are described the reasons for the selected design, the reference blanket design for the Demo reactor, the design of test blanket including the ancillary systems together with the present status of the relative R and D program in the fields of neutronic and thermohydraulic calculations, of the electromagnetic forces caused by disruptions, of the development and irradiation of the ceramic breeder material, of the tritium release and recovery, and of the technological investigations. An outlook is given on the required R and D program for the BOT Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the proposed test program in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 2: BOT helium cooled solid breeder blanket. Vol. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Bojarsky, E.; Deckers, H.; Dienst, W.; Doerr, L.; Fischer, U.; Giese, H.; Guenther, E.; Haefner, H.E.; Hofmann, P.; Kappler, F.; Knitter, R.; Kuechle, M.; Moellendorf, U. von; Norajitra, P.; Penzhorn, R.D.; Reimann, G.; Reiser, H.; Schulz, B.; Schumacher, G.; Schwenk-Ferrero, A.; Sordon, G.; Tsukiyama, T.; Wedemeyer, H.; Weimar, P.; Werle, H.; Wiegner, E.; Zimmermann, H.

1991-10-01

The BOT (Breeder Outside Tube) Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket for a fusion Demo reactor and the status of the R and D program is presented. This is the KfK contribution to the European Program for the Demo relevant test blankets to be irradiated in NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4928) contains the summary, volume 2 (KfK 4929) a more detailed version of the report. In both volumes are described the reasons for the selected design, the reference blanket design for the Demo reactor, the design of the test blanket including the ancillary systems together with the present status of the relative R and D program in the fields of neutronic and thermohydraulic calculations, of the electromagnetic forces caused by disruptions, of the development and irradiation of the ceramic breeder material, of the tritium release and recovery, and of the technological investigations. An outlook is given on the required R and D program for the BOT Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the proposed test program in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Innovative technologies for Faraday shield cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenfeld, J.H.; Lindemuth, J.E.; North, M.T.; Goulding, R.H.

1995-01-01

Alternative advanced technologies are being evaluated for use in cooling the Faraday shields used for protection of ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICR) antennae in Tokamaks. Two approaches currently under evaluation include heat pipe cooling and gas cooling. A Monel/water heat pipe cooled Faraday shield has been successfully demonstrated. Heat pipe cooling offers the advantage of reducing the amount of water discharged into the Tokamak in the event of a tube weld failure. The device was recently tested on an antenna at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The heat pipe design uses inclined water heat pipes with warm water condensers located outside of the plasma chamber. This approach can passively remove absorbed heat fluxes in excess of 200 W/cm 2 ;. Helium-cooled Faraday shields are also being evaluated. This approach offers the advantage of no liquid discharge into the Tokamak in the event of a tube failure. Innovative internal cooling structures based on porous metal cooling are being used to develop a helium-cooled Faraday shield structure. This approach can dissipate the high heat fluxes typical of Faraday shield applications while minimizing the required helium blower power. Preliminary analysis shows that nominal helium flow and pressure drop can sufficiently cool a Faraday shield in typical applications. Plans are in progress to fabricate and test prototype hardware based on this approach

Cooling of superconducting electric generators by liquid helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, W.; Ogata, H.

1987-01-01

Superconducting generators have a great potential in future electric supply systems in increasing the efficiency of generators and in enhancing the stability of power network systems. Recognition of possible advantages over gas-cooled and water-cooled generators has led research institutes and manufacturers in several countries to wage substantial research and development efforts. The authors show the electric power capacities of the test generators already built, under construction, or in the planning stage. Since earlier attempts, steady improvements in the design of generators have been made, and experience of generator operation has been accumulated

D0 Silicon Upgrade: Commissioning Test Results for D-Zero's Helium Refrigerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rucinski, Russ

1997-01-01

The test objectives are: (1) Make liquid helium and measure refrigerator capacity; (2) Measure liquid helium dewar heat leak, transfer line heat leak, and liquid nitrogen consumption rates; (3) Operate all cryogenic transfer lines; (4) Get some running time on all components; (5) Debug mechanical components, instrumentation, DMACs user interface, tune loops, and otherwise shake out any problems; (6) Get some operating time in to get familiar with system behavior; (7) Revise and/or improve operating procedures to actual practice; and (8) Identify areas for future improvement. D-Zero's stand alone helium refrigerator (STAR) liquified helium at a rate of 114 L/hr. This is consistent with other STAR installations. Refrigeration capacity was not measured due to lack of a calibrated heat load. Measured heat leaks were within design values. The helium dewar loss was measured at 2 to 4 watts or 9% per day, the solenoid and VLPC helium transfer lines had a heat leak of about 20 watts each. The liquid nitrogen consumption rates of the mobile purifier, STAR, and LN2 subcooler were measured at 20 gph, 20 to 64 gph, and 3 gph respectively. All cryogenic transfer lines including the solenoid and visible light photon counter (VLPC) transfer lines were cooled to their cryogenic operating temperatures. This included independent cooling of nitrogen shields and liquid helium components. No major problems were observed. The system ran quite well. Many problems were identified and corrected as they came up. Areas for improvement were noted and will be implemented in the future. The instrumentation and control system operated commendably during the test. The commissioning test run was a worthwhile and successful venture.

Functional Analysis of the Distribution Box of the KSTAR Helium Refrigerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, H. S.; Kim, Y. S.; Bak, J. S.

2005-01-01

KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) is a tokamak device with 30 superconducting (SC) magnet coils. The main duty of the KSTAR helium refrigerator is to keep all cold components of KSTAR (SC magnet coils, magnet structures, SC bus-lines, current lead system, and thermal shields) at suitable temperatures in order to operate the SC magnet coils consistent with the operation scenario of KSTAR. A distribution box (D/B) which is equipped with helium-property-measuring sensors, cryogenic valves (CV's), cryogenic circulators, and heat exchangers (HX's) submerged in a huge liquid helium (LHe) bath (thermal damper), intervenes the cryogenic helium via cryogenic transfer lines (TL's) between the refrigerator cold box (C/B) and the KSTAR cold components. The major functions of the D/B can be classified as listed below: i) Supplying the proper cryogen to the respective cold components of KSTAR during various operation modes (including the idle mode). ii) Cool/re-cool down of the KSTAR cold components from any temperature down to their operating cryogenic temperature within the constraints of time and temperature difference between the components. iii) Protection of the KSTAR cold components and refrigerator from damaging in case of probable abnormal events. iv) Simulation of the temporal variation of the thermal load and pressure drops occurring in the KSTAR cold components to pre-commission the refrigerator and test the cryogenic circulators. v) SC coil/bus-line cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) cleaning. Since the helium flow in the thermal shields (TS's) is rather routine and the current lead (CL) system has its own helium distribution system, in this proceeding mainly the supercritical helium (SHe) circuits of the SC magnets and bus-lines will be discussed

Thermal-hydraulic investigations on the CEA-ENEA DEMO relevant helium cooled poloidal blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dell'Orco, G.; Polazzi, G.; Vallette, F.; Proust, E.; Eid, M.

1994-01-01

The CEA-ENEA design of an Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket (HCSBB) for the DEMO reactor, with a breeder in tube (BIT) poloidal arrangement, is based on the use of lithium ceramic pellets, the ENEA γ-LiAlO 2 or the CEA Li 2 ZrO 3 . Due to the geometry of the DEMO reactor plasma chamber, these breeder bundles are adapted to the Vacuum Vessel with a strong poloidal curvature. This curvature influences the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of the coolant flowing inside the bundle. The paper presents the CEA-ENEA first results of the experimental and theoretical programme, aiming at optimizing the breeder module thermal hydraulic design. (author) 6 refs.; 7 figs.; 1 tab

Cooling by mixing of helium isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, O.P.; Olsen, M.; Rasmussen, F.B.

1975-01-01

The principles of the helium dilution refrigerator are outlined. The lowest temperature attained with a continuously operated dilution refrigerator was about 10 mK, and 5 mK for a limited period when the supply of concentrated 3 He to the mixing chamber was interrupted. (R.S.)

Photoassociation of cold metastable helium atoms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woestenenk, G.R.

2001-01-01

During the last decades the study of cold atoms has grown in a great measure. Research in this field has been made possible due to the development of laser cooling and trapping techniques. We use laser cooling to cool helium atoms down to a temperature of 1 mK and we are able to

Data on test results of vessel cooling system of high temperature engineering test reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saikusa, Akio; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Fujimoto, Nozomu; Tachibana, Yukio; Iyoku, Tatsuo

2003-02-01

High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) is the first graphite-moderated helium gas cooled reactor in Japan. The rise-to-power test of the HTTR started on September 28, 1999 and thermal power of the HTTR reached its full power of 30 MW on December 7, 2001. Vessel Cooling System (VCS) of the HTTR is the first Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) applied for High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors. The VCS cools the core indirectly through the reactor pressure vessel to keep core integrity during the loss of core flow accidents such as depressurization accident. Minimum heat removal of the VCS to satisfy its safety requirement is 0.3MW at 30 MW power operation. Through the performance test of the VCS in the rise-to-power test of the HTTR, it was confirmed that the VCS heat removal at 30 MW power operation was higher than 0.3 MW. This paper shows outline of the VCS and test results on the VCS performance. (author)

Helium-cooled pebble bed test blanket module alternative design and fabrication routes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lux, M.

2007-01-01

According to first results of the recently started European DEMO study, a new blanket integration philosophy was developed applying so-called multi-module segments. These consist of a number of blanket modules flexibly mounted onto a common vertical manifold structure that can be used for replacing all modules in one segment at one time through vertical remote-handling ports. This principle gives new freedom in the design choices applied to the blanket modules itself. Based on the alternative design options considered for DEMO also the ITER test blanket module was newly analyzed. As a result of these activities it was decided to keep the major principles of the reference design like stiffening grid, breeder unit concept and perpendicular arrangement of pebble beds related to the First Wall because of the very positive results of thermo-mechanical and neutronics studies. The present paper gives an overview on possible further design optimization and alternative fabrication routes. One of the most significant improvements in terms of the hydraulic performance of the Helium cooled reactor can be reached with a new First Wall concept. That concept is based on an internal heat transfer enhancement technique and allows drastically reducing the flow velocity in the FW cooling channels. Small ribs perpendicular to the flow direction (transverse-rib roughness) are arranged on the inner surface of the First Wall cooling channels at the plasma side. In the breeder units cooling plates which are mostly parallel but bent into U-shape at the plasma-side are considered. In this design all flow channels are parallel and straight with the flow entering on one side of the parallel plate sections and exiting on the other side. The ceramic pebble beds are embedded between two pairs of such type of cooling plates. Different modifications could possibly be combined, whereby the most relevant discussed in this paper are (i) rib-cooled First Wall channels, (ii) U-bent cooling plates for

Test of a cryogenic helium pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lue, J.W.; Miller, J.R.; Walstrom, P.L.; Herz, W.

1981-01-01

The design of a cryogenic helium pump for circulating liquid helium in a magnet and the design of a test loop for measuring the pump performance in terms of mass flow vs pump head at various pump speeds are described. A commercial cryogenic helium pump was tested successfully. Despite flaws in the demountable connections, the piston pump itself has performed satisfactorily. A helium pump of this type is suitable for the use of flowing supercritical helium through Internally Cooled Superconductor (ICS) magnets. It has pumped supercritical helium up to 7.5 atm with a pump head up to 2.8 atm. The maximum mass flow rate obtained was about 16 g/s. Performance of the pump was degraded at lower pumping speeds

Demonstration of a Reduced Boil-Off Dewar with Broad Area Cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Gully, W. J.; Glaister, D.; Mills, G. L.

2010-04-01

Pumped helium circulation loops are an efficient and reliable way of transferring heat from a cooled device to a cryocooler. Such loops have been proposed for cooling IR detectors and their associated optics. A Broad Area Cooling (BAC) concept, in which a helium circulation loop is used to transfer heat from a dewar shield to a cryocooler has been proposed[1]. Ball has built a novel system that uses the Stirling refrigerator's compressor to drive the circulating flow by means of valves in its transfer line, eliminating the need for a separate circulation pump. The BAC system will be described and subsystem test results will be presented. An upcoming test, in which the cryocooler will be used to cool a shield in a special test dewar[2], will be discussed.

Thermal insulation of the high-temperature helium-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kharlamov, A.G.; Grebennik, V.N.

1979-01-01

Unlike the well-known thermal insulation methods, development of high-temperature helium reactors (HTGR) raises quite new problems. To understand these problems, it is necessary to consider behaviour of thermal insulation inside the helium circuit of HTGR and requirements imposed on it. Substantiation of these requirements is given in the presented paper

Noble gas, binary mixtures for commercial gas-cooled reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Genk, M. S.; Tournier, J. M.

2007-01-01

Commercial gas cooled reactors employ helium as a coolant and working fluid for the Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) turbo-machines. Helium has the highest thermal conductivity and lowest dynamic viscosity of all noble gases. This paper compares the relative performance of pure helium to binary mixtures of helium and other noble gases of higher molecular weights. The comparison is for the same molecular flow rate, and same operating temperatures and geometry. Results show that although helium is a good working fluid because of its high heat transfer coefficient and significantly lower pumping requirement, a binary gas mixture of He-Xe with M = 15 gm/mole has a heat transfer coefficient that is ∼7% higher than that of helium and requires only 25% of the number stages of the turbo-machines. The binary mixture, however, requires 3.5 times the pumping requirement with helium. The second best working fluid is He-Kr binary mixture with M = 10 gm/mole. It has 4% higher heat transfer coefficient than He and requires 30% of the number of stages in the turbo-machines, but requires twice the pumping power

Concept Design for a High Temperature Helium Brayton Cycle with Interstage Heating and Cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, Steven A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Vernon, Milton E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Pickard, Paul S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2013-12-01

The primary metric for the viability of these next generation nuclear power plants will be the cost of generated electricity. One important component in achieving these objectives is the development of power conversion technologies that maximize the electrical power output of these advanced reactors for a given thermal power. More efficient power conversion systems can directly reduce the cost of nuclear generated electricity and therefore advanced power conversion cycle research is an important area of investigation for the Generation IV Program. Brayton cycles using inert or other gas working fluids, have the potential to take advantage of the higher outlet temperature range of Generation IV systems and allow substantial increases in nuclear power conversion efficiency, and potentially reductions in power conversion system capital costs compared to the steam Rankine cycle used in current light water reactors. For the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), Helium Brayton cycles which can operate in the 900 to 950 C range have been the focus of power conversion research. Previous Generation IV studies examined several options for He Brayton cycles that could increase efficiency with acceptable capital cost implications. At these high outlet temperatures, Interstage Heating and Cooling (IHC) was shown to provide significant efficiency improvement (a few to 12%) but required increased system complexity and therefore had potential for increased costs. These scoping studies identified the potential for increased efficiency, but a more detailed analysis of the turbomachinery and heat exchanger sizes and costs was needed to determine whether this approach could be cost effective. The purpose of this study is to examine the turbomachinery and heat exchanger implications of interstage heating and cooling configurations. In general, this analysis illustrates that these engineering considerations introduce new constraints to the design of IHC systems that may require

Preliminary accident analysis of Loss of Off-Site Power and In-Box LOCA for the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lian, Qiang; Cui, Shijie [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Tian, Wenxi, E-mail: wxtian@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Dalin; Su, G.H. [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • The CFETR HCSB blanket has been investigated using RELAP5. • Loss of Off-Site Power is investigated. • The parametric analyses during In-Box LOCA are investigated. • The HCSB blanket for CFETR is designed with sufficient decay heat removal capability. - Abstract: As one of three candidate tritium breeding blanket concepts for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of helium cooled solid breeder (HCSB) blanket was recently proposed. In this paper, the preliminary thermal-hydraulic and safety analyses of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No.12) have been carried out using RELAP5/Mod3.4 code. Two design basis accidents are investigated based on the steady-state initialization, including Loss of Off-Site Power and In-Box Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). The differences between circulator coast down and circulator rotor locked under Loss of Off-Site Power are compared. Regarding the In-Box LOCA, the influences of different break sizes and locations are thoroughly analyzed based on a relatively accurate modeling method of the heat structures in sub-modules. The analysis results show that the blanket and the combined helium cooling system (HCS) are designed with sufficient decay heat removal capability for both accidents, which can preliminarily verify the feasibility of the conceptual design. The research work can also provide an important reference for parameter optimization of the blanket and its HCS in the next stage.

Considerations on techniques for improving tritium confinement in helium-cooled ceramic breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuetterer, M.A.; Raepsaet, X.; Proust, E.; Leger, D.

1994-01-01

Tritium control issues such as the development of permeation barriers and the choice of the coolant and purge-gas chemistry are of crucial importance for solid breeder blankets. In order to quantify these problems for the helium-cooled ceramic breeder-inside-tube (BIT) blanket concept, the tritium leakage into the coolant was evaluated and the consequent tritium losses into the steam circuit were determined. The results indicate that under certain specified conditions the total tritium release from the coolant can be limited to approximately 10 Ci/d, but only on the assumption that experimental data for tritium permeation barriers can be attained under realistic operating conditions. An experimental study on the impact of the gas chemistry on tritium losses is proposed. (author) 8 refs.; 2 figs

Neutron-induced helium implantation in GCFR cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, H.; Poeppel, R.B.; Sevy, R.H.

1980-10-01

The neutron-induced implantation of helium atoms on the exterior surfaces of the cladding of a prototypic gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) has been investigated analytically. A flux of recoil helium particles as high as 4.2 x 10 10 He/cm 2 .s at the cladding surface has been calculated at the peak power location in the core of a 300-MWe GCFR. The calculated profile of the helium implantation rates indicates that although some helium is implanted as deep as 20 μm, more than 99% of helium particles are implanted in the first 2-μm-deep layer below the cladding surface. Therefore, the implanted helium particles should mainly affect surface properties of the GCFR cladding

One- and zero-dimensional electron systems over liquid helium (Review article)

CERN Document Server

Kovdrya, Y Z

2003-01-01

Experimental and theoretical investigations of one-dimensional and zero-dimensional electron systems near the liquid helium surface are surveyed. The properties of electron states over the plane surface of liquid helium including thin layers of helium are considered. The methods of realization of one- and zero-dimensional electron systems are discussed, and the results of experimental and theoretical investigations of their properties are given. The experiments with localization processes in a quasi-one-dimensional electron systems on liquid helium are described. The collective effects in one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional electron systems are considered, and the point of possible application of low-dimensional electron systems on liquid helium in electron devices and quantum computers is discussed.

Construction and performance tests of a secondary hydrogen gas cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanokawa, K.; Hishida, M.

1980-01-01

With the aim of a multi-purpose use of nuclear energy, such as direct steel-making, an experimental multi-purpose high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is now being developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). In order to simulate a heat exchanging system between the primary helium gas loop and the secondary reducing gas system of the VHTR, a hydrogen gas loop as a secondary cooling system of the existing helium gas loop was completed in 1977, and was successfully operated for over 2000 hours. The objectives of constructing the H 2 secondary loop were: (1) To get basic knowledge for designing, constructing and operating a high-temperature and high-pressure gas facility; (2) To perform the following tests: (a) hydrogen permeation at the He/H 2 heat exchanger (the surfaces of the heat exchanger tubes are coated by calorizing to reduce hydrogen permeation), (b) thermal performance tests of the He/H 2 heat exchanger and the H 2 /H 2 regenerative heat exchanger, (c) performance test of internal insulation, and (d) performance tests of the components such as a H 2 gas heater and gas purifiers. These tests were carried out at He gas temperature of approximately 1000 0 C, H 2 gas temperature of approximately 900 0 C and gas pressures of approximately 40 kg/cm 2 G, which are almost the same as the operating conditions of the VHTR

Research on dynamics and experiments about auxiliary bearings for the helium circulator of the 10 MW high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Yulan; Yang, Guojun; Liu, Xingnan; Shi, Zhengang; Zhao, Lei

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The research in this paper is based on the AMB helium circulator of HTR-10. • The dynamic rotor performance is analyzed by processing experimental data. • The mechanical bearing without lubrication can be applied in the HTR-10 system. - Abstract: The 10 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR-10) was constructed by the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) of Tsinghua University. The auxiliary bearing is utilized in this system to meet particular requirements for the reactor. The main role of the auxiliary bearing is to constrain rotor displacements and also to support the rotor when the rotor drops down, which is caused by the active magnetic bearing (AMB) failure. The auxiliary bearing needs to endure huge impact, rapid angular acceleration and thermal shock. On the one hand, complex geometrical constructions and forces applied on the system bring difficulties and restrictions to establish an appropriate model to reveal the actual dynamic process. On the other hand, large volumes of data obtained from experiments show velocities and displacements of the rotor during the rotor drop process and then can indicate the actual dynamic interactions to a great extent. The research in this paper is based on the test rig of the AMB helium circulator of HTR-10. This paper aims to analyze the dynamic performance and contact forces of the rotor by processing experimental data. A measurement to estimate forces developed due to impacts of the rotor and the auxiliary bearings is presented. It is of great significance and provides certain foundation to elaborate the rotor drop process for the AMB helium circulator of HTR-10.

Installation and Commissioning of the Helium Refrigeration System for the HANARO-CNS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Jung Woon; Kim, Young Ki; Wu, Sang Ik; Son, Woo Jung

2009-11-01

The cold neutron source (CNS), which will be installed in the vertical CN hole of the reflector tank at HANARO, makes thermal neutrons to moderate into the cold neutrons with the ranges of 0.1 ∼ 10 meV passing through a moderator at about 22K. A moderator to produce cold neutrons is liquid hydrogen, which liquefies by the heat transfer with cryogenic helium flowing from the helium refrigeration system. For the maintenance of liquid hydrogen in the IPA, the CNS system is mainly consisted of the hydrogen system to supply the hydrogen to the IPA, the vacuum system to keep the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the IPA, and the helium refrigeration system to liquefy the hydrogen gas. The helium refrigeration system can be divided into two sections: one is the helium compression part from the low pressure gas to the high pressure gas and the other is the helium expansion part from the high temperature gas and pressure to low temperature and pressure gas by the expansion turbine. The helium refrigeration system except the warm helium pipe and the helium buffer tank has been manufactured by Linde Kryotechnik, AG in Switzerland and installed in the research reactor hall, HANARO. Other components have been manufactured in the domestic company. This technical report deals with the issues, its solutions, and other particular points while the helium refrigeration system was installed at site, verified its performance, and conducted its commissioning along the reactor operation. Furthermore, the operation procedure of the helium refrigeration system is included in here for the normal operation of the CNS

Thermal-hydraulic optimization of flexible transfer lines for liquid helium; Thermohydraulische Optimierung flexibler Transferleitungen fuer Fluessighelium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dittmar, Nico; Haberstroh, Christoph; Hesse, U. [Technische Univ. Dresden (Germany). Bitzer-Stiftungsprofessur fuer Kaelte-, Kryo- und Kompressorentechnik; Wolfram, M.; Krzyzowski, M.; Raccanelli, A. [CryoVac Gesellschaft fuer Tieftemperaturtechnik mbH und Co. KG, Troisdorf (Germany)

2014-07-01

Cooling systems and applications at very low temperatures are based on the use of liquid helium as cryogenic agent; the normal boiling temperature of helium-4 is 4.2 K. Due to the restricted economic production possibilities and the high energetic expenditure for helium liquefaction an efficient and sustainable handling with the resources is recommended. In university facilities the liquid helium is usually stored in containers and filled into smaller containers for transport using cryogenic transfer lines. This procedure can cause 20% loss by evaporation due to heat input and friction pressure losses. The gaseous helium has to be collected for re-liquefaction. The contribution shows that using systematic measurements an increase of the transfer rate and the efficiency of the helium filling system can be reached by a modified transfer line design.

Development of 18 K helium refrigeration system for CERN

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva

2004-01-01

The Conseil Europeen pour Ia Recherche Nucleaire (CERN) placed an order for a 1.8 K helium refrigeration system with IHI for the Large Hadron Collider project in 1999. IHI formed a consortium with Linde Kryotechnik AG (Switzerland), which has long experience with helium refrigeration systems. IHI designed and manufactured cold compressors based on leading technologies and expertise for turbo machinery. The cold compressor has the highest efficiency in the world. This paper describes the 1.8 K helium refrigeration system and performance test results at CERN. (5 refs).

State of the Art Report for a Bearing for VHTR Helium Circulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae Seon; Song, Kee Nam; Kim, Yong Wan; Lee, Won Jae

2008-10-01

A helium circulator in a VHTR(Very High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor) plays a core role which translates thermal energy at high temperature from a nuclear core to a steam generator. Helium as a operating coolant circulates a primary circuit in high temperature and high pressure state, and controls thermal output of a nuclear core by controlling flow rate. A helium circulator is the only rotating machinery in a VHTR, and its reliability should be guaranteed for reliable operation of a reactor and stable production of hydrogen. Generally a main helium circulator is installed on the top of a steam generator vessel, and helium is circulated only by a main helium circulator in a normal operation state. An auxiliary or shutdown circulator is installed at the bottom of a reactor vessel, and it is an auxiliary circulator for shutting down a reactor in case of refueling or accelerating cooling down in case of fast cooling. Since a rotating shaft of a helium circulator is supported by bearings, bearings are the important machine elements which determines reliability of a helium circulator and a nuclear reactor. Various types of support bearings have been developed and applied for circulator bearings since 1960s, and it is still developing for developing VHTRs. So it is necessary to review and analyze the current technical state of helium circulator support bearings to develop bearings for Koran developing VHTR helium circulator

Gas turbine modular helium reactor in cogeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leon de los Santos, G.

2009-10-01

This work carries out the thermal evaluation from the conversion of nuclear energy to electric power and process heat, through to implement an outline gas turbine modular helium reactor in cogeneration. Modeling and simulating with software Thermo flex of Thermo flow the performance parameters, based on a nuclear power plant constituted by an helium cooled reactor and helium gas turbine with three compression stages, two of inter cooling and one regeneration stage; more four heat recovery process, generating two pressure levels of overheat vapor, a pressure level of saturated vapor and one of hot water, with energetic characteristics to be able to give supply to a very wide gamma of industrial processes. Obtaining a relationship heat electricity of 0.52 and efficiency of net cogeneration of 54.28%, 70.2 MW net electric, 36.6 MW net thermal with 35% of condensed return to 30 C; for a supplied power by reactor of 196.7 MW; and with conditions in advanced gas turbine of 850 C and 7.06 Mpa, assembly in a shaft, inter cooling and heat recovery in cogeneration. (Author)

Experimental Validation of the LHC Helium Relief System Flow Modeling

CERN Document Server

Fydrych, J; Riddone, G

2006-01-01

In case of simultaneous resistive transitions in a whole sector of magnets in the Large Hadron Collider, the helium would be vented from the cold masses to a dedicated recovery system. During the discharge the cold helium will eventually enter a pipe at room temperature. During the first period of the flow the helium will be heated intensely due to the pipe heat capacity. To study the changes of the helium thermodynamic and flow parameters we have simulated numerically the most critical flow cases. To verify and validate numerical results, a dedicated laboratory test rig representing the helium relief system has been designed and commissioned. Both numerical and experimental results allow us to determine the distributions of the helium parameters along the pipes as well as mechanical strains and stresses.

Numerical research on the neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling characteristics of the optimized helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Shijie; Zhang, Dalin; Cheng, Jie; Tian, Wenxi; Su, G.H.

2017-01-01

As one of the candidate tritium breeding blankets for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket has recently been proposed. The neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical characteristics of the blanket directly affect its tritium breeding and safety performance. Therefore, neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling analyses are of vital importance for a reliable blanket design. In this work, first, three-dimensional neutronics analysis and optimization of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No. 12) were performed for the comprehensive optimal scheme. Then, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses of the scheme under both normal and critical conditions were performed and coupled with the previous neutronic calculation results. With thermal-hydraulic boundaries, thermo-mechanical analyses of the structure materials under normal, critical and blanket over-pressurization conditions were carried out. In addition, several parametric sensitivity studies were also conducted to investigate the influences of the main parameters on the blanket temperature distributions. In this paper, the coupled analyses verify the reasonability of the optimized conceptual design preliminarily and can provide an important reference for the further analysis and optimization design of the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket.

Numerical research on the neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling characteristics of the optimized helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Shijie; Zhang, Dalin, E-mail: dlzhang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Cheng, Jie; Tian, Wenxi; Su, G.H.

2017-01-15

As one of the candidate tritium breeding blankets for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket has recently been proposed. The neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical characteristics of the blanket directly affect its tritium breeding and safety performance. Therefore, neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling analyses are of vital importance for a reliable blanket design. In this work, first, three-dimensional neutronics analysis and optimization of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No. 12) were performed for the comprehensive optimal scheme. Then, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses of the scheme under both normal and critical conditions were performed and coupled with the previous neutronic calculation results. With thermal-hydraulic boundaries, thermo-mechanical analyses of the structure materials under normal, critical and blanket over-pressurization conditions were carried out. In addition, several parametric sensitivity studies were also conducted to investigate the influences of the main parameters on the blanket temperature distributions. In this paper, the coupled analyses verify the reasonability of the optimized conceptual design preliminarily and can provide an important reference for the further analysis and optimization design of the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket.

Performance comparison of liquid metal and gas cooled ATW system point designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W.S.; Taiwo, T.A.; Hill, R.N.; Khalil, H.S.; Wade, D.C.

2001-01-01

As part of the Advanced Accelerator Application (AAA) program in the U.S., preliminary design studies have been performed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to define and compare candidate Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW) systems. The studies at ANL have focused primarily on the transmutation blanket component of the overall system. Lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), sodium, and gas cooled systems are among the blanket technology options currently under consideration. This paper summarizes the results from neutronics trade studies performed at ANL. Core designs have been developed for LBE and sodium cooled 840 MWt fast spectrum accelerator driven systems employing re-cycle. Additionally, neutronics analyses have been performed for a helium-cooled 600 MWt hybrid thermal and fast spectrum system proposed by General Atomics (GA), which is operated in the critical mode for three cycles and in a subcritical accelerator driven mode for a subsequent single cycle. For these three point designs, isotopic inventories, consumption rates, and annual burnup rates are compared. The mass flows and the ultimate loss of transuranic (TRU) isotopes to the waste stream per unit of heat generated during transmutation are also compared on a consistent basis. (author)

Helium refrigeration system for hydrogen liquefaction applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, J. Kumar, Sr.; Menon, RS; Goyal, M.; Ansari, NA; Chakravarty, A.; Joemon, V.

2017-02-01

Liquid hydrogen around 20 K is used as cold moderator for generating “cold neutron beam” in nuclear research reactors. A cryogenic helium refrigeration system is the core upon which such hydrogen liquefaction applications are built. A thermodynamic process based on reversed Brayton cycle with two stage expansion using high speed cryogenic turboexpanders (TEX) along with a pair of compact high effectiveness process heat exchangers (HX), is well suited for such applications. An existing helium refrigeration system, which had earlier demonstrated a refrigeration capacity of 470 W at around 20 K, is modified based on past operational experiences and newer application requirements. Modifications include addition of a new heat exchanger to simulate cryogenic process load and two other heat exchangers for controlling the temperatures of helium streams leading out to the application system. To incorporate these changes, cryogenic piping inside the cold box is suitably modified. This paper presents process simulation, sizing of new heat exchangers as well as fabrication aspects of the modified cryogenic process piping.

Consideration of heat transfer performance of helium-gas/water coolers in HENDEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Miyamoto, Yoshiaki

1986-10-01

The helium engineering loop (HENDEL) has four helium-gas/water coolers, where the cooling water flows in the tubes and the helium gas flows on the shell side. Their cooling performance depends on mainly the heat transfer of helium gas on the shell side. This report describes the operational data of the coolers and the consideration of the heat transfer performance which is important for the design of coolers. It becomes clear that Donohue's equation is close to the operational data and conservative for the segmental baffle type cooler and preduction by Fishenden-Saunders or Zukauskas' equation is conservation for the step-up baffle type cooler. (author)

Gas Cooled Fast Reactors: Recent advances and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poette, C.; Guedeney, P.; Stainsby, R.; Mikityuk, K.; Knol, S.

2013-01-01

Gas Cooled Fast Reactors: Conclusion - GFR: an attractive longer term option allowing to combine Fast spectrum & Helium coolant benefits; • Innovative SiC fuel cladding solutions were found; • A first design confirming the encouraging potential of the reactor system Design improvements are nevertheless recommended and interesting tracks have been identified (core & system design, DHR system); • The GFR requires large R&D needs to confirm its potential (fuel & core materials, specific Helium technology); • ALLEGRO prototype studies are the first step and are drawing the R&D priorities

Research and development of a high-temperature helium-leak detection system (joint research). Part 1 survey on leakage events and current leak detection technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakaba, Nariaki; Nakazawa, Toshio; Kawasaki, Kozo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Research Establishment; Urakami, Masao; Saisyu, Sadanori [Japan Atomic Power Co., Tokyo (Japan)

2003-03-01

In High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR), the detection of leakage of helium at an early stage is very important for the safety and stability of operations. Since helium is a colourless gas, it is generally difficult to identify the location and the amount of leakage when very little leakage has occurred. The purpose of this R and D is to develop a helium leak detection system for the high temperature environment appropriate to the HTGR. As the first step in the development, this paper describes the result of surveying leakage events at nuclear facilities inside and outside Japan and current gas leakage detection technology to adapt optical-fibre detection technology to HTGRs. (author)

Engineering structure design and fabrication process of small sized China helium-cooled solid breeder test blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zeming; Chen Lu; Hu Gang

2014-01-01

Preliminary design and analysis for china helium-cooled solid breeder (CHHC-SB) test blanket module (TBM) have been carried out recently. As partial verification that the original size module was reasonable and the development process was feasible, fabrication work of a small sized module was to be carried out targetedly. In this paper, detailed design and structure analysis of small sized TBM was carried out based on preliminary design work, fabrication process and integrated assembly process was proposed, so a fabrication for the trial engineering of TBM was layed successfully. (authors)

Ultralow temperature helium compressor for Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asakura, Hiroshi

1988-01-01

Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. started the development of an ultralow temperature helium compressor for helium liquefaction in 1984 jointly with Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, and has delivered the first practical machine to the Superconductive Magnet Laboratory of JAERI. For a large superconductive magnet to be used in the stable state for a fusion reactor, conventional superconductive materials (NbTi, NbTi 3 Sn, etc.) must be used, being cooled forcibly with supercritical helium. The supercritical helium which is compressed above the critical pressure of 228 kPa has a stable cooling effect since the thermal conductivity does not change due to the evaporation of liquid helium. In order to maintain the temperature of the supercritical helium below 4 K before it enters a magnet, a heat exchanger is used. The compressor that IHI has developed has the ability to reduce the vapor pressure of liquid helium from atmospheric pressure to 50.7 kPa, and can attain the temperature of 3.5 K. The specification of this single stage centrifugal compressor is: mass flow rate 25 - 64 g/s, speed 80,000 rpm, adiabatic efficiency 62 - 69 %. The structure and the performance are reported. (K.I.)

Commissioning and Operational Experience with 1 kW Class Helium Refrigerator/Liquefier for SST-1

Science.gov (United States)

Dhard, C. P.; Sarkar, B.; Misra, Ruchi; Sahu, A. K.; Tanna, V. L.; Tank, J.; Panchal, P.; Patel, J. C.; Phadke, G. D.; Saxena, Y. C.

2004-06-01

The helium refrigerator/liquefier (R/L) for the Steady State Super conducting Tokamak (SST-1) has been developed with very stringent specifications for the different operational modes. The total refrigeration capacity is 650 W at 4.5 K and liquefaction capacity of 200 l/h. A cold circulation pump is used for the forced flow cooling of 300 g/s supercritical helium (SHe) for the magnet system (SCMS). The R/L has been designed also to absorb a 200 W transient heat load of the SCMS. The plant consists of a compressor station, oil removal system, on-line purifier, Main Control Dewar (MCD) with associated heat exchangers, cold circulation pump and warm gas management system. An Integrated Flow Control and Distribution System (IFDCS) has been designed, fabricated and installed for distribution of SHe in the toroidal and poloidal field coils as well as liquid helium for cooling of 10 pairs of current leads. A SCADA based control system has been designed using PLC for R/L as well as IFDCS. The R/L has been commissioned and required parameters were achieved confirming to the process. All the test results and commissioning experiences are discussed in this paper.

Design and study of Engineering Test Facility - Helium Circulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Huijing; Ye Ping; Zhao Gang; Geng Yinan; Wang Jie

2015-01-01

Helium circulator is one of the key equipment of High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM). In order to simulate most normal and accident operating conditions of helium circulator in HTR-PM, a full scale, rated flow rate and power, engineering test loop, which was called Engineering Test Facility - Helium Circulator (ETF-HC), was designed and established. Two prototypes of helium circulator, which was supported by Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) or sealed by dry gas seals, would be tested on ETF-HC. Therefore, special interchangeable design was under consideration. ETF-HC was constructed compactly, which consisted of eleven sub-systems. In order to reduce the flow resistance of the circuit, special ducts, elbows, valves and flowmeters were selected. Two stages of heat exchange loops were designed and a helium - high pressure pure water heat exchanger was applied to ensure water wouldn't be vaporized while simulating accident conditions. Commissioning tests were carried out and operation results showed that ETF-HC meets the requirement of helium circulator operation. On this test facility, different kinds of experiments were supposed to be held, including mechanical and aerodynamic performance tests, durability tests and so on. These tests would provide the features and performance of helium circulator and verify its feasibility, availability and reliability. (author)

Screw compressor system for industrial-scale helium refrigerators or industrial ammonia screw compressors for helium refrigeration systems; Schraubenkompressor-System fuer Helium-Grosskaelteanlage oder Ammoniak-Schraubenverdichter aus Industrieanwendungen fuer Helium-Kaelteanlagen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fredrich, O.; Mosemann, D.; Zaytsev, D. [GEA Grasso GmbH Refrigeration Technology, Berlin (Germany)

2007-07-01

Material characteristics, requirements and measured data of ammonia and helium compression are compared. The compressor lines for industrial ammonia and helium refrigerators are presented, and important characteristics of the compressors are explained. The test stand for performance measurements with helium and ammonia is described, and results are presented. In spite of the different characteristics of the fluids, the compressor-specific efficiencies (supply characteristic, quality characteristic) were found to be largely identical. The values calculated for helium on the basis of NH3 test runs were found to be realistic, which means that the decades of experience with ammonia in industrial applications can be applied to helium compression as well. The design of screw compressor aggregates (skids) in industrial refrigeration is discussed and illustrated by examples. (orig.)

Modular helium reactor for non-electric applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shenoy, A.

1997-01-01

The high temperature gas-cooled Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) is an advanced, high efficiency reactor system which can play a vital role in meeting the future energy needs of the world by contributing not only to the generation of electric power, but also the non-electric energy traditionally served by fossil fuels. This paper summarizes work done over 20 years, by several people at General Atomics, how the Modular Helium Reactor can be integrated to provide different non-electric applications during Process Steam/Cogeneration for industrial application, Process Heat for transportation fuel development and Hydrogen Production for various energy applications. The MHR integrates favorably into present petrochemical and primary metal process industries, heavy oil recovery, and future shale oil recovery and synfuel processes. The technical fit of the Process Steam/Cogeneration Modular Helium Reactor (PS/C-MHR) into these processes is excellent, since it can supply the required quantity and high quality of steam without fossil superheating. 12 refs, 25 figs, 2 tabs

Commissioning of the helium cryogenic system for the HIE- ISOLDE accelerator upgrade at CERN

CERN Document Server

Delruelle, N; Leclercq, Y; Pirotte, O; Williams, L

2015-01-01

The High Intensity and Energy ISOLDE (HIE-ISOLDE) project is a major upgrade of the existing ISOLDE and REX-ISOLDE facilities at CERN. The most significant improvement will come from replacing the existing REX accelerating structure by a superconducting linear accelerator (SC linac) composed ultimately of six cryo-modules installed in series, each containing superconducting RF cavities and solenoids operated at 4.5 K. In order to provide the cooling capacity at all temperature levels between 300 K and 4.5 K for the six cryo-modules, an existing helium refrigerator, manufactured in 1986 and previously used to cool the ALEPH magnet during LEP operation from 1989 to 2000, has been refurbished, reinstalled and recommissioned in a dedicated building located next to the HIE-ISOLDE experimental hall. This helium refrigerator has been connected to a new cryogenic distribution line, consisting of a 30-meter long vacuum-insulated transfer line, a 2000-liter storage dewar and six interconnecting valve boxes, one for eac...

I. Construction of an ultralow temperature laboratory. II. Thermal relaxation in superfluid helium-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuhauser, B.J.

1986-01-01

The first part of this thesis describes the construction of an ultralow temperature laboratory capable of reaching temperatures below 0.002 K. Continuous refrigeration to 0.012 K is provided by a cold plate/dilution refrigerator system. Single-cycle cooling to 0.002 K is accomplished by adiabatic demagnetization of cerous magnesium nitrate (CMN), a paramagnetic salt. Thermometry is done by measuring the resistance of carbon and germanium sensors, the magnetic susceptibility of lanthanum-diluted CMN, and the anisotropy of gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 nuclear orientation thermometer. Systems have been developed to allow precise control of the temperature and pressure of the liquid helium-3 sample. Measurements of thermal relaxation of liquid helium-3 in the ultralow temperature cell following sudden magnetic cooling of the CMN refrigerant are described. Analysis of the transient response of a thermal model of the cell indicates that the ratio of the time constants immediately below and above the superfluid-to-normal transition temperature provides a close estimate of the ratio of the corresponding helium-3 heat capacities, at least in the superfluid A-phase

Wide-range vortex shedding flowmeter for high-temperature helium gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, S.P.; Herndon, P.G.; Ennis, R.M. Jr.

1983-01-01

The existing design of a commercially available vortex shedding flowmeter (VSFM) was modified and optimized to produce three 4-in. and one 6-in. high-performance VSFMs for measuring helium flow in a gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) test loop. The project was undertaken because of the significant economic and performance advantages to be realized by using a single flowmeter capable of covering the 166:1 flow range (at 350/sup 0/C and 45:1 pressure range) of the tests. A detailed calibration in air and helium at the Colorado Engineering Experiment Station showed an accuracy of +-1% of reading for a 100:1 helium flow range and +-1.75% of reading for a 288:1 flow range in both helium and air. At an extended gas temperature of 450/sup 0/C, water cooling was necessary for reliable flowmeter operation.

On the occurrence and detectability of Bose-Einstein condensation in helium white dwarfs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benvenuto, O.G.; Vito, M.A. De

2011-01-01

It has been recently proposed that helium white dwarfs may provide promising conditions for the occurrence of the Bose-Einstein condensation. The argument supporting this expectation is that in some conditions attained in the core of these objects, the typical De Broglie wavelength associated with helium nuclei is of the order of the mean distance between neighboring nuclei. In these conditions the system should depart from classical behavior showing quantum effects. As helium nuclei are bosons, they are expected to condense. In order to explore the possibility of detecting the Bose-Einstein condensation in the evolution of helium white dwarfs we have computed a set of models for a variety of stellar masses and values of the condensation temperature. We do not perform a detailed treatment of the condensation process but mimic it by suppressing the nuclei contribution to the equation of state by applying an adequate function. As the cooling of white dwarfs depends on average properties of the whole stellar interior, this procedure should be suitable for exploring the departure of the cooling process from that predicted by the standard treatment. We find that the Bose-Einstein condensation has noticeable, but not dramatic effects on the cooling process only for the most massive white dwarfs compatible with a helium dominated interior ( ≈ 0.50M s un) and very low luminosities (say, Log(L/L s un) < −4.0). These facts lead us to conclude that it seems extremely difficult to find observable signals of the Bose-Einstein condensation. Recently, it has been suggested that the population of helium white dwarfs detected in the globular cluster NGC 6397 is a good candidate for detecting signals of the Bose-Einstein condensation. We find that these stars have masses too low and are too bright to have an already condensed interior

A 100-W grade closed-cycle thermosyphon cooling system used in HTS rotating machines

Science.gov (United States)

Felder, Brice; Miki, Motohiro; Tsuzuki, Keita; Shinohara, Nobuyuki; Hayakawa, Hironao; Izumi, Mitsuru

2012-06-01

The cooling systems used for rotating High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) machines need a cooling power high enough to ensure a low temperature during various utilization states. Radiation, torque tube or current leads represent hundreds of watts of invasive heat. The architecture also has to allow the rotation of the refrigerant. In this paper, a free-convection thermosyphon using two Gifford-McMahon (GM) cryocoolers is presented. The cryogen is mainly neon but helium can be added for an increase of the heat transfer coefficient. The design of the heat exchangers was first optimized with FEM thermal analysis. After manufacture, they were assembled for preliminary experiments and the necessity of annealing was studied for the copper parts. A single evaporator was installed to evaluate the thermal properties of such a heat syphon. The maximum bearable static heat load was also investigated, but was not reached even at 150 W of load. Finally, this cooling system was tested in the cooling down of a 100-kW range HTS rotating machine containing 12 Bi-2223 double-pancake coils (DPC).

Development of automatic control method for cryopump system for JT-60 neutral beam injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibanuma, Kiyoshi; Akino, Noboru; Dairaku, Masayuki; Ohuchi, Yutaka; Shibata, Takemasa

1991-10-01

A cryopump system for JT-60 neutral beam injector (NBI) is composed of 14 cryopumps with the largest total pumping speed of 20000 m 3 /s in the world, which are cooled by liquid helium through a long-distance liquid helium transferline of about 500 m from a helium refrigerator with the largest capacity of 3000 W at 3.6 K in Japan. An automatic control method of the cryopump system has been developed and tested. Features of the automatic control method are as follows. 1) Suppression control of the thermal imbalance in cooling-down of the 14 cryopumps. 2) Stable cooling control of the cryopump due to liquid helium supply to six cryopanels by natural circulation in steady-state mode. 3) Stable liquid helium supply control for the cryopumps from the liquid helium dewar in all operation modes of the cryopumps, considering the helium quantities held in respective components of the closed helium loop. 4) Stable control of the helium refrigerator for the fluctuation in thermal load from the cryopumps and the change of operation mode of the cryopumps. In the automatic operation of the cryopump system by the newly developed control method, the cryopump system including the refrigerator was stably operated for all operation modes of the cryopumps, so that the cool-down of 14 cryopumps was completed in 16 hours from the start of cool-down of the system and the cryopumps was stably cooled by natural circulation cooling in steady-state mode. (author)

Design and analysis of breeding blanket with helium cooled solid breeder for ITER-TBM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Tao; Feng Kaiming; Chen Zhi; Wang Xiaoyu

2007-01-01

Test blanket module (TBM) is one of important components in ITER. Some of related blanket technologies of future fusion, such as tritium self-sufficiency, the exaction of high-grade heat, design criteria and safety requirements and environmental impacts, will be demonstrated in ITER-TBM. In ITER device, the three equatorial ports have allocated for TBM testing. China had proposed to develop independently the ITER-TBM with helium cooled solid breeder in 12th meeting of test blanket workgroup (TBWG-12). In this work, the preliminary design and analysis for Chinese HCSB TBM will be carried out. The TBM must be contains the function of the first wall, breeding blanket, shield and structure. Finally, in the period of preliminary investigation, HCSB TBM design adopt modularization concept which is helium as coolant and tritium purge gas, ferritic/martensitic steel as structural material, Lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) as tritium breeder, beryllium pebble as neutron multiplier. TBM is allocated in standard vertical frame port. HCSB TBM consist of first wall, backplate, breeding sub-modules, caps, grid and support plate, and breeding sub-modules is arranged by layout of 2 x 6 in blanket box. In this paper, main components of HCSB TBM will be described in detail, also performance analysis of main components have been completed. (authors)

The assessment of helium purification system of small power HTGR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siti Alimah; Sriyono

2016-01-01

The helium purification system (HPS) is one of safety system of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor. HPS removes impurities in the primary coolant, so that the impact on structure, system and component (SSC) is minimized. The two impurity types are particulates (carbon dust, fission products (Kr, Xe, Cs etc.) and the gases (O_2, N_2, H_2O, CH_4, CO, CO_2 and H_2). Every reactor has a different impurity limit during normal operation, depends on the reactor power, energy conversion system and fuel type. This paper discusses the HPS on HTR-10, HTTR and Indonesian RDE conceptual design. The purpose of this assessment is to determine the optimum HPS design as a role model for Indonesian RDE. The utilized methodology is a literature study based on the operating experiences of both HTR-10 and HTTR as well as the evaluation of RDE conceptual design. This study focuses on the impurities limit during normal operation, the main components of HPS, mass flow-rate and regeneration process. The main component that used in HPS for HTR-10, HTTR and RDE are similar i.e. filter, CuO column, water cooler, molecular sieve bed and cryogenic activated carbon bed. Refer to the HTR-10 and HTTR operational experiences, both of those reactors have a purification systems that capable to maintain the helium purity, even though the impurities limit are different. The HPS of HTTR Japan has a stricter impurities limit that N_2, CH_4, and O_2 should not be contained at all during normal operation and the pre-charcoal trap is used to adsorb the fine dust below 0.1 micron. Both of these parameters can be adopted to the RDE's HPS design to minimize the effect of impurities to SSC. (author)

Liquid helium plant in Dubna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agapov, N.N.; Baldin, A.M.; Kovalenko, A.D.

1995-01-01

The liquid-helium cooling capacity installed at the Laboratory of High Energies is about 5 kw at a 4.5 K temperature level. It is provided with four industrial helium liquefiers of 1.6 kw/4.5 K each. They have been made by the Russian enterprise NPO GELYMASH and upgraded by the specialists of the Laboratory. The first one was put into operation in 1980, the two others in 1991, and the last one is under commissioning. The development of the LHE cryoplant was concerned with the construction of the new superconducting accelerator Nuclotron aimed to accelerate nuclei and heavy ions up to energies of 6 GeV/u. The first test run at the Nuclotron was carried out in March 1993, and the total running time has been about 2000 hours up to now. Since 1992 the cryoplant has been intensively used by the users outside the Laboratory. More than a million liters of liquid helium was provided in 1993 for such users. The reliability of the cryoplant system was as high as 98 percent for 4500 hours of operation in 1993-1994. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

A solution for the helium problem. Cryogen-free cooling systems for low temperatures; Eine Loesung fuer das Heliumproblem. Kryogenfreie Kuehlsysteme fuer tiefe Temperaturen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Good, Jeremy [Cryogenic Limited, London (United Kingdom)

2014-09-15

Pulse tube or Gifford-McMahon coolers are related to Stirling engines. Extremely low temperatures - 1 K can be reached with these devices. As a cryogen-free system the devices need only small amounts of helium as working gas. This fact reduces the gaseous and liquid helium consumption of research labs considerably and allows new applications. The cost-efficiency of this alternative technique is important for research facilities that use superconducting magnets.

Electromagnetic analysis on Korean Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) TBM during plasma major disruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Youngmin; Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon; Park, Yi-Hyun; Lee, Dong Won

2015-01-01

Korean Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) will be installed at the #18 equatorial port of the Vaccum Vessel in order to test the feasibility of the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant in the ITER TBM Program. Since ITER tokamak contains Vaccum Vessel and set of electromagnetic coils, the TBM as well as other components is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. By the electromagnetic (EM) fast transient events such as major disruption (MD), vertical displacement event (VDE) or magnet fast discharge (MFD) occurred in tokamak system, the eddy current can be induced eventually in the conducting components. As a result, the magnetic field and induced eddy current produce extremely huge EM load (force and moment) on the TBM. Therefore, EM load calculation is one of the most important analyses for optimized design of TBM. In this study, a 20-degree sector model for tokamak system including central solenoid (CS) coil, poloidal field (PF) coil, toroidal field (TF) coil, vaccum vessel, shield blankets and TBM set (TBM, TBM key, TBM shield, TBM frame) is prepared for analysis by ANSYS-EMAG tool. Concerning the installation location of the TBM, a major disruption scenario is particularly applied for fast transient analysis. The final goal of this study is to evaluate the EM load on HCCR TBM during plasma major disruption.

Electromagnetic analysis on Korean Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) TBM during plasma major disruption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Youngmin, E-mail: ymlee@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ku, Duck Young; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon; Park, Yi-Hyun [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

Korean Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) will be installed at the #18 equatorial port of the Vaccum Vessel in order to test the feasibility of the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant in the ITER TBM Program. Since ITER tokamak contains Vaccum Vessel and set of electromagnetic coils, the TBM as well as other components is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. By the electromagnetic (EM) fast transient events such as major disruption (MD), vertical displacement event (VDE) or magnet fast discharge (MFD) occurred in tokamak system, the eddy current can be induced eventually in the conducting components. As a result, the magnetic field and induced eddy current produce extremely huge EM load (force and moment) on the TBM. Therefore, EM load calculation is one of the most important analyses for optimized design of TBM. In this study, a 20-degree sector model for tokamak system including central solenoid (CS) coil, poloidal field (PF) coil, toroidal field (TF) coil, vaccum vessel, shield blankets and TBM set (TBM, TBM key, TBM shield, TBM frame) is prepared for analysis by ANSYS-EMAG tool. Concerning the installation location of the TBM, a major disruption scenario is particularly applied for fast transient analysis. The final goal of this study is to evaluate the EM load on HCCR TBM during plasma major disruption.

The Chalk River helium jet and skimmer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmeing, H.; Koslowsky, V.; Wightman, M.; Hardy, J.C.; MacDonald, J.A.; Faestermann, T.; Andrews, H.R.; Geiger, J.S.; Graham, R.L.

1976-01-01

A helium jet and skimmer system intended as an interface between a target location at the Chalk River tandem accelerator and the ion source of an on-line separator presently under construction has been developed. The system consists of a target chamber, a 125 cm long capillary, and a one stage skimmer chamber. The designs of the target and skimmer chambers allow one to vary a large number of independent flow and geometrical parameters with accurate reproducibility. Experiments with the β-delayed proton emitter 25 Si (tsub(1/2)=218 ms) produced in the reaction 24 Mg( 3 He,2n) 25 Si show that under optimized conditions about 75% of the reaction products leaving the target are transported to the skimmer. Of those, more than 90% pass through the skimmer orifice, which separates off 97.5% of the transport gas, helium. By introducing an additional helium flow across the skimming orifice the amount of helium separated off the transport jet can be increased to beyond 99.85%, leaving the high throughput of recoils unaffected. (Auth.)

Acquisition system testing with superfluid helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, J.E.; Fester, D.A.; DiPirro, M.J.

1988-01-01

NASA is evaluating both a thermomechanical pump and centrifugal pump for the SHOOT experiment using capillary fluid acquisition systems. Tests were conducted for these systems with superfluid helium under adverse operating conditions. Minus one-g outflow tests were run in conjunction with the thermomechanical pump. Both fine mesh screen and porous sponges were tested. A screen acquisition device was also tested with the low-NPSH centrifugal pump. Results to date show that the screen and sponge are capable of supplying superfluid helium to the thermomechanical pump inlet against a one-g head up to four cm. This is more than sufficient for the SHOOT application. Results with the sponge were reproducible while those with the screen could not always be repeated

Summary report on technical experiences from high-temperature helium turbomachinery testing in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weisbrodt, I.A.

1996-01-01

In Germany a comprehensive research and development program was initiated in 1968 for a Brayton (closed) cycle power conversion system. The program was for ultimate use with a high temperature, helium cooled nuclear reactor heat source (the HHT project) for electricity generation using helium as the working fluid. The program continued until 1982 in international cooperation with the United States and Switzerland. This document describes the designs and reports the results of testing activities that addressed the development of turbines, compressors, hot gas ducts, materials, heat exchangers and other equipment items for use with a helium working fluid at high temperatures. 67 refs, 34 figs, tabs

Thermal and structural analysis of a cryogenic conduction cooling system for a HTS NMR magnet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In, Se Hwan; Hong, Yong Jun; Yeom, Han Kil; Ko, Hyo Bong; Park, Seong Je [Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-03-15

The superconducting NMR magnets have used cryogen such as liquid helium for their cooling. The conduction cooling method using cryocoolers, however, makes the cryogenic cooling system for NMR magnets more compact and user-friendly than the cryogen cooling method. This paper describes the thermal and structural analysis of a cryogenic conduction cooling system for a 400 MHz HTS NMR magnet, focusing on the magnet assembly. The highly thermo-conductive cooling plates between HTS double pancake coils are used to transfer the heat generated in coils, namely Joule heating at lap splice joints, to thermal link blocks and finally the cryocooler. The conduction cooling structure of the HTS magnet assembly preliminarily designed is verified by thermal and structural analysis. The orthotropic thermal properties of the HTS coil, thermal contact resistance and radiation heat load are considered in the thermal analysis. The thermal analysis confirms the uniform temperature distribution for the present thermal design of the NMR magnet within 0.2 K. The mechanical stress and the displacement by the electromagnetic force and the thermal contraction are checked to verify structural stability. The structural analysis indicates that the mechanical stress on each component of the magnet is less than its material yield strength and the displacement is acceptable in comparison with the magnet dimension.

A parasitic magnetic refrigerator for cooling superconducting magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagome, H.; Takahashi, M.; Ogiwara, H.

1988-01-01

The application of magnetic refrigeration principle at a liquid helium temperature (4.2K) is very useful for cooling a superconducting magnet for its potential of high efficiency. The magnetic refrigerator equipped with 14 pieces of GGG (gadolinium-gallium-garnet) single crystal unit (30mm in diameter 10mm in length) in the rotating disk operates along the gradient of the magnetic field produced by a racetrack superconducting magnet, whose maximum magnetic field is 4.5 Tesla and the minimum field is 1.1 Tesla. The final goal of their program is to liquefy gaseous helium evaporated from a liquid helium vessel of the racetrack superconducting magnet by the rotating magnetic refrigerator which operates by using the magnetic field of the superconducting magnet. A 0.12W refrigeration power in the 0.72rpm operation has been achieved under condition of 4.2K to 11.5K operation. The helium evaporation rate of this magnet system is estimated as the order of 10mW, and the achieved refrigeration power of 0.12W at 4.2K is sufficient for cooling the superconducting magnet

Tribological behavior of zirconium coatings in high temperature helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cachon, Lionel; Albaladejo, Serge; Taraud, Pascal

2005-01-01

In France, a comprehensive research and development program is leaded by the CEA, since 2001, for the Gas Cooled Reactor (GCR) project using helium as cooling fluid, in order to establish the feasibility of the technology of an early VHTR prototype to be started by 2015, and then to qualify the generic VHTR technology, so as to meet similar objectives for the GFR. In this frame a tribology program has been launched. The purpose of the work presented in this paper is to describe the CEA Helium tribology study: high temperature gas cooled reactors require wear protection (thermal barriers, control rod drive mechanisms, reactor internals, ...). Tests in helium atmosphere are necessary to be fully representative of tribological environments and finally to check the possible materials or coatings which can provide a reliable answer to these situations. The main characteristics and first experimental results are thus described. This paper focus on tribology tests leaded in the temperature range 800-1000degC, on ceramic (ZrO 2 -Y 2 O 3 ) with and without solid lubricant like CaF2). (author)

Proceedings: Cooling tower and advanced cooling systems conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

This Cooling Tower and Advanced Cooling Systems Conference was held August 30 through September 1, 1994, in St. Petersburg, Florida. The conference was sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and hosted by Florida Power Corporation to bring together utility representatives, manufacturers, researchers, and consultants. Nineteen technical papers were presented in four sessions. These sessions were devoted to the following topics: cooling tower upgrades and retrofits, cooling tower performance, cooling tower fouling, and dry and hybrid systems. On the final day, panel discussions addressed current issues in cooling tower operation and maintenance as well as research and technology needs for power plant cooling. More than 100 people attended the conference. This report contains the technical papers presented at the conference. Of the 19 papers, five concern cooling tower upgrades and retrofits, five to cooling tower performance, four discuss cooling tower fouling, and five describe dry and hybrid cooling systems. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database

Performance analysis of a large-scale helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator with static gas bearing turboexpander

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Qiang; Wu, Jihao; Li, Qing; Lu, Wenhai; Xiong, Lianyou; Liu, Liqiang; Xu, Xiangdong; Sun, Lijia; Sun, Yu; Xie, Xiujuan; Wang, Bingming; Qiu, Yinan; Zhang, Peng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A 2 kW at 20.0 K helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator is built in China. • A series of tests have been systematically conducted to investigate the performance of the cryo-refrigerator. • Maximum heat conductance proportion (90.7%) appears in the heat exchangers of cold box rather than those of heat reservoirs. • A model of helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator/cycle is presented according to finite-time thermodynamics. - Abstract: Large-scale helium cryo-refrigerator is widely used in superconducting systems, nuclear fusion engineering, and scientific researches, etc., however, its energy efficiency is quite low. First, a 2 kW at 20.0 K helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator is built, and a series of tests have been systematically conducted to investigate the performance of the cryo-refrigerator. It is found that maximum heat conductance proportion (90.7%) appears in the heat exchangers of cold box rather than those of heat reservoirs, which is the main characteristic of the helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator/cycle different from the air Brayton refrigerator/cycle. Other three characteristics also lie in the configuration of refrigerant helium bypass, internal purifier and non-linearity of specific heat of helium. Second, a model of helium Brayton cryo-refrigerator/cycle is presented according to finite-time thermodynamics. The assumption named internal purification temperature depth (PTD) is introduced, and the heat capacity rate of whole cycle is divided into three different regions in accordance with the PTD: room temperature region, upper internal purification temperature region and lower one. Analytical expressions of cooling capacity and COP are obtained, and we found that the expressions are piecewise functions. Further, comparison between the model and the experimental results for cooling capacity of the helium cryo-refrigerator shows that error is less than 7.6%. The PTD not only helps to achieve the analytical formulae and indicates the working

Liquid helium target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Y.; Kitami, T.; Torikoshi, M.

1984-12-01

A liquid helium target system has been built and used for the experiment on the reaction 4 He(γ, p). The target system has worked satisfactorily; the consumption rate of liquid helium is 360 ml/h and the cryogenic system retains liquid helium for about ten hours. The structure, operation and performance of the target system are reported. (author)

Conceptual design of the blanket mechanical attachment for the helium-cooled lithium-lead reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrera, G.; Branas, B.; Lucas, J.; Doncel, J.; Medrano, M.; Garcia, A.; Giancarli, L.; Ibarra, A.; Li Puma, A.; Maisonnier, D.; Sardain, P.

2008-01-01

The conceptual design of a new type of fusion reactor based on the helium-cooled lithium-lead (HCLL) blanket has been performed within the European Power Plant Conceptual Studies. As part of this activity, a new attachment system suitable for the HCLL blanket modules had to be developed. This attachment is composed of two parts. The first one is the connection between module and the first part of a shield, called high temperature shield, which operates at a temperature around 500 deg. C, close to that of the blanket module. This connection must be made at the lateral walls, in order to avoid openings through the first wall and breeding zone thus avoiding complex design and fabrication issues of the module. The second connection is the one between the high temperature shield and a second shield called low temperature shield, which has a temperature during reactor operation around 150 deg. C. The design of this connection is complex because it must allow the large differential thermal expansion (up to 30 mm) between the two components. Design proposals for both connections are presented, together with the results of finite element mechanical analyses which demonstrate the feasibility to support the blanket and shield modules during normal and accidental operation conditions

Quantum statistics and liquid helium 3 - helum 4 mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, E.G.D.

1979-01-01

The behaviour of liquid helium 3-helium 4 mixtures is considered from the point of view of manifestation of quantum statistics effects in macrophysics. The Boze=Einstein statistics is shown to be of great importance for understanding superfluid helium-4 properties whereas the Fermi-Dirac statistics is of importance for understanding helium-3 properties. Without taking into consideration the interaction between the helium atoms it is impossible to understand the basic properties of liquid helium 33 - helium 4 mixtures at constant pressure. Proposed is a simple model of the liquid helium 3-helium 4 mixture, namely the binary mixture consisting of solid spheres of two types subjecting to the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics relatively. This model predicts correctly the most surprising peculiarities of phase diagrams of concentration dependence on temperature for helium solutions. In particular, the helium 4 Bose-Einstein statistics is responsible for the phase lamination of helium solutions at low temperatures. It starts in the peculiar critical point. The helium 4 Fermi-Dirac statistics results in incomplete phase lamination close to the absolute zero temperatures, that permits operation of a powerful cooling facility, namely refrigerating machine on helium solution

Experimental Investigation In The PANDA Facility Of The Impact Of A Hydrogen Release On Passive Containment Cooling Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auban, O.; Paladino, D.; Candreia, P.; Huggenberger, M.; Strassberger, H.J

2003-03-01

The large-scale, thermal-hydraulics PANDA facility has been used in the past for investigating passive decay-heat removal systems and related containment phenomena for a number of next-generation Light Water Reactors. Passive Containment Condenser (PCC) systems operate by transferring heat via steam condensation from inside the containment to outside, and serve to mitigate pressure build-up in the event of steam discharge from the primary circuit. Five new integral tests have recently been performed in the context of the 5th European Framework Program project TEMPEST. One main objective was to assess the influence of a light gas (hydrogen) on the performance of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS). Hydrogen release in the case of a severe accident is simulated in PANDA by injecting helium with steam into the Drywell. In addition, the impact of a new accident-mitigating design feature, the Drywell Gas Re-Circulation System (DGRS), on the long-term containment behaviour was tested. Another important objective was also to provide relevant data for the validation of modern 3/4 mainly Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) 3/4 codes. The paper reports main observations from two of these new integral tests in which standard PANDA instrumentation has provided important data concerning system response when helium is released in the course of the transient. The results show that some important stratification phenomena have occurred, as a result of the buoyant flow generated by the helium injection. The resulting temperature and concentration measurements show how helium is being distributed in the Drywell (DW) volume during the helium injection phase, and how helium is retained or vented out of these vessels once the injection stops. The paper includes some discussion concerning the influence of gas mixing and stratification and the effect of the DGRS on PCC performance and system pressure build-up. (author)

A superconducting linear motor drive for a positive displacement bellows pump for use in the g-2 cryogenics system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.

1994-10-01

Forced two-phase cooling of indirectly cooled magnets requires circulation of liquid helium through the magnet cooling channel. A bellows helium pump is one possible way of providing helium flow to a magnet cooling system. Since the bellows type of helium pump is immersed in liquid helium, a superconducting linear motor drive appears to be an attractive option. This report describes a linear motor drive that employs oriented permanent magnet materials such as samarium-cobalt as the stator magnet system and a superconducting loud speaker voice coil type of drive as the armature of the linear motor. This report examines drive motor requirements for a helium pump

Development of helium transfer coupling of 1 MW-class HTS motor for podded ship propulsion system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kosuge, Eiji; Gocho, Yoshitsugu; Okumura, Kagao; Yamaguchi, Mitsugi [JapaneseSuperconductivity Organization, 135-8533, Tokyo (Japan); Umemoto, Katsuya; Aizawa, Kiyoshi; Yokoyama, Minoru; Takao, Satoru, E-mail: gocho@jso--new-scm.co.j [Kawasaki Heavy Industries LTD., 673-8666, Hyogo (Japan)

2010-06-01

Research and development of 1 MW superconducting motor are being made aiming at the efficiency improvement for the podded type ship propulsion. The basic machine configuration is similar to steam turbine generators, having a rotating horizontal shaft. As for the motor composed of rotating superconducting field, one of the most critical issues is to provide a technically viable helium transfer coupling (HTC). The field winding of 1 MW motor is cooled with cryogenic helium gas. The HTC needs to supply the cryogenic helium gas with an appropriate flow rate from the stationary part to the rotating field winding region through a hollowed shaft in order not to lose superconducting state of the winding. A full size prototype of HTC was developed prior to the actual one to demonstrate its technical acceptability. The fundamental data with regard to the supply of the refrigerated helium gas were successfully obtained at the rated speed. This work has been supported by New Energy, and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Design study on the helium engineering demonstration loop (HENDEL)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aochi, Tetsuo; Yasuno, Takehiko; Muto, Yasushi; Suzuki, Kunihiko

1977-11-01

Four reference studies made on Helium Engineering Demonstration Loop (HENDEL) are described. HENDEL is used in confirmation of the designs of VHTR components such as reactor structure, core structure, intermediate heat exchanger and piping. It consists of mother loop, adapter section and four test sections for fuel stack, reactor support and insulation structure, core structure and high temperature heat transfer component respectively. System and component designs of the mother and adapter section and preliminary designs of the four test sections are shown. And, the plans of operation, instrumentation, control, safety, utilities (electricity, cooling water and helium gas) and construction schedule of HENDEL and research and development of the test sections are also briefed. (auth.)

Adsorption purification of helium coolant of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors of carbon dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varezhkin, A.V.; Zel'venskij, Ya.D.; Metlik, I.V.; Khrulev, A.A.; Fedoseenkin, A.N.

1986-01-01

A series experiments on adsorption purification of helium of CO 2 using national adsorbent under the conditions characteristic of HTGR type reactors cleanup system is performed. The experimnts have been conducted under the dynamic mode with immobile adsorbent layer (CaA zeolite) at gas flow rates from 0,02 to 0,055 m/s in the pressure range from 0,8 to 5 MPa at the temperature of 273 and 293 K. It is shown that the adsorption grows with the decrease of gas rate, i.e. with increase of contact time with adsorbent. The helium pressure, growth noticeably whereas the temperature decrease from 293 to 273 K results in adsorption 2,6 times increase. The conclusion is drawn that it is advisable drying and purification of helium of CO 2 to perform separately using different zeolites: NaA - for water. CaA - for CO 2 . Estimations of purification unit parameters are realized

Flow-induced and acoustically induced vibration experience in operating gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halvers, L.J.

1977-03-01

An overview has been presented of flow-induced and acoustically induced vibration failures that occurred in the past in gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactors, and the importance of this experience for the Gas-Cooled Fast-Breeder Reactor (GCFR) project has been assessed. Until now only failures in CO 2 -cooled reactors have been found. No problems with helium-cooled reactors have been encountered so far. It is shown that most of the failures occurred because flow-induced and acoustically induced dynamic loads were underestimated, while at the same time not enough was known about the influence of environmental parameters on material behavior. All problems encountered were solved. The comparison of the influence of the gas properties on acoustically induced and flow-induced vibration phenomena shows that the interaction between reactor design and the thermodynamic properties of the primary coolant precludes a general preference for either carbon dioxide or helium. The acoustic characteristics of CO 2 and He systems are different, but the difference in dynamic loadings due to the use of one rather than the other remains difficult to predict. A slight preference for helium seems, however, to be justified

Construction and testing of a double acting bellows liquid helium pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, W.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Van Slyke, H.

1980-05-01

The double acting reciprocating bellows liquid helium pump built and tested at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is described. The pump is capable of delivering 50 gs -1 of liquid helium to supply the two-phase cooling sytem for a large superconducting magnet. The pump is driven by a torque motor at room temperature; the reciprocating motion is transmitted to the pump through a shaft which operates between room temperature and 4 0 K. The design details of this liquid helium pump are presented. The helium pump has operated in a helium bath and in pumped forced flow helium circuits. The results of these experimental tests are presented in this report

Design and optimization of a multistage turbine for helium cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braembussche, R.A. van den; Brouckaert, J.F.; Paniagua, G.; Briottet, L.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the aerodynamic design and explores the performance limits of a 600 MWt multistage helium turbine for a high temperature nuclear reactor closed cycle gas turbine. The design aims for maximum performance while limiting the number of stages for reasons of rotor dynamics and weight. A first part discusses the arguments that allow a preliminary selection of the overall dimensions by means of performance prediction correlations and simplified stress considerations. The rotational speed being fixed at 3000 rpm, the only degrees of freedom for the design are: the impeller diameter, number of stages and stage loading. The optimum load distribution of the different stages, the main flow parameters and the blade overall dimensions are defined by means of a 2D through-flow analysis method. The resulting absolute and relative flow angles and span-wise velocity variation are the input for a first detailed design by an inverse method. The latter defines the different 2D blade sections corresponding to prescribed optimum velocity distributions. The final 3D blade definition is made by means of a computer based 3D-DESIGN system developed at the von Karman Institute. This method combines a 3D Navier-Stokes (NS) solver, Database, Artificial Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm into a two level optimization technique for compressor and turbine stages. The use of 3D Navier-Stokes solvers allows full accounting of the secondary flow losses and optimization of the compound leaning of the stator vanes. The performance of the individual stages is used to define the multistage operating curves. The last part of the paper describes an evaluation of the cooling requirements of the first turbine rotor

Evaluation of tritium production rate in a gas-cooled reactor with continuous tritium recovery system for fusion reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuura, Hideaki, E-mail: mat@nucl.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Nakaya, Hiroyuki; Nakao, Yasuyuki [Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Shimakawa, Satoshi; Goto, Minoru; Nakagawa, Shigeaki [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Oarai, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan); Nishikawa, Masabumi [Graduate School of Engineering Science, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Fukuoka 812-8581 (Japan)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • The performance of a gas-cooled reactor as a tritium production system was studied. • A continuous tritium recovery using helium gas was considered. • Gas-cooled reactors with 3 GW output in all can produce ∼6 kg of tritium in a year • Performance of the system was examined for Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and LiAlO{sub 2} compounds. -- Abstract: The performance of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor as a tritium production with continuous tritium recovery system is examined. A gas turbine high-temperature reactor of 300-MWe (600 MW) nominal capacity (GTHTR300) is assumed as the calculation target, and using the continuous-energy Monte Carlo transport code MVP-BURN, burn-up simulations for the three-dimensional entire-core region of the GTHTR300 were performed. A Li loading pattern for the continuous tritium recovery system in the gas-cooled reactor is presented. It is shown that module gas-cooled reactors with a total thermal output power of 3 GW in all can produce ∼6 kg of tritium maximum in a year.

Activation analysis and waste management of China ITER helium cooled solid breeder test blanket module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, J.R., E-mail: hanjingru@163.co [North China Electric Power University, School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Zhu-Xin-Zhuang, De-Wai, Beijing 102206 (China); Chen, Y.X.; Han, R. [North China Electric Power University, School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Zhu-Xin-Zhuang, De-Wai, Beijing 102206 (China); Feng, K.M. [Southwestern Institute of Physics, P.O.Box 432, Chengdu 610041 (China); Forrest, R.A. [EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom)

2010-08-15

Activation characteristics have been assessed for the ITER China helium cooled solid breeder (CH-HCSB) 3 x 6 test blanket module (TBM). Taking a representative irradiation scenario, the activation calculations were performed by FISPACT code. Neutron fluxes distributions in the TBM were provided by a preceding MCNP calculation. These fluxes were passed to FISPACT for the activation calculation. The main activation parameters of the HCSB-TBM were calculated and discussed, such as activity, afterheat and contact dose rate. Meanwhile, the dominant radioactivity nuclides and reaction channel pathways have been identified. According to the Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power (SEAFP) waste management strategy, the activated materials can be re-used following the remote handling recycling options. The results will provide useful indications for further optimization design and waste management of the TBM.

Test Results of a 1.2 kg/s Centrifugal Liquid Helium Pump for the ATLAS Superconducting Toroid Magnet System

CERN Document Server

Pengo, R; Passardi, Giorgio; Pirotte, O; ten Kate, H H J

2002-01-01

The toroid superconducting magnet of ATLAS-LHC experiment at CERN will be indirectly cooled by means of forced flow of liquid helium at about 4.5 K. A centrifugal pump will be used, providing a mass flow of 1.2 kg/s and a differential pressure of 40 kPa (ca. 400 mbar) at about 4300 rpm. Two pumps are foreseen, one for redundancy, in order to feed in parallel the cooling circuits of the Barrel and the two End-Caps toroid magnets. The paper describes the tests carried out at CERN to measure the characteristic curves, i.e. the head versus the mass flow at different rotational speeds, as well as the pump total efficiency. The pump is of the "fullemission" type, i.e. with curved blades and it is equipped with an exchangeable inducer. A dedicated pump test facility has been constructed at CERN, which includes a Coriolis-type liquid helium mass flow meter. This facility is connected to the helium refrigerator used for the tests at CERN of the racetrack magnets of the Barrel and of the End-Cap toroids.

Pool-cooled superconducting coils: past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thome, R.J.; Dawson, A.M.

1985-08-01

An overview of large magnet systems which have been studied, constructed, or operated in the last 12 years is presented and shows a substantial advance in overall current density, stored energy, and magnet complexity. The preferable coolant mode for very large magnets is still a bath of helium I, but it is clear that other coolant modes are gaining acceptance. The data base for design using stability criteria dependent on transients has expanded to the point where the risk is often acceptable, compared to the lower current density, low risk, steady state stability criteria which launched large superconducting magnet technology. The limitation imposed by structure and protection on increasing overall current density in large magnets is discussed and a simple model is used to illustrate the extreme requirements imposed on a winding without direct helium contact. The latter implies that a significant technological step is required before conduction cooling or indirect cooling will be used in the large magnets envisioned for the future and that helium contact with the conductor will remain the key ingredient for risk reduction in large magnet design

Charged condensate and helium dwarf stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabadadze, Gregory; Rosen, Rachel A, E-mail: gg32@nyu.edu, E-mail: rar339@nyu.edu [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003 (United States)

2008-10-15

White dwarf stars composed of carbon, oxygen and heavier elements are expected to crystallize as they cool down below certain temperatures. Yet, simple arguments suggest that the helium white dwarf cores may not solidify, mostly because of zero-point oscillations of the helium ions that would dissolve the crystalline structure. We argue that the interior of the helium dwarfs may instead form a macroscopic quantum state in which the charged helium-4 nuclei are in a Bose-Einstein condensate, while the relativistic electrons form a neutralizing degenerate Fermi liquid. We discuss the electric charge screening, and the spectrum of this substance, showing that the bosonic long-wavelength fluctuations exhibit a mass gap. Hence, there is a suppression at low temperatures of the boson contribution to the specific heat-the latter being dominated by the specific heat of the electrons near the Fermi surface. This state of matter may have observational signatures.

There is no explosion risk associated with superfluid Helium in the LHC cooling system

CERN Document Server

Fairbairn, Malcolm

2008-01-01

We evaluate speculation about the possibility of a dangerous release of energy within the liquid Helium of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) cryogenic system due to the occurrence of a "Bose-Nova". Bose-Novae are radial bursts of rapidly moving atoms which can occur when a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) undergoes a collapse due the interatomic potential being deliberately made attractive using a magnetic field close to the Feshbach resonance. Liquid 4He has a monatomic structure with s-wave electrons, zero nuclear spin, no hyperfine splitting, and as a consequence no Feshbach resonance which would allow one to change its normally repulsive interactions to be attractive. Because of this, a Bose-Nova style collapse of 4He is impossible. Additional speculations concerning cold fusion during these events are easily dismissed using the usual arguments about the Coulomb barrier at low temperatures, and are not needed to explain the Bose-Einstein condensate Bose-Nova phenomenon. We conclude that that there is no physi...

Design and analysis of helium Brayton power cycles for HiPER reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sánchez, Consuelo, E-mail: csanchez@ind.uned.es [Dpto. Ingeniería Energética UNED, Madrid (Spain); Juárez, Rafael; Sanz, Javier [Dpto. Ingeniería Energética UNED, Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Fusión Nuclear/UPM, Madrid (Spain); Perlado, Manuel [Instituto de Fusión Nuclear/UPM, Madrid (Spain)

2013-10-15

Highlights: ► A helium Brayton cycle has been designed integrating the two energy sources of HiPER. ► The Brayton cycle has intercooling stages and a recovery process. ► The low temperature of HiPER heat sources results in low cycle efficiency (35.2%). ► Two inter-cooling stages and a reheating process increases efficiency to over 37%. ► Helium Brayton cycles are to be considered as candidates for HiPER power cycles. -- Abstract: Helium Brayton cycles have been studied as power cycles for both fission and fusion reactors obtaining high thermal efficiency. This paper studies several technological schemes of helium Brayton cycles applied for the HiPER reactor proposal. Since HiPER integrates technologies available at short term, its working conditions results in a very low maximum temperature of the energy sources, something that limits the thermal performance of the cycle. The aim of this work is to analyze the potential of the helium Brayton cycles as power cycles for HiPER. Several helium Brayton cycle configurations have been investigated with the purpose of raising the cycle thermal efficiency under the working conditions of HiPER. The effects of inter-cooling and reheating have specifically been studied. Sensitivity analyses of the key cycle parameters and component performances on the maximum thermal efficiency have also been carried out. The addition of several inter-cooling stages in a helium Brayton cycle has allowed obtaining a maximum thermal efficiency of over 36%, and the inclusion of a reheating process may also yield an added increase of nearly 1 percentage point to reach 37%. These results confirm that helium Brayton cycles are to be considered among the power cycle candidates for HiPER.

Design and analysis of helium Brayton power cycles for HiPER reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sánchez, Consuelo; Juárez, Rafael; Sanz, Javier; Perlado, Manuel

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A helium Brayton cycle has been designed integrating the two energy sources of HiPER. ► The Brayton cycle has intercooling stages and a recovery process. ► The low temperature of HiPER heat sources results in low cycle efficiency (35.2%). ► Two inter-cooling stages and a reheating process increases efficiency to over 37%. ► Helium Brayton cycles are to be considered as candidates for HiPER power cycles. -- Abstract: Helium Brayton cycles have been studied as power cycles for both fission and fusion reactors obtaining high thermal efficiency. This paper studies several technological schemes of helium Brayton cycles applied for the HiPER reactor proposal. Since HiPER integrates technologies available at short term, its working conditions results in a very low maximum temperature of the energy sources, something that limits the thermal performance of the cycle. The aim of this work is to analyze the potential of the helium Brayton cycles as power cycles for HiPER. Several helium Brayton cycle configurations have been investigated with the purpose of raising the cycle thermal efficiency under the working conditions of HiPER. The effects of inter-cooling and reheating have specifically been studied. Sensitivity analyses of the key cycle parameters and component performances on the maximum thermal efficiency have also been carried out. The addition of several inter-cooling stages in a helium Brayton cycle has allowed obtaining a maximum thermal efficiency of over 36%, and the inclusion of a reheating process may also yield an added increase of nearly 1 percentage point to reach 37%. These results confirm that helium Brayton cycles are to be considered among the power cycle candidates for HiPER

Asymptotic strength of thermal pulses in the helium shell burning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto, M Y [Niigata Univ. (Japan); Sugimoto, D

1979-03-01

Secular growth in the strength of the recurrent thermal pulses of helium shell burning is discussed for the purpose of determining its asymptotic strength. It is shown that the pulse grows stronger if the helium zone has been cooled more before the initiation of the pulse. The secular growth of the pulse is related with the increasing degree of cooling. Thermal pulses are computed for an initial model corresponding to the maximum possible cooling, i.e., for a model in which the steady-state entropy distribution was realized in the helium zone. Such thermal pulses are shown to give an upper bound to the asymptotic strength, which is close enough to the asymptotic strength itself for relatively large core masses. Numerical results are given for the core mass of 1.07 M sub(sun), for which the asymptotic strength is found to be 9 x 10/sup 6/ L sub(sun). Thermal pulses are also computed for an initial model which has been cooled artificially more than the steady-state model. The first pulse results in a much greater strength than in the normal model, but a later pulse approaches the normal asymptotic value. Such models are also discussed in relation to the shell flashes on accreting white dwarfs.

Commissioning and operational results of the 12 GeV helium compression system at Jlab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knudsen, Peter N. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Ganni, Venkatarao [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Dixon, Kelly D. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Norton, Robert O. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Creel, Jonathan D. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)

2015-12-01

The new compressor system at Jefferson Lab (JLab) for the 12 GeV upgrade was commissioned in the spring of 2013 and incorporates many design changes, discussed in previous publications, to improve the operational range, efficiency, reliability and maintainability as compared to previous compressor skids used for this application. The 12 GeV helium compression system has five compressors configured with four pressure levels supporting three pressure levels in the new cold box. During compressor commissioning the compressors were operated independent of the cold box over a wide range of process conditions to verify proper performance including adequate cooling and oil removal. Isothermal and volumetric efficiencies over these process conditions for several built-involume ratios were obtained. This paper will discuss the operational envelope results and the modifications/improvements incorporated into the skids.

Spectroscopy of antiproton helium atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayano, Ryugo

2005-01-01

Antiproton helium atom is three-body system consisting of an antiproton, electrons and a helium nucleus (denoted by the chemical symbol, p-bar H + ). The authors produced abundant atoms of p-bar 4 He + , and p-bar 3 He + in a cooled He gas target chamber stopping the p-bar beam decelerated to approximately 100 keV in the Antiproton Decelerator at CERN. A precision laser spectroscopy on the atomic transitions in the p-bar 4 He + , and in p-bar 3 He + was performed. Principle of laser spectroscopy and various modifications of the system to eliminate factors affecting the accuracy of the experiment were described. Deduced mass ratio of antiproton and proton, (|m p -bar - m p |)/m p reached to the accuracy of 10 ppb (10 -8 ) as of 2002, as adopted in the recent article of the Particle Data Group by P.J. Mohr and B.N. Taylor. This value is the highest precise data for the CPT invariance in baryon. In future, antihydrogen atoms will be produced in the same facility, and will provide far accurate value of antiproton mass thus enabling a better confirmation of CPT theorem in baryon. (T. Tamura)

Investigation of impurity-helium solid phase decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boltnev, R.E.; Gordon, E.B.; Krushinskaya, I.N.; Martynenko, M.V.; Pel'menev, A.A.; Popov, E.A.; Khmelenko, V.V.; Shestakov, A.F.

1997-01-01

The element composition of the impurity-helium solid phase (IHSP), grown by injecting helium gas jet, involving Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe atoms and N 2 molecules, into superfluid helium, has been studied. The measured stoichiometric ratios, S = N H e / N I m, are well over the values expected from the model of frozen together monolayer helium clusters. The theoretical possibility for the freezing of two layers helium clusters is justified in the context of the model of IHSP helium subsystem, filled the space between rigid impurity centers. The process of decomposition of impurity-helium (IH)-samples taken out of liquid helium in the temperature range 1,5 - 12 K and the pressure range 10-500 Torr has been studied. It is found that there are two stages of samples decomposition: a slow stage characterized by sample self cooling and a fast one accompanied by heat release. These results suggest, that the IHSP consists of two types of helium - weakly bound and strongly bound helium - that can be assigned to the second and the first coordination helium spheres, respectively, formed around heavy impurity particles. A tendency for enhancement of IHSP thermo stability with increasing the impurity mass is observed. Increase of helium vapor pressure above the sample causes the improvement of IH sample stability. Upon destruction of IH samples, containing nitrogen atoms, a thermoluminescence induced by atom recombination has been detected in the temperature region 3-4,5 K. This suggests that numerous chemical reactions may be realized in solidified helium

He-cooled divertor for DEMO. Fabrication technology for tungsten cooling fingers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiser, J.; Norajitra, P.; Widak, V.; Krauss, W. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (Germany)

2008-07-01

A modular helium-cooled divertor design based on the multi-jet impingement concept (HEMJ) has been developed for the ''post-ITER'' demonstration reactor (DEMO) at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe [1, 2]. The main function of the divertor is to keep the plasma free from impurities by catching particles, such as fusion ash and eroded particles from the first wall. From the divertor surface, a maximum heat load of 10 MW/m{sup 2} at least has to be removed. The whole divertor is split up into a number of cassettes (48 according to the latest design studies [3]). Each cassette is cooled separately. The target plates are provided with several cooling fingers to keep the thermal stresses low. Each cooling finger consists of a tungsten tile which is brazed to a thimble-like cap made of a tungsten alloy W-1%La2O3 (WL10) underneath. The thimble has to be connected to the ODS EUROFER steel structure, which is accomplished by brazing again. The tungsten/tungsten brazing is exposed to 1200 C operation temperature while the tungsten/steel brazing joint must withstand 700 C operating temperature. Cooling of the finger is achieved by multi-jet impingement with helium. The inlet temperature of helium is 600 C and rises up to 700 C at the outlet. With this kind of cooling, a mean heat transfer coefficient of 35.000 W/(m{sup 2*}K) can be reached. This compact report will focus on the manufacturing of such a cooling finger unit at FZK. It will cover the machining of the tungsten tile as well as of the thimble and, the brazing of the parts. The major aim of this activity is, on the one hand, to obtain functioning mock-ups with high quality and high reliability, in particular in terms of minimising the surface roughness, cracks, and micro-cracks. On the other hand, effort should also be laid on realising the mass production from economic point of view. (orig.)

Investigation of thermal transfers in super-fluid helium in porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allain, H.

2009-10-01

Particle accelerators are requiring increased magnetic fields for which niobium tin superconducting magnets are considered. This entails electric insulation and cooling problems. Porous ceramic insulations are potential candidates for cable insulation. As they are permeable to helium, they could allow a direct cooling by super-fluid helium. Therefore, this research thesis deals with the investigation of thermal transfers in superfluid helium in porous media. After a description of an accelerator's superconducting magnet, of its thermodynamics and its various cooling modes, the author describes the physical properties of super-fluid helium, its peculiarities with respect to conventional fluids as well as its different phases (fluid and super-fluid), its dynamics under different regimes (the Landau regime which is similar to the laminar regime for a conventional fluid, and the Gorter-Mellink regime which is the super-fluid turbulent regime). He determines the macroscopic equations governing the He II dynamics in porous media by applying the volume averaging method developed by Whitaker. Theoretical results are validated by comparison with a numerical analysis performed with a numerical code. Then, the author presents the various experimental setups which have been developed for the measurement of the intrinsic permeability, one at room temperature and another at high temperature. Experimental results are discussed, notably with respect to pore size and porosity

Variable electricity and steam from salt, helium and sodium cooled base-load reactors with gas turbines and heat storage - 15115

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.; McDaniel, P.; Zohuri, B.

2015-01-01

Advances in utility natural-gas-fired air-Brayton combed cycle technology is creating the option of coupling salt-, helium-, and sodium-cooled nuclear reactors to Nuclear air-Brayton Combined Cycle (NACC) power systems. NACC may enable a zero-carbon electricity grid and improve nuclear power economics by enabling variable electricity output with base-load nuclear reactor operations. Variable electricity output enables selling more electricity at times of high prices that increases plant revenue. Peak power is achieved using stored heat or auxiliary fuel (natural gas, bio-fuels, hydrogen). A typical NACC cycle includes air compression, heating compressed air using nuclear heat and a heat exchanger, sending air through a turbine to produce electricity, reheating compressed air, sending air through a second turbine, and exhausting to a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). In the HRSG, warm air produces steam that is used to produce added electricity. For peak power production, auxiliary heat (natural gas, stored heat) is added before the air enters the second turbine to raise air temperatures and power output. Like all combined cycle plants, water cooling requirements are dramatically reduced relative to other power cycles because much of the heat rejection is in the form of hot air. (authors)

Cryodeposition of nitrogen gas on a surface cooled by helium II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhuley, R. C.; Bosque, E. S.; Van Sciver, S. W.

2014-01-01

Catastrophic loss of beam tube vacuum in a superconducting particle accelerator can be simulated by sudden venting of a long high vacuum channel cooled on its outer surface by He II. The rapid rush of atmospheric air in such an event shows an interesting propagation effect, which is much slower than the shock wave that occurs with vacuum loss at ambient conditions. This is due to flash frosting/deposition of air on the cold walls of the channel. Hence to characterize the propagation as well as the associated heat transfer, it is first necessary to understand the deposition process. Here we attempt to model the growth of nitrogen frost layer on a cold plate in order to estimate its thickness with time. The deposition process can be divided into two regimes- free molecular and continuum. It is shown that in free molecular regime, the frost growth can be modeled reasonably well using cryopump theory and general heat transfer relations. The continuum regime is more complex to model, given the higher rate of gas incident on cryosurface causing a large heat load on helium bath and changing cryosurface temperature. Results from the continuum regime are discussed in the context of recent experiments performed in our laboratory

Cryodeposition of nitrogen gas on a surface cooled by helium II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dhuley, R. C.; Bosque, E. S.; Van Sciver, S. W. [Cryogenics Group, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32310 USA and Mechanical Engineering Department, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310 (United States)

2014-01-29

Catastrophic loss of beam tube vacuum in a superconducting particle accelerator can be simulated by sudden venting of a long high vacuum channel cooled on its outer surface by He II. The rapid rush of atmospheric air in such an event shows an interesting propagation effect, which is much slower than the shock wave that occurs with vacuum loss at ambient conditions. This is due to flash frosting/deposition of air on the cold walls of the channel. Hence to characterize the propagation as well as the associated heat transfer, it is first necessary to understand the deposition process. Here we attempt to model the growth of nitrogen frost layer on a cold plate in order to estimate its thickness with time. The deposition process can be divided into two regimes- free molecular and continuum. It is shown that in free molecular regime, the frost growth can be modeled reasonably well using cryopump theory and general heat transfer relations. The continuum regime is more complex to model, given the higher rate of gas incident on cryosurface causing a large heat load on helium bath and changing cryosurface temperature. Results from the continuum regime are discussed in the context of recent experiments performed in our laboratory.

Mechanical characterization of metallic materials for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors in air and in helium environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sainfort, G.; Cappelaere, M.; Gregoire, J.; Sannier, J.

1984-01-01

In the French R and D program for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), three metallic alloys were studied: steel Chromesco-3 with 2.25% chromium, alloy 800H, and Hastelloy-X. The Chromesco-3 and alloy 800H creep behavior is the same in air and in HTGR atmosphere (helium). The tensile tests of Hastelloy-X specimens reveal that aging has embrittlement and hardening effects up to 700 0 C, but the creep tests at 800 0 C show opposite effects. This particular behavior could be due to induced precipitation by aging and the depletion of hardening elements from the matrix. Tests show a low influence of cobalt content on mechanical properties of Hastelloy-X

Design of the advanced divertor pump cryogenic system for DIII-D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaubel, K.M.; Baxi, C.B.; Campbell, G.L.; Gootgeld, A.M.; Langhorn, A.R.; Laughon, G.J.; Smith, J.P.; Anderson, P.M.; Menon, M.M.

1991-11-01

The design of the cryogenic system for the D3-D advanced divertor cryocondensation pump is presented. The advanced divertor incorporates a baffle chamber and bias ring located near the bottom of the D3-D vacuum vessel. A 50,000 l/s cryocondensation pump will be installed underneath the baffle for plasma particle exhaust. The pump consists of a liquid helium cooled tube operating at 4.3 degrees K and a liquid nitrogen cooled radiation shield. Liquid helium is fed by forced flow through the cryopump. Compressed helium gas flowing through the high pressure side of a heat exchanger is regeneratively cooled by the two-phase helium leaving the pump. The cooled high pressure gaseous helium is than liquefied by a Joule-Thomson expansion valve. The liquid is returned to a storage dewar. The liquid nitrogen for the radiation shield is supplied by forced flow from a bulk storage system. Control of the cryogenic system is accomplished by a programmable logic controller

Study on thermodynamic cycle of high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu Xinhe; Yang Xiaoyong; Wang Jie

2017-01-01

The development trend of the (very) High temperature gas-cooled reactor is to gradually increase the reactor outlet temperature. The different power conversion units are required at the different reactor outlet temperature. In this paper, for the helium turbine direct cycle and the combined cycle of the power conversion unit of the High temperature gas-cooled reactor, the mathematic models are established, and three cycle plans are designed. The helium turbine direct cycle is a Brayton cycle with recuperator, precooler and intercooler. In the combined cycle plan 1, the topping cycle is a simple Brayton cycle without recuperator, precooler and intercooler, and the bottoming cycle is based on the steam parameters (540deg, 6 MPa) recommended by Siemens. In the combined cycle plan 2, the topping cycle also is a simple Brayton cycle, and the bottoming cycle which is a Rankine cycle with reheating cycle is based on the steam parameters of conventional subcritical thermal power generation (540degC, 18 MPa). The optimization results showed that the cycle efficiency of the combined cycle plan 2 is the highest, the second is the helium turbine direct cycle, and the combined cycle plan 2 is the lowest. When the reactor outlet temperature is 900degC and the pressure ratio is 2.02, the cycle efficiency of the combined cycle plan 2 can reach 49.7%. The helium turbine direct cycle has a reactor inlet temperature above 500degC due to the regenerating cycle, so it requires a cooling circuit for the internal wall of the reactor pressure vessel. When the reactor outlet temperature increases, the increase of the pressure ratio required by the helium turbine direct cycle increases may bring some difficulties to the design and manufacture of the magnetic bearings. For the combined cycle, the reactor inlet temperature can be controlled below than 370degC, so the reactor pressure vessel can use SA533 steel without cooling the internal wall of the reactor pressure vessel. The pressure

Elevated temperature and high pressure large helium gas loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakasai, Minoru; Midoriyama, Shigeru; Miyata, Toyohiko; Nakase, Tsuyoshi; Izaki, Makoto

1979-01-01

The development of high temperature gas-cooled reactors especially aiming at the multi-purpose utilization of nuclear heat energy is carried out actively in Japan and West Germany. In Japan, the experimental HTGR of 50 MWt and 1000 deg C outlet temperature is being developed by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and others since 1969, and the development of direct iron-making technology utilizing high temperature reducing gas was started in 1973 as the large project of Ministry of Internalional Trade and Industry. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Has taken part in these development projects, and has developed many softwares for nuclear heat design, system design and safety design of nuclear reactor system and heat utilization system. In hardwares also, efforts have been exerted to develop the technologies of design and manufacture of high temperature machinery and equipments. The high temperature, high pressure, large helium gas loop is under construction in the technical research institute of the company, and it is expected to be completed in December, 1979. The tests planned are that of proving the dynamic performances of the loop and its machinery and equipments and the verification of analysis codes. The loop is composed of the main circulation system, the objects of testing, the helium gas purifying system, the helium supplying and evacuating system, instruments and others. (Kako, I.)

Transient boiling in two-phase helium natural circulation loops

Science.gov (United States)

Furci, H.; Baudouy, B.; Four, A.; Meuris, C.

2014-01-01

Two-phase helium natural circulation loops are used for cooling large superconducting magnets, as CMS for LHC. During normal operation or in the case of incidents, transients are exerted on the cooling system. Here a cooling system of this type is studied experimentally. Sudden power changes are operated on a vertical-heated-section natural convection loop, simulating a fast increase of heat deposition on magnet cooling pipes. Mass flow rate, heated section wall temperature and pressure drop variations are measured as a function of time, to assess the time behavior concerning the boiling regime according to the values of power injected on the heated section. The boiling curves and critical heat flux (CHF) values have been obtained in steady state. Temperature evolution has been observed in order to explore the operating ranges where heat transfer is deteriorated. Premature film boiling has been observed during transients on the heated section in some power ranges, even at appreciably lower values than the CHF. A way of attenuating these undesired temperature excursions has been identified through the application of high enough initial heating power.

Sensisivity and Uncertainty analysis for the Tritium Breeding Ratio of a DEMO Fusion reactor with a Helium cooled pebble bed blanket

OpenAIRE

Nunnenmann, Elena; Fischer, Ulrich; Stieglitz, Robert

2016-01-01

An uncertainty analysis was performed for the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) of a fusion power plant of the European DEMO type using the MCSEN patch to the MCNP Monte Carlo code. The breeding blanket was of the type Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB), currently under development in the European Power Plant Physics and Technology (PPPT) programme for a fusion power demonstration reactor (DEMO). A suitable 3D model of the DEMO reactor with HCPB blanket modules, as routinely used for blanket design c...

Process fluid cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farquhar, N.G.; Schwab, J.A.

1977-01-01

A system of heat exchangers is disclosed for cooling process fluids. The system is particularly applicable to cooling steam generator blowdown fluid in a nuclear plant prior to chemical purification of the fluid in which it minimizes the potential of boiling of the plant cooling water which cools the blowdown fluid

Experimental Characterization of Cryogenic Helium Pulsating Heat Pipes

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca Flores, Luis Diego

This study was inspired to investigate an alternative cooling system using a helium-based pulsating heat pipes (PHP), for low temperature superconducting magnets in MRI systems. In addition, the same approach can be used for exploring other low temperature applications such as cooling space instrumentation. The advantages of PHP for transferring heat and smoothing temperature profiles in various room temperature applications have been explored for the past 20 years. An experimental apparatus has been designed, fabricated and operated and is primarily composed of an evaporator and a condenser; in which both are thermally connected by a closed loop capillary tubing. The main goal is to measure the heat transfer properties of this device using helium as the working fluid. The evaporator end of the PHP is comprised of a copper winding in which heat loads up to 10 watts are generated, while the condenser is isothermal and can reach 4.2 K at 1 W via a two stage Sumitomo RDK408A2 GM cryocooler. Various experimental design features are highlighted. Additionally, the thermal performance for the presented design remained unchanged when increasing the adiabatic length from 300 mm to 1000 mm. Finally a spring mass damper model has been developed and proven to predict well the experimental data, such models should be used as tool to design and manufacturer PHP prototypes.

Cryogenic cooling system for HTS cable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Shigeru [Taiyo Nippon Sanso, Tsukuba (Japan)

2017-06-15

Recently, Research and development activity of HTS (High Temperature Superconducting) power application is very progressive worldwide. Especially, HTS cable system and HTSFCL (HTS Fault current limiter) system are proceeding to practical stages. In such system and equipment, cryogenic cooling system, which makes HTS equipment cooled lower than critical temperature, is one of crucial components. In this article, cryogenic cooling system for HTS application, mainly cable, is reviewed. Cryogenic cooling system can be categorized into conduction cooling system and immersion cooling system. In practical HTS power application area, immersion cooling system with sub-cooled liquid nitrogen is preferred. The immersion cooling system is besides grouped into open cycle system and closed cycle system. Turbo-Brayton refrigerator is a key component for closed cycle system. Those two cooling systems are focused in this article. And, each design and component of the cooling system is explained.

Thermodynamic properties of helium in the range from 20 to 15000C and 1 to 100 bar. Reactor core design of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kipke, H.E.; Stoehr, A.; Banerjea, A.; Hammeke, K.; Huepping, N.

1978-12-01

The following report presents in tabular form the safety standard of the nuclear safety standard commission (KTA) on reactor core design of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Part 1: Calculation of thermodynamic properties of helium The basis of the present work is the data and formulae given by H. Petersen for the calculation of density, specific heat, thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of helium together with the formula for their standard deviations in the range of temperature and pressure stated above. The relations for specific enthalpy and specific entropy have been derived from density and specific heat, whereby specific heat is assumed constant over the given range of temperature and pressure. The latter section of this report contains tables of thermodynamic properties of helium calculated from the equations stated earlier in this paper. (orig.) [de

Non-linear Model Predictive Control for cooling strings of superconducting magnets using superfluid helium

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)673023; Blanco Viñuela, Enrique

In each of eight arcs of the 27 km circumference Large Hadron Collider (LHC), 2.5 km long strings of super-conducting magnets are cooled with superfluid Helium II at 1.9 K. The temperature stabilisation is a challenging control problem due to complex non-linear dynamics of the magnets temperature and presence of multiple operational constraints. Strong nonlinearities and variable dead-times of the dynamics originate at strongly heat-flux dependent effective heat conductivity of superfluid that varies three orders of magnitude over the range of possible operational conditions. In order to improve the temperature stabilisation, a proof of concept on-line economic output-feedback Non-linear Model Predictive Controller (NMPC) is presented in this thesis. The controller is based on a novel complex first-principles distributed parameters numerical model of the temperature dynamics over a 214 m long sub-sector of the LHC that is characterized by very low computational cost of simulation needed in real-time optimizat...

Online helium inventory monitoring of JLab cryogenic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, N.; Knudsen, P.; Wright, M.

2017-12-01

There are five cryogenic plants at Jefferson Lab which support the LINAC, experiment hall end-stations and test facility. The majority of JLab’s helium inventory, which is around 15 tons, is allocated in the LINAC cryo-modules, with the majority of the balance of helium distributed at the cryogenic-plant level mainly as stored gas and liquid for stable operation. Due to the organic evolution of the five plants and independent actions within the experiment halls, the traditional inventory management strategy suffers from rapid identification of potential leaks. This can easily result in losses many times higher than the normally accepted (average) loss rate. A real-time program to quickly identify potential excessive leakage was developed and tested. This program was written in MATLAB© for portability, easy diagnostics and modification. It interfaces directly with EPICS to access the cryogenic system state, and with and NIST REFPROP© for real fluid properties. This program was validated against the actual helium offloaded into the system. The present paper outlines the details of the inventory monitoring program, its validation and a sample of the achieved results.

Development of a nuclear steam generator system for gas-cooled reactors for application in oil sands extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.; Hart, R.; Lazic, L.

2009-01-01

Canada has vast energy reserves in the Oil Sands regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Present extraction technologies, such as strip mining, where oil deposits are close to the surface, and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) technologies for deeper deposits consume significant amounts of energy to produce the bitumen and upgraded synthetic crude oil. Studies have been performed to assess the feasibility of using nuclear reactors as primary energy sources to produce, in particular the steam required for the SAGD deeper deposit extraction process. Presently available reactors fall short of meeting the requirements, in two areas: the steam produced in a 'standard' reactor is too low in pressure and temperature for the SAGD process. Requirements can be for steam as high as 12MPa pressure with superheat; and, 'standard' reactors are too large in total output. Ideally, reactors of output in the range of 400 to 500 MWth, in modules are better suited to Oil Sands applications. The above two requirements can be met using gas-cooled reactors. Generally, newer generation gas-cooled reactors have been designed for power generation, using Brayton Cycle gas turbines run directly from the heated reactor coolant (helium). Where secondary steam is required, heat recovery steam generators have been used. In this paper, a steam generating system is described which uses the high temperature helium from the reactor directly for steam generation purposes, with sufficient quantities of steam produced to allow for SAGD steam injection, power generation using a steam turbine-generator, and with potential secondary energy supply for other purposes such as hydrogen production for upgrading, and environmental remediation processes. It is assumed that the reactors will be in one central location, run by a utility type organization, providing process steam and electricity to surrounding Oil Sands projects, so steam produced is at very high pressure (12 MPa), with superheat, in order to

TPC magnet cryogenic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.A.; Burns, W.A.; Taylor, J.D.; Van Slyke, H.W.

1980-03-01

The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) magnet at LBL and its compensation solenoids are adiabatically stable superconducting solenoid magnets. The cryogenic system developed for the TPC magnet is discussed. This system uses forced two-phase tubular cooling with the two cryogens in the system. The liquid helium and liquid nitrogen are delivered through the cooled load by forced tubular flow. The only reservoirs of liquid cryogen exist in the control dewar (for liquid helium) and the conditioner dewar (for liquid nitrogen). The operation o these systems during virtually all phases of system operation are described. Photographs and diagrams of various system components are shown, and cryogenic system data are presented in the following sections: (1) heat leaks into the TPC coil package and the compensation solenoids; (2) heat leaks to various components of the TPC magnet cryogenics system besides the magnets and control dewar; (3) the control dewar and its relationship to the rest of the system; (4) the conditioner system and its role in cooling down the TPC magnet; (5) gas-cooled electrical leads and charging losses; and (6) a summation of the liquid helium and liquid nitrogen requirements for the TPC superconducting magnet system

Formation of excited states in high-Z helium-like systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fritzsche, S.; Fricke, B.; Brinzanescu, O.

1999-12-01

High-Z helium-like ions represent the simplest multi-electron systems for studying the interplay between electron-electron correlations, relativistic as well as quantum electrodynamical effects in strong fields. In contrast to the adjacent lithium-like ions, however, almost no experimental information is available about the excited states in the high-Z domain of the helium sequence. Here, we present a theoretical analysis of the X-ray production and decay dynamics of the excited states in helium-like uranium. Emphasize has been paid particularly to the formation of the 3 P 0 and 3 P 2 levels by using electron capture into hydrogen-like U 91+ . Both states are of interest for precise measurements on high-Z helium-like ions in the future. (orig.)

A very cool cooling system

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2015-01-01

The NA62 Gigatracker is a jewel of technology: its sensor, which delivers the time of the crossing particles with a precision of less than 200 picoseconds (better than similar LHC detectors), has a cooling system that might become the precursor to a completely new detector technique.   The 115 metre long vacuum tank of the NA62 experiment. The NA62 Gigatracker (GTK) is composed of a set of three innovative silicon pixel detectors, whose job is to measure the arrival time and the position of the incoming beam particles. Installed in the heart of the NA62 detector, the silicon sensors are cooled down (to about -20 degrees Celsius) by a microfluidic silicon device. “The cooling system is needed to remove the heat produced by the readout chips the silicon sensor is bonded to,” explains Alessandro Mapelli, microsystems engineer working in the Physics department. “For the NA62 Gigatracker we have designed a cooling plate on top of which both the silicon sensor and the...

Helium leak testing of superconducting magnets, thermal shields and cryogenic lines of SST -1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thankey, P.L.; Joshi, K.S.; Semwal, P.; Pathan, F.S.; Raval, D.C.; Khan, Z.; Patel, R.J.; Pathak, H.A.

2005-01-01

Tokamak SST - 1 is under commissioning at Institute for Plasma Research. It comprises of a toroidal doughnut shaped plasma chamber, surrounded by liquid helium cooled superconducting magnets, housed in a cryostat chamber. The cryostat has two cooling circuits, (1) liquid nitrogen cooling circuit operating at 80 K to minimize the radiation heat load on the magnets, and (2) liquid helium cooling circuit to cool magnets and cold mass support structure to 4.5 K. In this paper we describe (a) the leak testing of copper - SS joints, brazing joints, interconnecting joints of the superconducting magnets, and (b) the leak testing of the liquid nitrogen cooling circuit, comprising of the main supply header, the thermal shields, interconnecting pipes, main return header and electrical isolators. All these tests were carried out using both vacuum and sniffer methods. (author)

He-cooled divertor development for DEMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norajitra, P.; Giniyatulin, R.; Ihli, T.; Janeschitz, G.; Krauss, W.; Kruessmann, R.; Kuznetsov, V.; Mazul, I.; Widak, V.; Ovchinnikov, I.; Ruprecht, R.; Zeep, B.

2007-01-01

Goal of the He-cooled divertor development for future fusion power plants is to resist a high heat flux of at least 10 MW/m 2 . The development includes the fields of design, analyses, and experiments. A helium-cooled modular jet concept (HEMJ) has been defined as reference solution, which is based on jet impingement cooling. In cooperation with the Efremov Institute, work was aimed at construction and high heat flux tests of prototypical tungsten mockups to demonstrate their manufacturability and their performances. A helium loop was built for this purpose to simulate the realistic thermo-hydraulics conditions close to those of DEMO (10 MPa He, 600 deg. C). The first high heat flux test results confirm the feasibility and the performance of the divertor design

Gaseous Helium storage and management in the cryogenic system for the LHC

CERN Document Server

Barranco-Luque, M

2000-01-01

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is presently under construction at CERN. Its main components are superconducting magnets which will operate in superfluid helium requiring cryogenics on a length of about 24 km around the machine ring with a total helium inventory of about 100 tonnes. As no permanent liquid helium storage is foreseen and for reasons of investment costs, only half of the total helium content can be stored in gaseous form in medium pressure vessels. During the LHC operation part of these vessels will be used as helium buffer in the case of multiple magnet quenches. This paper describes the storage, distribution and management of the helium, the layout and the connection to the surface and underground equipment of the cryogenic system.

Modelization of cooling system components

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Copete, Monica; Ortega, Silvia; Vaquero, Jose Carlos; Cervantes, Eva [Westinghouse Electric (Spain)

2010-07-01

In the site evaluation study for licensing a new nuclear power facility, the criteria involved could be grouped in health and safety, environment, socio-economics, engineering and cost-related. These encompass different aspects such as geology, seismology, cooling system requirements, weather conditions, flooding, population, and so on. The selection of the cooling system is function of different parameters as the gross electrical output, energy consumption, available area for cooling system components, environmental conditions, water consumption, and others. Moreover, in recent years, extreme environmental conditions have been experienced and stringent water availability limits have affected water use permits. Therefore, modifications or alternatives of current cooling system designs and operation are required as well as analyses of the different possibilities of cooling systems to optimize energy production taking into account water consumption among other important variables. There are two basic cooling system configurations: - Once-through or Open-cycle; - Recirculating or Closed-cycle. In a once-through cooling system (or open-cycle), water from an external water sources passes through the steam cycle condenser and is then returned to the source at a higher temperature with some level of contaminants. To minimize the thermal impact to the water source, a cooling tower may be added in a once-through system to allow air cooling of the water (with associated losses on site due to evaporation) prior to returning the water to its source. This system has a high thermal efficiency, and its operating and capital costs are very low. So, from an economical point of view, the open-cycle is preferred to closed-cycle system, especially if there are no water limitations or environmental restrictions. In a recirculating system (or closed-cycle), cooling water exits the condenser, goes through a fixed heat sink, and is then returned to the condenser. This configuration

An exergoeconomic investigation of waste heat recovery from the Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) employing an ammonia–water power/cooling cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zare, V.; Mahmoudi, S.M.S.; Yari, M.

2013-01-01

A detailed exergoeconomic analysis is performed for a combined cycle in which the waste heat from the Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) is recovered by an ammonia–water power/cooling cogeneration system. Parametric investigations are conducted to evaluate the effects of decision variables on the performances of the GT-MHR and combined cycles. The performances of these cycles are then optimized from the viewpoints of first law, second law and exergoeconomics. It is found that, combining the GT-MHR with ammonia–water cycle not only enhances the first and second law efficiencies of the GT-MHR, but also it improves the cycle performance from the exergoeconomic perspective. The results show that, when the optimization is based on the exergoeconomics, the unit cost of products is reduced by 5.4% in combining the two mentioned cycles. This is achieved with a just about 1% increase in total investment cost rate since the helium mass flow in the combined cycle is lower than that in the GT-MHR alone. - Highlights: • Application of exergetic cost theory to the combined GT-MHR/ammonia–water cycle. • Enhanced exergoeconomic performance for the combined cycle compared to the GT-MHR. • Comparable investment costs for the combined cycle and the GT-MHR alone

Design considerations for economically competitive sodium cooled fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hongbin; Zhao, Haihua; Mousseau, Vincent; Szilard, Ronaldo

2009-01-01

The technological viability of sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR) has been established by various experimental and prototype (demonstration) reactors such as EBR-II, FFTF, Phenix, JOYO, BN-600 etc. However, the economic competitiveness of SFR has not been proven yet. The perceived high cost premium of SFRs over LWRs has been the primary impediment to the commercial expansion of SFR technologies. In this paper, cost reduction options are discussed for advanced SFR designs. These include a hybrid loop-pool design to optimize the primary system, multiple reheat and intercooling helium Brayton cycle for the power conversion system and the potential for suppression of intermediate heat transport system. The design options for the fully passive decay heat removal systems are also thoroughly examined. These include direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS), reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system (RVACS) and the newly proposed pool reactor auxiliary cooling system (PRACS) in the context of the hybrid loop-pool design. (author)

Design study of an indirect cooling superconducting magnet for a fusion device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mito, Toshiyuki; Hemmi, Tsutomu

2009-01-01

The design study of superconducting magnets adapting a new coil winding scheme of an indirect cooling method is reported. The superconducting magnet system for the spherical tokamak (ST), which is proposed to study the steady state plasma experiment with Q - equiv-1, requires high performances with a high current density compared to the ordinal magnet design because of its tight spatial restriction. The superconducting magnet system for the fusion device has been used in the condition of high magnetic field, high electromagnetic force, and high heat load. The pool boiling liquid helium cooling outside of the conductor or the forced flow of supercritical helium cooling inside of the conductor, such as cable-in-conduit conductors, were used so far for the cooling method of the superconducting magnet for a fusion application. The pool cooling magnet has the disadvantages of low mechanical rigidities and low withstand voltages of the coil windings. The forced flow cooling magnet with cable-in-conduit conductors has the disadvantages of the restriction of the coil design because of the path of the electric current must be the same as that of the cooling channel for refrigerant. The path of the electric current and that of the cooling channel for refrigerant can be independently designed by adopting the indirect cooling method that inserts the independent cooling panel in the coil windings and cools the conductor from the outside. Therefore the optimization of the coil windings structure can be attempted. It was shown that the superconducting magnet design of the high current density became possible by the indirect cooling method compared with those of the conventional cooling scheme. (author)

Preliminary electromagnetic analysis of Helium Cooled Solid Blanket for CFETR by MAXWELL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Cheng; Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn

2016-11-15

Highlights: • A FEM model of the blanket and magnetic system was built. • Electromagnetic forces and moments of the typical blanket for ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials were computed and analyzed. • Maxwell forces and Lorentz forces were computed and compared. • Eddy current in the blanket was analyzed under MD condition. - Abstract: A Helium Cooled Solid Blanket (HCSB) for CFETR (Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor) was designed by USTC. The structural and thermal-hydraulic analysis has been carried out, while electromagnetic analysis was not carefully researched. In this paper, a FEM (finite element method) model of the HCSB was developed and electromagnetic forces as well as moments was computed by a FEM software called MAXWELL integrated in ANSYS Workbench. In the geometrical model, flow channels and small connecting parts were neglected because of the extreme complication and the reasonable conservative assumption by neglecting these circumstantial details. As for electromagnetic (EM) analysis, Lorentz forces due to eddy currents caused by main disruption and Maxwell forces due to the magnetization of RAFM steel (i.e. EUROFER97) were computed. Since the unavailability of the details of the plasma in CFETR, when disruptions happen, the condition where a linear current quench of main disruption occurs was assumed. The maximum magnitude of the electromagnetic forces was 356.45 kN and the maximum value of the coupled electromagnetic moments was 1899.40 N m around the radial direction. It is feasible to couple electromagnetic analysis, structural analysis and thermal-hydraulic analysis in the future since MAXWELL has good channels to exchange data between different analytic parts.

Nuclear Reactor RA Safety Report, Vol. 5, Reactor cooling systems; Izvestaj o sigurnosti nuklearnog reaktora RA, Knjiga 5, Hladjenje reaktora i pripadajuci sistemi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1986-11-01

RA reactor cooling system enable cooling during normal operation and under possible accidental conditions and include: technical water system, heavy water system, helium gas system, system for heavy water purification and emergency cooling system. Primary cooling system is a closed heavy water circulation system. Heavy water system is designed to enable permanent circulation and twofold function of heavy water. In the upward direction of cooling it has a coolant role and in the downward direction it is the moderator. Separate part of the primary coolant loop is the system for heavy water purification. This system uses distillation and ion exchange processes. [Serbo-Croat] Sistemi za hladjenje reaktora RA obezbedjuju hladjenje u svim rezimima eksploatacije i potenijalno udesnim satnjim i obuhvataju: sistem tehnicke vode, sistem teske vode, gasni sistem helijuma, sistem za preciscavanje teske vode i sistem za akcidentalno hladjenje. Primarni sistem za hladjenje je zatvoreni cirkulacioni sistem teske vode. Specificnost sistema teske vode vezana je za neprekidnost cirkulacije i razlicite funkcije teske vode. U uzlaznom strujanju, teske vode ima ulogu hladioca a u silaznom ulogu moderatora. Poseban deo primarnog sistema predstavlja sistem za preciscavanje teske vode. Ovaj sistem koristi destilacioni i jonoizmenjivacki postupak.

Interdiffusion of krypton and xenon in high-pressure helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campana, R.J.; Jensen, D.D.; Epstein, B.D.; Hudson, R.G.; Baldwin, N.L.

1980-01-01

The interdiffusion of gaseous fission products in high-pressure helium is an important factor in the control of radioactivity in gas-cooled fast breeder reactors (GCFRs). As presently conceived, GCFRs use pressure-equalized and vented fuel in which fission gases released from the solid matrix oxide fuel are transported through the fuel rod interstices and internal fission product traps to the fuel assembly vents, where they are swept away to external traps and storage. Since the predominant transport process under steady-state operating conditions is interdiffusion of gaseous fission products in helium, the diffusion properties of krypton-helium and xenon-helium couples have been measured over the range of GCFR temperature and pressure conditions ( -1 ) and expected temperature dependence to the 1.66 power (Tsup(1.66)) at lower pressures and temperatures. Additional work is in progress to measure the behaviour of the krypton-helium and xenon-helium couples in GCFR fuel rod charcoal delay traps. (author)

Cryogenic system for VECC K500 superconducting cyclotron

CERN Document Server

Pal, G; Bhattacharyya, T K; Bhandari, R K

2009-01-01

VEC Centre, Kolkata in India is at an advanced stage of commissioning a K500 superconducting cyclotron. The superconducting coil of the magnet for cyclotron is cooled by liquid helium. Three liquid helium cooled cryopanels, placed inside the Dees of the radiofrequency system, maintain the vacuum in the acceleration region of the superconducting cyclotron. The cryogenic system for magnet for cyclotron has been tested by cooling the coil and energizing the magnet. The cryogenic system for cryopanels has also been tested. Heater and temperature sensor were placed on the liquid helium cold head for cryopanel. The temperature of the cold head was observed to be below 20 K upto a heat load of 11.7 watt.

Reactor helium system, design specification, operation and handling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badrljica, R.

1984-06-01

Apart from detailed design specification of the helium cover gas system of the Ra reactor, this document includes description of the operating regime, instructions for manipulations in the system with the aim of achieving and maintaining stationary gas circulation [sr

Neutronic performance of two European breeder-inside-tube (BIT) blankets for DEMO: the helium-cooled ceramic LiAlO2 with Be multiplier and the water-cooled liquid Li17Pb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrizzi, L.; Rado, V.

1995-01-01

In support of ENEA activity in the European Community Test Programme, neutron analysis has been performed on the two latest blanket designs: helium-cooled ceramic breeder-inside-tube (BIT) (with LiAlO 2 and Be multiplier) and water-cooled liquid Li 17 Pb in cylindrical modules (CM). The powerful MCNP Monte Carlo code was used (version 4.2). A detailed and accurate description of the geometrical model has been performed by inserting the main reactor details and avoiding breeder material dilution inside the modules. The tritium breeding ratio (TBR) performance is low for the solid breeder BIT blanket (with 10 ports 1.011) due mainly to low blanket coverage near the exhaust duct, and this solution should be revised. The CM Li 17 Pb blanket reaches a sufficient TBR (1.059, with ports) to rely on tritium self-sufficiency. Shielding properties, with respect to the toroidal field coils, have been estimated in a simplified model by means of the ANISN code, supplied with a nuclear data library consistent with that used by MCNP. The analysis suggests that a careful shield thickness/composition design should be used to ensure the shielding capability of the whole blanket plus shield system. (orig.)

Assessment of gas cooled fast reactor with indirect supercritical CO2 cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejzlar, P.; Driscoll, M. J.; Dostal, V.; Dumaz, P.; Poullennec, G.; Alpy, N.

2006-01-01

Various indirect power cycle options for a helium cooled Gas cooled Fast Reactor (GFR) with particular focus on a supercritical CO 2 (SCO 2 ) indirect cycle are investigated as an alternative to a helium cooled direct cycle GFR. The Balance Of Plant (BOP) options include helium-nitrogen Brayton cycle, supercritical water Rankine cycle, and SCO 2 recompression Brayton power cycle in three versions: (1) basic design with turbine inlet temperature of 550 .deg. C, (2) advanced design with turbine inlet temperature of 650 .deg. C and (3) advanced design with the same turbine inlet temperature and reduced compressor inlet temperature. The indirect SCO 2 recompression cycle is found attractive since in addition to easier BOP maintenance it allows significant reduction of core outlet temperature, making design of the primary system easier while achieving very attractive efficiencies comparable to or slightly lower than, the efficiency of the reference GFR direct cycle design. In addition, the indirect cycle arrangement allows significant reduction of the GFR 'proximate-containment' and the BOP for the SCO 2 cycle is very compact. Both these factors will lead to reduced capital cost

Cooling system for auxiliary reactor component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujihira, Tomoko.

1991-01-01

A cooling system for auxiliary reactor components comprises three systems, that is, two systems of reactor component cooling water systems (RCCW systems) and a high pressure component cooling water system (HPCCW system). Connecting pipelines having partition valves are intervened each in a cooling water supply pipeline to an emmergency component of each of the RCCW systems, a cooling water return pipeline from the emmergency component of each of the RCCW systems, a cooling water supply pipeline to each of the emmergency components of one of the RCCW system and the HPCCW system and a cooling water return pipeline from each of the emmergency components of one of the RCCW system and the HPCCW system. With such constitution, cooling water can be supplied also to the emmergency components in the stand-by system upon periodical inspection or ISI, thereby enabling to improve the backup performance of the emmergency cooling system. (I.N.)

Construction of helium engineering demonstration loop (HENDEL M+A) for VHTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimomura, Saneaki; Tanaka, Toshiyuki; Nakano, Tadasuke

1983-01-01

The mother and adapter sections of the large structural component demonstration test loop, alias Helium Engineering Demonstration Loop, for the multipurpose, high temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor were completed in March, 1982. This facility was constructed by Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. as the main contractors, and by the cooperation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. The HENDEL M+A is the testing facility of the largest scale in the world, which can handle 1000 deg C, 40 kgf/cm 2 G helium at a half flow rate of one core cooling loop of the experimental reactor. With the HENDEL M+A, the demonstration tests of fuel assembly stacks, in-core structures, large flow rate and high temperature equipment are planned. The HENDEL M+A comprises two mother loops, an adapter loop, and common auxiliary systems fon measurement and control (In), refining (Mp), makeup (Mu) and cooling water (Uc). The construction and function of such main equipment as a heater, circulators and internally insulated piping are described. The progress of the construction and the main experience during the construction, the process of operation and the performance are reported. (Kako, I.)

Rotary magnetic refrigerator for superfluid helium production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakuraku, Y.; Ogata, H.

1986-01-01

A new rotary-magnetic refrigerator designed to obtain superfluid helium temperatures by executing a magnetic Carnot cycle is developed. A rotor containing 12 magnetic refrigerants (gadolinium-gallium-garnet) is immersed in liquid helium at 4.2 K and rotated at constant speed in a steady magnetic field distribution. Performance tests demonstrate that the new rotary refrigerator is capable of obtaining a temperature of 1.48 K. The maximum useful cooling power obtained at 1.8 K is 1.81 W which corresponds to a refrigeration efficiency of 34%

The Liquefaction of Hydrogen and Helium Using Small Coolers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Michael A.

2006-01-01

This report discusses the history of the liquefaction of hydrogen and helium using small coolers. This history dates form the 1960's when two stage GM coolers capable of reaching 7 K were used to liquefy helium and hydrogen by suing an added compressor and J-T circuit. Liquefaction using the added circuit failed to become mainstream because the J-T valve and heat exchanger clogged because of impurities in the gas being liquefied. Liquefaction using a GM cooler without an added J-T circuit proved to be difficult because the first stage was not used to pre-cool the gas coming to the second stage of the cooler. Once the gas being liquefied was pre-cooled using the cooler first stage, improvements in the liquefaction rates were noted. The advent of low temperature pulse tube cooler (down to 2.5 K) permitted one to achieve dramatic improvement is the liquefactions rates for helium. Similar but less dramatic improvements are expected for hydrogen as well. Using the PT-415 cooler, one can expect liquefaction rates of 15 to 20 liters per day for helium or hydrogen provided the heat leak into the cooler and the storage vessel is low. A hydrogen liquefier for MICE is presented at the end of this report

Core cooling system for reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Ryoichi; Amada, Tatsuo.

1976-01-01

Purpose: To improve the function of residual heat dissipation from the reactor core in case of emergency by providing a secondary cooling system flow channel, through which fluid having been subjected to heat exchange with the fluid flowing in a primary cooling system flow channel flows, with a core residual heat removal system in parallel with a main cooling system provided with a steam generator. Constitution: Heat generated in the core during normal reactor operation is transferred from a primary cooling system flow channel to a secondary cooling system flow channel through a main heat exchanger and then transferred through a steam generator to a water-steam system flow channel. In the event if removal of heat from the core by the main cooling system becomes impossible due to such cause as breakage of the duct line of the primary cooling system flow channel or a trouble in a primary cooling system pump, a flow control valve is opened, and steam generator inlet and outlet valves are closed, thus increasing the flow rate in the core residual heat removal system. Thereafter, a blower is started to cause dissipation of the core residual heat from the flow channel of a system for heat dissipation to atmosphere. (Seki, T.)

Thermal-hydraulics of helium cooled First Wall channels and scoping investigations on performance improvement by application of ribs and mixing devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arbeiter, Frederik, E-mail: frederik.arbeiter@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Bachmann, Christian [EUROfusion – Programme Management Unit, Garching (Germany); Chen, Yuming; Ilić, Milica; Schwab, Florian [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Sieglin, Bernhard [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); Wenninger, Ronald [EUROfusion – Programme Management Unit, Garching (Germany)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Existing first wall designs and expected plasma heat loads are reviewed. • Heat transfer enhancement methods are investigated by CFD. • The results for heat transfer and friction are given, compared and explained. • Relations for needed pumping power and gained thermal heat are shown. • A range for the maximum permissible heat loads from the plasma is estimated. - Abstract: The first wall (FW) of DEMO is a component with high thermal loads. The cooling of the FW has to comply with the material's upper and lower temperature limits and requirements from stress assessment, like low temperature gradients. Also, the cooling has to be integrated into the balance-of-plant, in a sense to deliver exergy to the power cycle and require a limited pumping power for coolant circulation. This paper deals with the basics of FW cooling and proposes optimization approaches. The effectiveness of several heat transfer enhancement techniques is investigated for the use in helium cooled FW designs for DEMO. Among these are wall-mounted ribs, large scale mixing devices and modified hydraulic diameter. Their performance is assessed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop are compared. Based on the results, an extrapolation to high heat fluxes is tried to estimate the higher limits of cooling capabilities.

Experimental study of the critical density of heat flux in open channels cooled with helium - II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pron'ko, V.G.; Gorokhov, V.V.; Saverin, V.N.

1981-01-01

Experimental values of the critical density of a heat flux qsub(cr) in uniformly heated open channels cooled with helium-2 are reported for the first time. The experimental test bench and experimental element are described. Experimental data are obtained in cylindrical channels of 12Kh18N1OT steel with inner diameter d=0.8, 1.8; 2.8 mm and ratio l/d=20.8, 44, 85. The channel orientation has varied from vertical to horizontal position, the immersion depth - from 100, to 600 mm. It has been found that the heat transfer crisis propagation over the whole length of the channel with He-2 occurs practically instantaneously. The qsub(cr) value depends essentially on the bath liquid temperature, angle of inclivnation and relative length (l/d) of the channel with qsub(cr) approximately (l/d)sup(-1.5) being independent of the depth of channel immersion. The obtained values of critical density of a heat flux in channels are papproximately by an order less than those found for a great bulk of He-2. The results presented may be used for designing various types of devices cooled with He-2 and development of heat exchange theory in it [ru

Cooling water distribution system

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Richard

1994-01-01

A passive containment cooling system for a nuclear reactor containment vessel. Disclosed is a cooling water distribution system for introducing cooling water by gravity uniformly over the outer surface of a steel containment vessel using an interconnected series of radial guide elements, a plurality of circumferential collector elements and collector boxes to collect and feed the cooling water into distribution channels extending along the curved surface of the steel containment vessel. The cooling water is uniformly distributed over the curved surface by a plurality of weirs in the distribution channels.

Radiant Floor Cooling Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Bjarne W.

2008-01-01

In many countries, hydronic radiant floor systems are widely used for heating all types of buildings such as residential, churches, gymnasiums, hospitals, hangars, storage buildings, industrial buildings, and smaller offices. However, few systems are used for cooling.This article describes a floor...... cooling system that includes such considerations as thermal comfort of the occupants, which design parameters will influence the cooling capacity and how the system should be controlled. Examples of applications are presented....

Investigation/evaluation of water cooled fast reactor in the feasibility study on commercialized fast reactor cycle systems. Intermediate evaluation of phase-II study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotake, Syoji; Nishikawa, Akira

2005-01-01

Feasibility study on commercialized fast reactor cycle systems aims at investigation and evaluation of FBR design requirement's attainability, operation and maintenance, and technical feasibility of the candidate system. Development targets are 1) ensuring safety, 2) economic competitiveness, 3) efficient utilization of resources, 4) reduction of environmental load and 5) enhancement of nuclear non-proliferation. Based on the selection of the promising concepts in the first phase, conceptual design for the plant system has proceeded with the following plant system: a) sodium cooled reactors at large size and medium size module reactors, b) a lead-bismuth cooled medium size reactor, c) a helium gas cooled large size reactor and d) a BWR type large size FBR. Technical development and feasibility has been assessed and the study considers the need of respective key technology development for the confirmation of the feasibility study. (T. Tanaka)

46 CFR 153.432 - Cooling systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cooling systems. 153.432 Section 153.432 Shipping COAST... Control Systems § 153.432 Cooling systems. (a) Each cargo cooling system must have an equivalent standby... cooling system. (b) Each tankship that has a cargo tank with a required cooling system must have a manual...

Helium compressor aerodynamic design considerations for MHTGR circulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.

1988-01-01

Compressor aerodynamic design considerations for both the main and shutdown cooling circulators in the Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) plant are addressed in this paper. A major selection topic relates to the impeller type (i.e., axial or radial flow), and the aerothermal studies leading to the selection of optimum parameters are discussed. For the conceptual designs of the main and shutdown cooling circulators, compressor blading geometries were established and helium gas flow paths defined. Both circulators are conservative by industrial standards in terms of aerodynamic and structural loading, and the blade tip speeds are particularly modest. Performance characteristics are presented, and the designs embody margin to ensure that pressure-rise growth potential can be accomodated should the circuit resistance possibly increase as the plant design advances. The axial flow impeller for the main circulator is very similar to the Fort St. Vrain (FSV) helium compressor which performs well. A significant technology base exists for the MHTGR plant circulators, and this is highlighted in the paper. (author). 15 refs, 16 figs, 12 tabs

An advanced regulator for the helium pressurization systems of the Space Shuttle OMS and RCS

Science.gov (United States)

Wichmann, H.

1973-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbit Maneuvering System and Reaction Control System are pressure-fed rocket propulsion systems utilizing earth storable hypergolic propellants and featuring engines of 6000 lbs and 900 lbs thrust, respectively. The helium pressurization system requirements for these propulsion systems are defined and the current baseline pressurization systems are described. An advanced helium pressure regulator capable of meeting both OMS and RCS helium pressurization system requirements is presented and its operating characteristics and predicted performance characteristics are discussed.

Construction and performance tests of Helium Engineering Demonstration Loop (HENDEL) for VHTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hishida, M.; Tanaka, T.; Shimomura, H.; Sanokawa, K.

1984-01-01

A helium engineering demonstration loop (HENDEL) was constructed and operated in JAERI in order to develop the high-temperature key components of an experimental very high temperature gas cooled reactor, like fuel stack, in-core reactor structure, hot gas duct, intermediate heat exchanger. Performance tests as well as demonstration of integrity are carried out with large-size or actual-size models of key components. The key components to be tested in HENDEL are: fuel stack and control rod; core supporting structure, or bottom structure of rector core exposed to direct impingement of high temperature core outlet flow; reactor internal components and structure; high temperature components in heat removal system (primary and secondary cooling systems)

Operational experience with double acting piston pumps for cryogenic helium and nitrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vosswinkel, F.

1978-01-01

The design of a high efficiency double acting piston pump suitable for pumping liquefied gases at cryogenic temperatures for cable cooling, is reported. The pump has proved flexible, reliable and efficient in operation. The plunger-type pumps can be used for filling cryostats or dewars with liquid helium or nitrogen from a pressure free or pressurized storage vessel, or as circulators for subcooled, saturated and/or supercritical helium in large scale cooling experiments. Flow rates of up to 17 g/s, maximum operating pressure of 600 kPa absolute and maximum differential pressure of approximately 100 kPa are obtained. (UK)

Core cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoeppner, G.

1980-01-01

The reactor cooling system transports the heat liberated in the reactor core to the component - heat exchanger, steam generator or turbine - where the energy is removed. This basic task can be performed with a variety of coolants circulating in appropriately designed cooling systems. The choice of any one system is governed by principles of economics and natural policies, the design is determined by the laws of nuclear physics, thermal-hydraulics and by the requirement of reliability and public safety. PWR- and BWR- reactors today generate the bulk of nuclear energy. Their primary cooling systems are discussed under the following aspects: 1. General design, nuclear physics constraints, energy transfer, hydraulics, thermodynamics. 2. Design and performance under conditions of steady state and mild transients; control systems. 3. Design and performance under conditions of severe transients and loss of coolant accidents; safety systems. (orig./RW)

Simulations of floor cooling system capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odyjas, Andrzej; Górka, Andrzej

2013-01-01

Floor cooling system capacity depends on its physical and operative parameters. Using numerical simulations, it appears that cooling capacity of the system largely depends on the type of cooling loads occurring in the room. In the case of convective cooling loads capacity of the system is small. However, when radiation flux falls directly on the floor the system significantly increases productivity. The article describes the results of numerical simulations which allow to determine system capacity in steady thermal conditions, depending on the type of physical parameters of the system and the type of cooling load occurring in the room. Moreover, the paper sets out the limits of system capacity while maintaining a minimum temperature of the floor surface equal to 20 °C. The results are helpful for designing system capacity in different type of cooling loads and show maximum system capacity in acceptable thermal comfort condition. -- Highlights: ► We have developed numerical model for simulation of floor cooling system. ► We have described floor system capacity depending on its physical parameters. ► We have described floor system capacity depending on type of cooling loads. ► The most important in the obtained cooling capacities is the type of cooling loads. ► The paper sets out the possible maximum cooling floor system capacity

Cooled Water Production System,

Science.gov (United States)

The invention refers to the field of air conditioning and regards an apparatus for obtaining cooled water . The purpose of the invention is to develop...such a system for obtaining cooled water which would permit the maximum use of the cooling effect of the water -cooling tower.

Helium Loop for the HCPB Test Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuberger, H.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Ghidersa, B. E.; Jin, X.; Meyder, R.

2006-01-01

In the frame of the activities of the EU Breeder Blanket Programme and of the Test Blanket Working Group, the Helium loop for the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed Test Blanket Module (HCPB-TBM) in ITER has been investigated with regard to the layout definition, selection of components, control, dimensioning and integration. This paper presents the status of development. The loop design for the HCPB-TBM in ITER will mainly base on the experience gained from Helium Loop Karlsruhe (HELOKA) which is currently developed at the FZK for experiments under ITER relevant conditions. The ITER loop will be equipped with similar components like HELOKA and will mainly consist of a circulator with variable speed drive, a recuperator, an electric heater, a cooler, a dust filter and auxilary components e.g. pipework and valves. A Coolant Purification System (CPS) and a Pressure Control System (PCS) are foreseen to meet the requirements on coolant conditioning. To prepare a TBM for a new experimental campaign, a succession of operational states like '' cold maintenance '', '' baking '' and '' cold standby '' is required. Before a pulse operation, a '' hot stand-by '' state should be achieved providing the TBM with inlet coolant at nominal conditions. This operation modus is continued in the dwell time waiting for the successive pulse. A '' tritium out-gassing '' will be also required after several TBM-campaigns to remove the inventory rest of T in the beds for measurement purpose. The dynamic circuit behaviour during pulses, transition between different operational states as well as the behaviour in accident situations are investigated with RELAP. The main components of the loop will be accommodated inside the Tokamak Cooling Water System(TCWS)- vault from where the pipes require connection to the TBM which is attached to port 16 of the vacuum vessel. Therefore pipes across the ITER- building of about 110 m in length (each) are required. Additional equipment is also located in the port cell

Direct implementation of an axial-flow helium gas turbine tool in a system analysis tool for HTGRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ji Hwan; No, Hee Cheon; Kim, Hyeun Min; Lim, Hong Sik

2008-01-01

This study concerns the development of dynamic models for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) through direct implementation of a gas turbine analysis code with a transient analysis code. We have developed a streamline curvature analysis code based on the Newton-Raphson numerical application (SANA) to analyze the off-design performance of helium gas turbines under conditions of normal operation. The SANA code performs a detailed two-dimensional analysis by means of throughflow calculation with allowances for losses in axial-flow multistage compressors and turbines. To evaluate the performance in the steady-state and load transient of HTGRs, we developed GAMMA-T by implementing SANA in the transient system code, GAMMA, which is a multidimensional, multicomponent analysis tool for HTGRs. The reactor, heat exchangers, and connecting pipes were designed with a one-dimensional thermal-hydraulic model that uses the GAMMA code. We assessed GAMMA-T by comparing its results with the steady-state results of the GTHTR300 of JAEA. We concluded that the results are in good agreement, including the results of the vessel cooling bypass flow and the turbine cooling flow

Helium cryosystem for the X-ray laser LCLS-II; Heliumkryosystem fuer den Roentgenlaser LCLS-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pflueckhahn, Dirk; Fauve, Eric; Heloin, Vincent; Ravindranath, Viswanath; Ross, Marc [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States)

2017-07-01

The Linac Coherent Light Source-II project represents the expansion of the LCLS free-electron laser, which has been successfully operated at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory since 2009. In collaboration with several national institutes, 37 cryomodules with superconducting accelerator cavities will be installed in a 700 m long section of the existing tunnel. The use of superconducting accelerator technology will enable particle energy of up to 4 GeV in CW (continuous wave) operation. Two identical cryogenic systems with an equivalent output of 18 kW each at 4.5 K are described below. The plants supply the linear accelerator with helium at several temperature levels. Superfluid helium II provides the cooling necessary to maintain superconductivity in the cavities. The operating temperature of the 1.3 GHz cavities has been set at 2 K. Two further helium circuits are used for shield cooling at approx. 35 K and cooling of heat loads at 5 K level. The purely dynamic compression of the cold helium vapour is a technical feature of the systems described here. In a five-stage chain of cold compressors of 32 mbar at the cavities, it is absolutely compressed to the suction pressure of the circulation compressors at approx. 1 bar. [German] Das Linac Coherent Light Source-II Projekt stellt die Erweiterung des seit 2009 erfolgreich betriebenen Freie- Elektronen-Lasers LCLS am SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory dar. In Kollaboration mit mehreren nationalen Instituten werden in einem 700 m langen Teilstueck des bereits bestehenden Tunnels 37 Kryomodule mit supraleitenden Beschleunigerkavitaeten installiert. Der Einsatz von supraleitender Beschleunigertechnologie wird eine Teilchenenergie von bis zu 4 GeV im CW (continous wave) Betrieb ermoeglichen. Zwei identische Kryoanlagen mit einer aequivalenten Leistung von je 18 kW bei 4,5 K werden im Folgenden beschrieben. Die Anlagen versorgen den Linearbeschleuniger mit Helium auf mehreren Temperaturniveaus. Superfluides Helium

Manufacturing cycle for pure neon-helium mixture production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batrakov, B.P.; Kravchenko, V.A.

1980-01-01

The manufacturing cycle for pure neon-helium mixture production with JA-300 nitrogen air distributing device has been developed. Gas mixture containing 2-3% of neon-helium mixture (the rest is mainly nitrogen 96-97%) is selected out of the cover of the JA-300 column condensator and enters the deflegmator under the 2.3-2.5 atm. pressure. The diflegmator presents a heat exchange apparatus in which at 78 K liquid nitrogen the condensation of nitrogen from the mixture of gases entering from the JA-300 column takes place. The enriched gas mixture containing 65-70% of neon-helium mixture and 30-35% of nitrogen goes out from the deflegmator. This enriched neon-helium mixture enters the gasgoeder for impure (65-70%) neon-helium mixture. Full cleaning of-neon helium mixture of nitrogen is performed by means of an adsorber. As adsorbent an activated coal has been used. Adsorption occurs at the 78 K temperature of liquid nitrogen and pressure P=0.1 atm. As activated coal cooled down to nitrogen temperature adsorbs nitrogen better than neon and helium, the nitrogen from the mixture is completely adsorbed. Pure neon-helium mixture from the adsorber comes into a separate gasgolder. In one campaign the cycle allows obtaining 2 m 3 of the mixture. The mixture contains 0.14% of nitrogen, 0.01% of oxygen and 0.06% of hydrogen

Failure study of helium-cooled tungsten divertor plasma-facing units tested at DEMO relevant steady-state heat loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritz, G; Pintsuk, G; Linke, J; Hirai, T; Norajitra, P; Reiser, J; Giniyatulin, R; Makhankov, A; Mazul, I

2009-01-01

Tungsten was selected as armor material for the helium-cooled divertor in future DEMO-type fusion reactors and fusion power plants. After realizing the design and testing of them under cyclic thermal loads of up to ∼14 MW m -2 , the tungsten divertor plasma-facing units were examined by metallography; they revealed failures such as cracks at the thermal loaded and as-machined surfaces, as well as degradation of the brazing layers. Furthermore, in order to optimize the machining processes, the quality of tungsten surfaces prepared by turning, milling and using a diamond cutting wheel were examined. This paper presents a metallographic examination of the tungsten plasma-facing units as well as technical studies and the characterization on machining of tungsten and alternative brazing joints.

Failure study of helium-cooled tungsten divertor plasma-facing units tested at DEMO relevant steady-state heat loads

Science.gov (United States)

Ritz, G.; Hirai, T.; Norajitra, P.; Reiser, J.; Giniyatulin, R.; Makhankov, A.; Mazul, I.; Pintsuk, G.; Linke, J.

2009-12-01

Tungsten was selected as armor material for the helium-cooled divertor in future DEMO-type fusion reactors and fusion power plants. After realizing the design and testing of them under cyclic thermal loads of up to ~14 MW m-2, the tungsten divertor plasma-facing units were examined by metallography; they revealed failures such as cracks at the thermal loaded and as-machined surfaces, as well as degradation of the brazing layers. Furthermore, in order to optimize the machining processes, the quality of tungsten surfaces prepared by turning, milling and using a diamond cutting wheel were examined. This paper presents a metallographic examination of the tungsten plasma-facing units as well as technical studies and the characterization on machining of tungsten and alternative brazing joints.

DIRECT EVALUATION OF THE HELIUM ABUNDANCES IN OMEGA CENTAURI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dupree, A. K.; Avrett, E. H., E-mail: dupree@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: eavrett@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-08-20

A direct measure of the helium abundances from the near-infrared transition of He I at 1.08 {mu}m is obtained for two nearly identical red giant stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. One star exhibits the He I line; the line is weak or absent in the other star. Detailed non-local thermal equilibrium semi-empirical models including expansion in spherical geometry are developed to match the chromospheric H{alpha}, H{beta}, and Ca II K lines, in order to predict the helium profile and derive a helium abundance. The red giant spectra suggest a helium abundance of Y {<=} 0.22 (LEID 54064) and Y = 0.39-0.44 (LEID 54084) corresponding to a difference in the abundance {Delta}Y {>=} 0.17. Helium is enhanced in the giant star (LEID 54084) that also contains enhanced aluminum and magnesium. This direct evaluation of the helium abundances gives observational support to the theoretical conjecture that multiple populations harbor enhanced helium in addition to light elements that are products of high-temperature hydrogen burning. We demonstrate that the 1.08 {mu}m He I line can yield a helium abundance in cool stars when constraints on the semi-empirical chromospheric model are provided by other spectroscopic features.

Thermodynamic design of hydrogen liquefaction systems with helium or neon Brayton refrigerator

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ho-Myung; Ryu, Ki Nam; Baik, Jong Hoon

2018-04-01

A thermodynamic study is carried out for the design of hydrogen liquefaction systems with helium (He) or neon (Ne) Brayton refrigerator. This effort is motivated by our immediate goal to develop a small-capacity (100 L/h) liquefier for domestic use in Korea. Eight different cycles are proposed and their thermodynamic performance is investigated in comparison with the existing liquefaction systems. The proposed cycles include the standard and modified versions of He Brayton refrigerators whose lowest temperature is below 20 K. The Brayton refrigerator is in direct thermal contact with the hydrogen flow at atmospheric pressure from ambient-temperature gas to cryogenic liquid. The Linde-Hampson system pre-cooled by a Ne Brayton refrigerator is also considered. Full cycle analysis is performed with the real properties of fluids to estimate the figure of merit (FOM) under an optimized operation condition. It is concluded that He Brayton refrigerators are feasible for this small-scale liquefaction, because a reasonably high efficiency can be achieved with simple and safe (low-pressure) operation. The complete cycles with He Brayton refrigerator are presented for the development of a prototype, including the ortho-to-para conversion.

Parametric Investigation of Brayton Cycle for High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Oh

2004-01-01

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) is investigating a Brayton cycle efficiency improvement on a high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) as part of Generation-IV nuclear engineering research initiative. In this project, we are investigating helium Brayton cycles for the secondary side of an indirect energy conversion system. Ultimately we will investigate the improvement of the Brayton cycle using other fluids, such as supercritical carbon dioxide. Prior to the cycle improvement study, we established a number of baseline cases for the helium indirect Brayton cycle. These cases look at both single-shaft and multiple-shaft turbomachinery. The baseline cases are based on a 250 MW thermal pebble bed HTGR. The results from this study are applicable to other reactor concepts such as a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR), fast gas-cooled reactor (FGR), supercritical water reactor (SWR), and others. In this study, we are using the HYSYS computer code for optimization of the helium Brayton cycle. Besides the HYSYS process optimization, we performed parametric study to see the effect of important parameters on the cycle efficiency. For these parametric calculations, we use a cycle efficiency model that was developed based on the Visual Basic computer language. As a part of this study we are currently investigated single-shaft vs. multiple shaft arrangement for cycle efficiency and comparison, which will be published in the next paper. The ultimate goal of this study is to use supercritical carbon dioxide for the HTGR power conversion loop in order to improve the cycle efficiency to values great than that of the helium Brayton cycle. This paper includes preliminary calculations of the steady state overall Brayton cycle efficiency based on the pebble bed reactor reference design (helium used as the working fluid) and compares those results with an initial calculation of a CO2 Brayton cycle

Thermohydraulics of a horizontal diphasic flow of superfluid helium; Thermo-hydraulique d'un ecoulement horizontal d'helium superfluide diphasique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perraud, S

2007-12-15

This study aims at characterizing helium two phase flows, and to identify the dependence of their characteristics on various thermo-hydraulic parameters: vapour velocity, liquid height, vapour density, specificities of superfluidity. Both the engineer and the physicist's points of view are taken into consideration: the first one in terms of optimization of a particular cooling scheme based on a two-phase flow, and these second one in terms of more fundamental atomization-related questions. It has been shown that for velocities around 3 to 4 m/s, the liquid phase that was initially stratified undergoes an atomization through the presence of a drop haze carried by the vapor phase.This happens for superfluid helium as well as for normal helium without main differences on atomization.

Combined cold compressor/ejector helium refrigerator cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlafke, A.P.; Brown, D.P.; Wu, K.C.

1984-01-01

This chapter demonstrates how the use of a cold compressor in series with an ejector is an effective way to produce the desired low pressure in a helium refrigeration system. The cold compressor is tentatively located at the low pressure side below the J-T heat exchanger. The ejector is the first stage and the cold compressor is the second stage of the two-stage pumping system. A centrifugal, oil-bearing type compressor was installed on the R and D refrigerator at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is determined that the combined cold compressor and ejector system produces a lower temperature on the same load or more cooling at the same temperature compared with a system which uses an ejector alone. Results of the test showed a gain of 20%

Neutronics study on hybrid reactor cooled by helium, water and molten salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zaixin; Feng Kaiming; Zhang Guoshu; Zheng Guoyao; Zhao Fengchao

2009-01-01

There is no serious magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) problem when helium,water or molten salt of Flibe flows in high magnetic field. Thus helium, water and Flibe were proposed as candidate of coolant for fusion-fission hybrid reactor based on magnetic confinement. The effect on neutronics of hybrid reactor due to coolant was investigated. The analyses of neutron spectra and fuel breeding of blanket with different coolants were performed. Variations of tritium breeding ratio (TBR), blanket energy multiplication (M) and keff with operating time were also studied. MCNP code was used for neutron transport simulation. It is shown that spectra change greatly with different coolants. The blanket with helium exhibits very hard spectrum and good tritium breeding ability. And fission reactions are mainly from fast neutron. The blanket with water has soft spectrum and high energy multiplication factor. However, it needs to improve TBR. The blanket with Flibe has hard spectrum and less energy release. (authors)

First operating experience with the helium cooling supply of the superconducting XFEL linear accelerator; Erste Betriebserfahrungen mit der Heliumkaelteversorgung des supraleitenden XFEL-Linearbeschleunigers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bozhko, Y.; Escherich, K.; Jensch, K.; Petersen, B.; Schnautz, T.; Sellmann, D. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Decker, L.; Ueresin, C.; Zajac, J. [Linde Kryotechnik, Pfungen (Switzerland); Paetzold, T. [Linde Kryotechnik, Hamburg (Germany); ENGIE, Hamburg (Germany)

2017-07-01

In Hamburg, the European XFEL project was completed. The superconducting XFEL linear accelerator was commissioned in the course of 2017. The linear accelerator supplies electron bundles with an energy of up to 17.5 GeV and serves as the source of a free-electron laser (XFEL), which provides light with extreme intensity and brilliance with wavelengths in the X-ray range (0.2-0.05 nm). The active part of the linear accelerator consists of 96 cryomodules, each with 8 high-frequency resonators (cavities) and a superconducting magnet packet. The approx. 800 cavities made of high-purity niobium are operated at 1.3 GHz and cooled in a helium II bath at a temperature of 2.0 K. The cavities are surrounded by two thermal shields at temperatures of 5-8 K and 40-80 K. Parallel to the main accelerator, an injector is supplied with two cryogenic modules. The cryogenics of the XFEL linear accelerator includes a helium refrigeration system with design capacities of 2 KW at 2 K, 4 KW at 5/8 K and 24 KW at 40/80 K, various helium transfer lines, a branched distribution system and connection boxes between the module chains in the accelerator tunnel. It is reported on the commissioning of the components and first operating experience. [German] In Hamburg wurde das Europaeische XFEL Projekt fertiggestellt. Der supraleitende XFEL Linearbeschleuniger wurde im Laufe des Jahres 2017 in Betrieb genommen. Der Linearbeschleuniger liefert Elektronenpakete mit einer Energie von bis zu 17,5 GeV und dient als Quelle eines Freien-Elektronen-Lasers (XFEL), der Licht mit extremer Intensitaet und Brillanz mit Wellenlaengen im Roentgenbereich (0,2-0,05 nm) bereitstellt. Der aktive Teil des Linearbeschleunigers besteht aus 96 Kryomodulen mit jeweils 8 Hochfrequenzresonatoren (Kavitaeten) und einem supraleitenden Magnetpaket. Die ca. 800 Kavitaeten aus hochreinem Niob werden bei 1,3 GHz betrieben und in einem Helium-II-Bad bei einer Temperatur von 2,0 K gekuehlt. Die Kavitaeten sind von zwei thermischen

Optical annealing of CaF2:Mn for cooled optically stimulated luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, S.D.; Stahl, K.A.; Endres, G.W.R.; McDonald, J.C.

1989-01-01

Optical annealing of the cooled optically stimulated luminescence in CaF 2 :Mn at room temperature has been demonstrated. The laser of choice for optical annealing of CaF 2 : Mn is a 326 nm helium-cadmium ultraviolet laser. A complete cycle of readout and annealing of the CaF 2 :Mn cooled optically stimulated dosemeters can now be accomplished without heating the dosemeters above room temperature. This annealing work represents the next step toward creating a proton-recoil-based fast neutron dosimetry system based on the cooled optically stimulated luminescence technique. (author)

NUCLEAR CONDENSATE AND HELIUM WHITE DWARFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bedaque, Paulo F.; Berkowitz, Evan [Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Cherman, Aleksey, E-mail: bedaque@umd.edu, E-mail: evanb@umd.edu, E-mail: a.cherman@damtp.cam.ac.uk [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA (United Kingdom)

2012-04-10

We consider a high-density region of the helium phase diagram, where the nuclei form a Bose-Einstein condensate rather than a classical plasma or a crystal. Helium in this phase may be present in helium-core white dwarfs. We show that in this regime there is a new gapless quasiparticle not previously noticed, arising when the constraints imposed by gauge symmetry are taken into account. The contribution of this quasiparticle to the specific heat of a white dwarf core turns out to be comparable in a range of temperatures to the contribution from the particle-hole excitations of the degenerate electrons. The specific heat in the condensed phase is two orders of magnitude smaller than in the uncondensed plasma phase, which is the ground state at higher temperatures, and four orders of magnitude smaller than the specific heat that an ion lattice would provide, if formed. Since the specific heat of the core is an important input for setting the rate of cooling of a white dwarf star, it may turn out that such a change in the thermal properties of the cores of helium white dwarfs has observable implications.

NUCLEAR CONDENSATE AND HELIUM WHITE DWARFS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedaque, Paulo F.; Berkowitz, Evan; Cherman, Aleksey

2012-01-01

We consider a high-density region of the helium phase diagram, where the nuclei form a Bose-Einstein condensate rather than a classical plasma or a crystal. Helium in this phase may be present in helium-core white dwarfs. We show that in this regime there is a new gapless quasiparticle not previously noticed, arising when the constraints imposed by gauge symmetry are taken into account. The contribution of this quasiparticle to the specific heat of a white dwarf core turns out to be comparable in a range of temperatures to the contribution from the particle-hole excitations of the degenerate electrons. The specific heat in the condensed phase is two orders of magnitude smaller than in the uncondensed plasma phase, which is the ground state at higher temperatures, and four orders of magnitude smaller than the specific heat that an ion lattice would provide, if formed. Since the specific heat of the core is an important input for setting the rate of cooling of a white dwarf star, it may turn out that such a change in the thermal properties of the cores of helium white dwarfs has observable implications.

Options for helium circulation in a hydrogen production plant VHTR-Si: thermal-economic comparative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendoza A, A.; Francois L, J. L.; Anaya D, A.

2011-11-01

The technologies that take advantage of the heat of nuclear reactors of IV generation are of great interest, due to their high energy efficiencies and to their strong economic potential. An example of these technologies is the sulfur-iodine process coupled to a nuclear reactor of high temperature cooled by helium. In this process heat is transferred from the nuclear reactor to the chemical plant by means of two cycles of helium interconnected by an intermediate heat exchanger. The first, denominated primary cycle of cooling, removes the heat of the nuclear reactor, transferring to the secondary cycle to be distributed to equipment s in the chemical plant. The pass of the helium gas through the equipment s that compose each one of the cycles, implies pressure losses that should be compensated necessarily by re-compression to maintain a stable state in the system, causing the energy consumption, usually rejected in the energy analyses. When to this energy is added the energy required in the hydrogen plant: energy required by the pumping systems, will decrease the efficiency of the nucleus-chemical complex, increasing the even cost of the hydrogen. In this work, three options to supply the compression energy and pumping (CEP) to the system are proposed, and these are analyzed thermodynamic and economically. The results indicate that to consider the CEP in the economic analysis increases between 1.5 and 3% the even cost of the hydrogen, and that the option with more energy efficiency is not necessarily the best for the nucleus-chemical complex. (Author)

Reactor cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Etsuji.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To eliminate cleaning steps in the pipelines upon reactor shut-down by connecting a filtrating and desalting device to the cooling system to thereby always clean up the water in the pipelines. Constitution: A filtrating and desalting device is connected to the pipelines in the cooling system by way of drain valves and a check valve. Desalted water is taken out from the exit of the filtrating and desalting device and injected to one end of the cooling system pipelines by way of the drain valve and the check valve and then returned by way of another drain valve to the desalting device. Water in the pipelines is thus always desalted and the cleaning step in the pipelines is no more required in the shut-down. (Kawakami, Y.)

Performance characteristic of hybrid cooling system based on cooling pad and evaporator

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, J. I.; Son, C. H.; Choi, K. H.; Kim, Y. B.; Sung, Y. H.; Roh, S. J.; Kim, Y. M.; Seol, S. H.

2018-01-01

In South Korea, most of domestic animals such as pigs and chickens might die due to thermal diseases if they are exposed to the high temperature consistently. In order to save them from the heat wave, numerous efforts have been carried out: installing a shade net, adjusting time of feeding, spraying mist and setting up a circulation fan. However, these methods have not shown significant improvements. Thus, this study proposes a hybrid cooling system combining evaporative cooler and air-conditioner in order to resolve the conventional problems caused by the high temperature in the livestock industry. The problem of cooling systems using evaporative cooling pads is that they are not effective for eliminating huge heat load due to their limited capacity. And, temperature of the supplied air cannot be low enough compared to conventional air-conditioning systems. On the other hand, conventional air-conditioning systems require relatively expensive installation cost, and high operating cost compared to evaporative cooling system. The hybrid cooling system makes up for the lack of cooling capacity of the evaporative cooler by employing the conventional air-conditioner. Additionally, temperature of supplied air can be lowered enough. In the hybrid cooling system, induced air by a fan is cooled by the evaporation of water in the cooling pad, and it is cooled again by an evaporator in the air-conditioner. Therefore, the more economical operation is possible due to additionally obtained cooling capacity from the cooling pads. Major results of experimental analysis of hybrid cooling system are as follows. The compressor power consumption of the hybrid cooling system is about 23% lower, and its COP is 17% higher than that of the conventional air-conditioners. Regarding the condition of changing ambient temperature, the total power consumption decreased by about 5% as the ambient temperature changed from 28.7°C to 31.7°C. Cooling capacity and COP also presented about 3% and 1

Numerical analysis of performance of steam reformer of methane reforming hydrogen production system connected with high-temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Huaqiang; Jiang Shengyao; Zhang Youjie

2007-01-01

Methane conversion rate and hydrogen output are important performance indexes of the steam reformer. The paper presents numerical analysis of performance of the reformer connected with high-temperature gas-cooled reactor HTR-10. Setting helium inlet flow rate fixed, performance of the reformer was examined with different helium inlet temperature, pressure, different process gas temperature, pressure, flow rate, and different steam to carbon ratio. As the range concerned, helium inlet temperature has remarkable influence on the performance, and helium inlet temperature, process gas temperature and pressure have little influence on the performance, and improving process gas flow rate, methane conversion rate decreases and hydrogen output increases, however improving steam to carbon ratio has reverse influence on the performance. (authors)

CFD Analyses on LHe Cooling for SCQ Magnets in BEPCII Upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Z.H.; Wang, L.; Tang, H.M.; Zhang, X.B.; Jia, L.X.

2004-01-01

A pair of superconducting interaction region quadrupole magnets in Beijing Electron-Positron Collider Upgrade (BEPCII) are to be cooled by supercritical helium in order to eliminate the flow instabilities in the constrained cooling channels. The fluid flow is simulated by the commercial computational dynamics fluid software. The heat loads to the superconducting quadrupole (SCQ) magnets from the radiation shields at 80 K and from the thermal conduction of mechanical supports are considered. The temperature distribution of the fluid in the liquid helium cooling channels, and the heat transfer in the SCQ magnet and by its supports are presented. The influence of mass flow rate on pressure drop in the cooling passage is analyzed

Development of components for the gas-cooled fast breeder reactor program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dee, J.B.; Macken, T.

1977-01-01

The gas-cooled fast breeder reactor (GCFR) component development program is based on an extension of high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) component technology; therefore, the GCFR development program is addressed primarily to components which differ in design and requirements from HTGR components. The principal differences in primary system components are due to the increase in helium coolant pressure level, which benefits system size and efficiency in the GCFR, and differences in the reactor internals and fuel handling systems due to the use of the compact metal-clad core. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the principal component design differences between the GCFR and HTGR and the consequent influences of these differences on GCFR component development programs. Development program plans are discussed and include those for the prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV), the main helium circulator and its supporting systems, the steam generators, the reactor thermal shielding, and the fuel handling system. Facility requirements to support these development programs are also discussed. Studies to date show that GCFR component development continues to appear to be incremental in nature, and the required tests are adaptations of related HTGR test programs. (Auth.)

Limitations of superfluid helium droplets as host system revealed by electronic spectroscopy of embedded molecules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Premke, Tobias

2016-02-19

Superfluid helium nanodroplets serve a unique cryogenic host system ideal to prepare cold molecules and clusters. Structures as well as dynamic processes can be examined by means of high resolution spectroscopy. Dopant spectra are accompanied by helium-induced spectroscopic features which reveal information on the dopant to helium interaction. For this reason the experimental research focuses on the investigation of such helium-induced effects in order to provide new information on the microsolvation inside the droplets. Since the quantitative understanding of helium-induced spectral features is essential to interpret molecular spectra recorded in helium droplets, this study contributes further experimental details on microsolvation in superfluid helium droplets. For this purpose two contrary systems were examined by means of high resolution electronic spectroscopy. The first one, phthalocyanine (Pc), is a planar organic molecule offering a huge and planar surface to the helium atoms and thus, the non-superfluid helium solvation layer can form different structures. The second system is iodine and in contrast to Pc it is of simple molecular shape. That means that in this case different complex structures of the non-superfluid helium solvation layer and the dopant can be expected to be avoided. Thus, both molecules should show clear differences in their microsolvation behavior. In this work a detailed examination of different spectroscopic properties of phthalocyanine is given by means of fluorescence excitation and dispersed emission spectroscopy. It raises legitimate doubts about the assignment of experimentally observed signals to features predicted by the model of the microsolvation. Even though there are no experimental observations which disprove the empirical model for the solvation in helium droplets, an unambiguous assignment of the helium-induced spectroscopic structures is often not possible. In the second part of this work, the investigation of the

Phasing of Debuncher Stochastic Cooling Transverse Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasquinelli, Ralph

2000-01-01

. Beam width is defined as the 3 dB bandwidth of the momentum Schottky divided by 127 (the harmonic of the Schottky pickup in the Debuncher.) Every three to five minutes, the beam drifts enough to make a significant change in the data. Knowing the revolution frequency and beam width to 0.5 Hz is important. If the beam width exceeds 10 Hz, the quality of the measurement will be impaired. Large beam widths can be caused by excessive forward proton beam current. There are also signs that the front-end amplifiers saturate with beam currents above several hundred microamps. The cooling systems were designed to be very sensitive, (that's why the front end is at liquid helium temperature) so a hundred microamps will go a long way. It should be possible to phase the systems with Pbars as a signal to noise ratio of 30 dB was observed with 100 microamps of beam current.

Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor Materials Program. Reducing helium impurity depletion in HTGR materials testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldwin, D.H.

1984-08-01

Moisture depletion in HTGR materials testing rigs has been empirically studied in the GE High Temperature Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (HTRMTL). Tests have shown that increased helium flow rates and reduction in reactive (oxidizable) surface area are effective means of reducing depletion. Further, a portion of the depletion has been shown to be due to the presence of free C released by the dissociation of CH 4 . This depletion component can be reduced by reducing the helium residence time (increasing the helium flow rate) or by reducing the CH 4 concentration in the test gas. Equipment modifications to reduce depletion have been developed, tested, and in most cases implemented in the HTRMTL to date. These include increasing the Helium Loop No. 1 pumping capacity, conversion of metallic retorts and radiation shields to alumina, isolation of thermocouple probes from the test gas by alumina thermowells, and substitution of non-reactive Mo-TZM for reactive metallic structural components

Simulation of the Direct Digital Synthesis module for Helium RFQ LLRF system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Hae-Seong; Ahn, Tae-Sung; Kim, Seong-Gu; Kwon, Hyeok-Jung; Kim, Han-Sung; Song, Young-Gi; Seol, Kyung-Tae; Cho, Yong-Sub [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Gyeongju (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

In this paper, the DDS module in the FPGA simulated and the analysis result will be introduced. Using Xilinx ISE design suite which is tool for developing the FPGA logic module, DDS module simulated. KOMAC (Korea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex) has a plan to develop the helium irradiation system. This system includes the Ion source, LEBT, RFQ, MEBT systems to transport helium particles to the target. Especially, the RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) system should receive the 200 MHz RF within 1% amplitude error stability. For supplying stable 200 MHz RF to the RFQ, the LLRF (low-level radio frequency) should be controlled by control system. This helium RFQ LLRF control system have a concept to track the cavity resonance frequency. For tracking the cavity resonance frequency, the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) in the digital board will tune the frequency of the output sinusoidal signal. In order to implement this frequency tracking concept, the DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) module should be implemented in the FPGA. In the future, frequency tracking system will be tested using test cavity.

Thermal and flow design of helium-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melese, G.; Katz, R.

1984-01-01

This book continues the American Nuclear Society's series of monographs on nuclear science and technology. Chapters of the book include information on the first-generation gas-cooled reactors; HTGR reactor developments; reactor core heat transfer; mechanical problems related to the primary coolant circuit; HTGR design bases; core thermal design; gas turbines; process heat HTGR reactors; GCFR reactor thermal hydraulics; and gas cooling of fusion reactors

Cooling Tower Overhaul of Secondary Cooling System in HANARO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Young Chul; Lee, Young Sub; Jung, Hoan Sung; Lim, In Chul [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2007-07-01

HANARO, an open-tank-in-pool type research reactor of 30 MWth power in Korea, has been operating normally since its initial criticality in February, 1995. For the last about ten years, A cooling tower of a secondary cooling system has been operated normally in HANARO. Last year, the cooling tower has been overhauled for preservative maintenance including fills, eliminators, wood support, water distribution system, motors, driving shafts, gear reducers, basements, blades and etc. This paper describes the results of the overhaul. As results, it is confirmed that the cooling tower maintains a good operability through a filed test. And a cooling capability will be tested when a wet bulb temperature is maintained about 28 .deg. C in summer and the reactor is operated with the full power.

Turbine airfoil with ambient cooling system

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Jr, Christian X.; Marra, John J.; Marsh, Jan H.

2016-06-07

A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and having at least one ambient air cooling system is disclosed. At least a portion of the cooling system may include one or more cooling channels configured to receive ambient air at about atmospheric pressure. The ambient air cooling system may have a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of at least 0.5, and in at least one embodiment, may include a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of between about 0.5 and about 3.0. The cooling system may also be configured such that an under root slot chamber in the root is large to minimize supply air velocity. One or more cooling channels of the ambient air cooling system may terminate at an outlet at the tip such that the outlet is aligned with inner surfaces forming the at least one cooling channel in the airfoil to facilitate high mass flow.

Does One Need a 4.5 K Screen in Cryostats of Superconducting Accelerator Devices Operating in Superfluid Helium? Lessons from the LHC

CERN Document Server

Lebrun, Ph; Tavian, L

2014-01-01

Superfluid helium is increasingly used as a coolant for superconducting devices in particle accelerators: the lower temperature enhances the performance of superconductors in high-field magnets and reduces BCS losses in RF acceleration cavities, while the excellent transport properties of superfluid helium can be put to work in efficient distributed cooling systems. The thermodynamic penalty of operating at lower temperature however requires careful management of the heat loads, achieved inter alia through proper design and construction of the cryostats. A recurrent question appears to be that of the need and practical feasibility of an additional screen cooled by normal helium at around 4.5 K surrounding the cold mass at about 2 K, in such cryostats equipped with a standard 80 K screen. We introduce the issue in terms of first principles applied to the configuration of the cryostats, discuss technical constraints and economical limitations, and illustrate the argumentation with examples taken from large proj...

Monitoring Cray Cooling Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, Don E [ORNL; Ezell, Matthew A [ORNL; Becklehimer, Jeff [Cray, Inc.; Donovan, Matthew J [ORNL; Layton, Christopher C [ORNL

2014-01-01

While sites generally have systems in place to monitor the health of Cray computers themselves, often the cooling systems are ignored until a computer failure requires investigation into the source of the failure. The Liebert XDP units used to cool the Cray XE/XK models as well as the Cray proprietary cooling system used for the Cray XC30 models provide data useful for health monitoring. Unfortunately, this valuable information is often available only to custom solutions not accessible by a center-wide monitoring system or is simply ignored entirely. In this paper, methods and tools used to harvest the monitoring data available are discussed, and the implementation needed to integrate the data into a center-wide monitoring system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is provided.

Post-examination of helium-cooled tungsten components exposed to DEMO specific cyclic thermal loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritz, G.; Hirai, T.; Linke, J.; Norajitra, P.; Giniyatulin, R.; Singheiser, L.

2009-01-01

A concept of helium-cooled tungsten finger module was developed for the European DEMO divertor. The concept was realized and tested under DEMO specific cyclic thermal loads up to 10 MW/m 2 . The modules were examined carefully before and after loading by metallography and microstructural analyses. While before loading mainly discrete and shallow cracks were found on the tungsten surface due to the manufacturing process, dense crack networks were observed at the loaded surfaces due to the thermal stress. In addition, cracks occurred in the structural, heat sink part and propagated along the grains orientation of the deformed tungsten material. Facilitated by cracking, the molten brazing metal between the tungsten plasma facing material and the W-La 2 O 3 heat sink, that could not withstand the operational temperatures, infiltrated the tungsten components and, due to capillary forces, even reached the plasma facing surface through the cracks. The formed cavity in the brazed layer reduced the heat conduction and the modules were further damaged due to overheating during the applied heat loads. Based on this detailed characterization and possible improvements of the design and of the manufacturing routes are discussed.

Development of RF non-IQ sampling module for Helium RFQ LLRF system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Hae-Seong; Ahn, Tae-Sung; Kim, Seong-Gu; Kwon, Hyeok-Jung; Kim, Han-Sung; Song, Young-Gi; Seol, Kyung-Tae; Cho, Yong-Sub [KOMAC, Gyeongju (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

KOMAC (Korea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex) has a plan to develop the helium irradiation system. This system includes the Ion source, LEBT, RFQ, MEBT systems to transport helium particles to the target. Especially, the RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) system should receive the 200MHz RF within 1% amplitude error stability. For supplying stable 200MHz RF to the RFQ, the low-level radio frequency (LLRF) should be controlled by control system. The helium RFQ LLRF control system adopted non- IQ sampling method to sample the analog input RF. Sampled input data will be calculated to get the I, Q values. These I, Q values will be used to monitor the amplitude and phase of the RF signal. In this paper, non-IQ sampling logic and amplitude and phase calculating logic of the FPGA will be introduced. Using Xilinx ISE design suite which is tool for developing the FPGA logic module, non-IQ sampling module and amplitude and phase computing module developed. In the future, PI gain module and frequency error computing module will be developed.

Helium turbo-expander with an alternator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiyama, Yoshitane

1980-01-01

Study was made on a helium turbo-expander, the heart of helium refrigerator systems, in order to develop a system which satisfies the required conditions. A helium turbo-expander with externally pressurized helium gas bearings at the temperature of liquid nitrogen and an alternator as a brake have been employed. The essential difference between a helium turbo-expander and a nitrogen turbo-expander was clarified. The gas bearing lubricated with nitrogen at room temperature and the gas bearing lubricated with helium at low temperature were tested. The flow rate of helium in a helium refrigerator for a large superconducting magnet is comparatively small, therefore a helium turbine must be small, but the standard for large turbine design can be applied to such small turbine. Using the alternator as a brake, the turbo-expander was easily controllable electrically. The prototype turbo-expander was made, and the liquefaction test with it and MHD power generation test were carried out. (Kako, I.)

Mechanical design of experimental apparatus for FIREX cryo-target cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Iwamoto, A.; Norimatsu, T.; Nakai, M.; Sakagami, H.; Fujioka, S.; Shiraga, H.; Azechi, H.

2016-05-01

Mechanical design of an experimental apparatus for FIREX cryo-target cooling is described. Gaseous helium (GHe) sealing system at a cryogenic environment is an important issue for laser fusion experiments. The dedicated loading system was designed for a metal gasket. We take U-TIGHTSEAL® (Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kaisha. Ltd.) with an indium plated copper jacket as an example. According to its specification, a linear load of 110 N/m along its circumference is the optimum compression; however a lower load would still maintain helium (He) leak below the required level. Its sealing performance was investigated systematically. Our system demanded 27 N/mm of the load to keep He leak tightness in a cryogenic environment. Once leak tightness was obtained, it could be reduced to 9.5 N/mm.

CFD ANALYSES ON THE COOLING FOR SCQ MAGNETS IN BEPC II UPGRADE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HE, Z.H.; WANG, L.; TANK, H.M.; ZHANG, X.B.; JIA, L.X.

2003-01-01

A pair of superconducting interaction region quadrupole magnets in Beijing Electron-Positron Collider Upgrade (BEPCII) are to be cooled by supercritical helium in order to eliminate the flow instabilities in the constrained cooling channels. The fluid flow is simulated by the commercial computational dynamics fluid software. The heat loads to the superconducting quadrupole (SCQ) magnets from the radiation shields at 80 K and from the thermal conduction of mechanical supports are considered. The temperature distribution of the fluid in the liquid helium cooling channels, and the heat transfer in the SCQ magnet and by its supports are presented. The influence of mass flow rate on pressure drop in the cooling passage is analyzed

Automated recognition of helium speech. Phase I: Investigation of microprocessor based analysis/synthesis system

Science.gov (United States)

Jelinek, H. J.

1986-01-01

This is the Final Report of Electronic Design Associates on its Phase I SBIR project. The purpose of this project is to develop a method for correcting helium speech, as experienced in diver-surface communication. The goal of the Phase I study was to design, prototype, and evaluate a real time helium speech corrector system based upon digital signal processing techniques. The general approach was to develop hardware (an IBM PC board) to digitize helium speech and software (a LAMBDA computer based simulation) to translate the speech. As planned in the study proposal, this initial prototype may now be used to assess expected performance from a self contained real time system which uses an identical algorithm. The Final Report details the work carried out to produce the prototype system. Four major project tasks were: a signal processing scheme for converting helium speech to normal sounding speech was generated. The signal processing scheme was simulated on a general purpose (LAMDA) computer. Actual helium speech was supplied to the simulation and the converted speech was generated. An IBM-PC based 14 bit data Input/Output board was designed and built. A bibliography of references on speech processing was generated.

Modeling the dynamic response of pressures in a distributed helium refrigeration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brubaker, J.C.

1997-12-01

A mathematical model is created of the dynamic response of pressures caused by flow inputs to an existing distributed helium refrigeration system. The dynamic system studied consists of the suction and discharge pressure headers and compressor portions of the refrigeration system used to cool the superconducting magnets of the Tevatron accelerator at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The modeling method involves identifying the system from data recorded during a series of controlled tests, with effort made to detect locational differences in pressure response around the four mile accelerator circumference. A review of the fluid mechanics associated with the system indicates linear time invariant models are suitable for the identification, particularly since the governing equations of one dimensional fluid flow are approximated by linear differential equations. An outline of the experimental design and the data acquisition system are given, followed by a detailed description of the modeling, which utilized the Matlab programming language and associated System Identification Toolbox. Two representations of the system are presented. One, a black box model, provides a multi-input, multi-output description assembled from the results of single input step function testing. This description indicates definite variation in pressure response with distance from the flow input location, and also suggests subtle differences in response with the input location itself. A second system representation is proposed which details the relation between continuous flow changes and pressure response, and provides explanation of a previously unappreciated pressure feedback internal to the system

Modeling the dynamic response of pressures in a distributed helium refrigeration system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brubaker, John Carl [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States)

1997-12-01

A mathematical model is created of the dynamic response of pressures caused by flow inputs to an existing distributed helium refrigeration system. The dynamic system studied consists of the suction and discharge pressure headers and compressor portions of the refrigeration system used to cool the superconducting magnets of the Tevatron accelerator at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The modeling method involves identifying the system from data recorded during a series of controlled tests, with effort made to detect locational differences in pressure response around the four mile accelerator circumference. A review of the fluid mechanics associated with the system indicates linear time invariant models are suitable for the identification, particularly since the governing equations of one dimensional fluid flow are approximated by linear differential equations. An outline of the experimental design and the data acquisition system are given, followed by a detailed description of the modeling, which utilized the Matlab programming language and associated System Identification Toolbox. Two representations of the system are presented. One, a black box model, provides a multi-input, multi-output description assembled from the results of single input step function testing. This description indicates definite variation in pressure response with distance from the flow input location, and also suggests subtle differences in response with the input location itself. A second system representation is proposed which details the relation between continuous flow changes and pressure response, and provides explanation of a previously unappreciated pressure feedback internal to the system.

Numerical analysis of magnetically suspended rotor in HTR-10 helium circulator being dropped into auxiliary bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jingxiong; Yang Guojun; Li Yue; Yu Suyuan

2012-01-01

Active magnetic bearings (AMB) have been selected to support the rotor of primary helium circulator in commercial 10 Mega-Walt High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTR-10). In an AMB system, the auxiliary bearings are necessary to protect the AMB components in case of losing power. This paper performs the impact simulation of Magnetically Suspended Rotor in HTR-10 Helium Circulator being dropped into the auxiliary bearings using the finite element program ABAQUS. The dynamic response and the strain field of auxiliary bearings are analyzed. The results achieved by the numerical analysis are in agreement with the experiment results. Therefore, the feasibility of the design of auxiliary bearing and the possibility of using the AMB system in the HTR are proved. (authors)

Measurement of a Conduction Cooled Nb3Sn Racetrack Coil

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, HS; Kovacs, C.; Rochester, J.; Sumption, MD; Tomsic, M.; Peng, X.; Doll, D.

2017-12-01

Use of superconducting coils for wind turbines and electric aircraft is of interest because of the potential for high power density and weight reduction. Here we test a racetrack coil developed as a proof-of-concept for cryogen-free superconducting motors and generators. The coil was wound with 1209 m of 0.7-mm-diameter insulated tube-type Nb3Sn wire. The coil was epoxy-impregnated, instrumented, covered with numerous layers of aluminized mylar insulation, and inserted vertically into a dewar. The system was cooled to 4.2 K, and a few inches of liquid helium was allowed to collect at the bottom of the dewar but below the coil. The coil was cooled by conduction via copper cooling bars were attached to the coil but also were immersed in the liquid helium at their lower ends. Several current tests were performed on the coil, initially in voltage mode, and one run in current mode. The maximum coil Ic at 4.2 K was 480 A, generating 3.06 T at the surface of the coil. The coil met the design targets with a noticeable margin.

Exergy analysis of helium liquefaction systems based on modified Claude cycle with two-expanders

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Rijo Jacob; Ghosh, Parthasarathi; Chowdhury, Kanchan

2011-06-01

Large-scale helium liquefaction systems, being energy-intensive, demand judicious selection of process parameters. An effective tool for design and analysis of thermodynamic cycles for these systems is exergy analysis, which is used to study the behavior of a helium liquefaction system based on modified Claude cycle. Parametric evaluation using process simulator Aspen HYSYS® helps to identify the effects of cycle pressure ratio and expander flow fraction on the exergetic efficiency of the liquefaction cycle. The study computes the distribution of losses at different refrigeration stages of the cycle and helps in selecting optimum cycle pressures, operating temperature levels of expanders and mass flow rates through them. Results from the analysis may help evolving guidelines for designing appropriate thermodynamic cycles for practical helium liquefaction systems.

StructUre and test results of the Tokamak-7 device cryogenic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babaev, I.V.; VolobUev, A.N.; Zhul'kin, V.F.

1982-01-01

A cryogenic system (CS) of the Tokamak-7 (T-7) installation with the longitudinal field superconducting magnetic system (SMS) is described. The CS is designed for cool-down, cryostatic cooling and heating of the T-7 cryogenic objects and consists of a helium system (HS) and a nitrogen cryogenic system (NCS). The HS consists of:a a heliUm delivery system intended for distributing and controlling the helium flows in the SMS; cryogenic helium units; a 1.25 m 3 volume for storing liquid helium; a compressor compartment using piston compressors at the 3 MPa operating pressure and 140 g/s total capacity; gaseous helium storages (3600 m 3 under normal conditions); helium cleaning and drying systems; a gas holder of 20 m 3 operating volume; cryogenic pipelines and pipe fittings. The NCS operates on delivered nitrogen and includes a 120 m 3 liquid nitrogen storage, evaporators and electric heaters producing up to 230 g/s of gaseous nitrogen at 300 K, a separator, cryogenic pipelines and fittings. It is found that the CS has the necessary cold production reserve, ensures reliable operation of the Tokamak-7 device and permits to carry out practically continuous plasma experiments

Superconductivity application technologies. Superconducting quadrupole magnet and cooling system for KEK B factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Kiyosumi; Yamaguchi, Kiyoshi; Sakurabata, Hiroaki; Seido, Masahiro; Matsumoto, Kozo.

1997-01-01

At present in National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (KEK), the construction of B factory is in progress. By colliding 8 GeV electrons and 3.5 GeV positrons, this facility generates large amounts of B mesons and anti-B mesons, and performs the elementary particle experiment of high accuracy. It is the collision type accelerator of asymmetric two-ring type comprising 8 GeV and 3.5 GeV rings. In the field of high energy physics, superconductivity technology has been put to practical use. As the objects of superconductivity technology, there are dipole magnet for bending beam, quadrupole magnet for adjusting beam, large solenoid magnet used for detector and so on. Superconducting magnets which are indispensable for high energy, superconducting wire material suitable to accelerators, and the liquid helium cooling system for maintaining superconducting magnets at 4.4 K are reported. The technologies of metallic conductors and making their coils have advanced rapidly, and also cooling technology has advanced, accordingly, superconductivity technology has reached the stage of practical use perfectly. (K.I.)

Final Technical Report: Vibrational Spectroscopy of Transient Combustion Intermediates Trapped in Helium Nanodroplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douberly, Gary Elliott [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

2017-11-16

The objective of our experimental research program is to isolate and stabilize transient intermediates and products of prototype combustion reactions. This will be accomplished by Helium Nanodroplet Isolation, a novel technique where liquid helium droplets freeze out high energy metastable configurations of a reacting system, permitting infrared spectroscopic characterizations of products and intermediates that result from hydrocarbon radical reactions with molecular oxygen and other small molecules relevant to combustion environments. The low temperature (0.4 K) and rapid cooling associated with He droplets provides a perfectly suited medium to isolate and probe a broad range of molecular radical and carbene systems important to combustion chemistry. The sequential addition of molecular species to He droplets often leads to the stabilization of high-energy, metastable cluster configurations that represent regions of the potential energy surface far from the global minimum. Single and double resonance IR laser spectroscopy techniques, along with Stark and Zeeman capabilities, are being used to probe the structural and dynamical properties of these systems.

Control of helium activity in the fuel reactor channels; Kontrola aktivnosti heliuma u tehnoloskim kanalima

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vidmar, M; Milosevic, M; Hadzic, S [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Reaktor RA, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

1961-02-15

The objective of this task was to study the possibility of detecting a damaged fuel channel, and to introduce automated procedure for continuous control of reactor channels during operation. The existing control systems at the RA reactor (permanent control of heavy water and helium activity, radiation monitoring of heavy water and helium system, measurements of fire damp gas percent) are not sufficient for fast detection of fuel element failures. Since a 'hot' fuel channel cannot be removed from the core because it should be cooled in the core by heavy water circulation, it is not possible to prevent contamination of heavy water by fission products. It is concluded that it is not indispensable to detect the failed fuel element promptly, i.e. that tome is not a critical issue.

Mobile refrigeration system for precool and warm up of superconducting magnets

Science.gov (United States)

Gandla, S. K.; Longsworth, R. C.

2017-12-01

Conservation of helium has become more important in recent years due to global shortages in supply. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) superconducting magnets use approximately 20% of the world’s helium reserves in liquid form to cool down and maintain operating temperatures at 4 K. This paper describes a mobile cryogenic refrigeration system, which has been developed by Sumitomo (SHI) Cryogenics of America, Inc. to conserve helium by shipping MRI magnets warm and cooling them down or servicing them on site at a medical facility. The system can cool a typical magnet from room temperature to below 40K in less than a week. The system consists of four single stage Displex®-type Gifford-McMahon (GM) expanders in a cryostat with heat exchangers integrated on the cold ends that cool the helium gas, which is circulated in a closed-loop system through the magnet by a cryogenic fan. The system is configured with heaters on the heat exchangers to effectively warm up a magnet. The system includes a scroll vacuum pump, which is used to evacuate the helium circuit with or without the magnet and turbo pump to evacuate the cryostat. Vacuum-jacketed transfer lines connect the cryostat to the magnet. The system is designed with its own controller for continuous operation of precool, warm up and evacuation processes with automatic and manual controls. The cryostat, pumps and gas controls are mounted on a dewar cart. One compressor and the system controller are mounted on a compressor and control cart, and the other three compressors are mounted on separate carts.

Emergency core cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Masaki.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To actuate an automatic pressure down system (ADS) and a low pressure emergency core cooling system (ECCS) upon water level reduction of a nuclear reactor other than loss of coolant accidents (LOCA). Constitution: ADS in a BWR type reactor is disposed for reducing the pressure in a reactor container thereby enabling coolant injection from a low pressure ECCS upon LOCA. That is, ADS has been actuated by AND signal for a reactor water level low signal and a dry well pressure high signal. In the present invention, ADS can be actuated further also by AND signal of the reactor water level low signal, the high pressure ECCS and not-operation signal of reactor isolation cooling system. In such an emergency core cooling system thus constituted, ADS operates in the same manner as usual upon LOCA and, further, ADS is operated also upon loss of feedwater accident in the reactor pressure vessel in the case where there is a necessity for actuating the low pressure ECCS, although other high pressure ECCS and reactor isolation cooling system are not operated. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the reliability upon reactor core accident and mitigate the operator burden. (Horiuchi, T.)

Study on cryogenic adsorption capability of trace nitrogen and methane by activated carbon for cooIant helium purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Hua; Wu Zongxin

2014-01-01

A fixed-bed apparatus with dynamic two-route proportional gas mixing system was designed to investigate the cryogenic adsorption behavior of nitrogen and methane on activated carbon for designing the helium purification system of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). With helium as carrier gas and at the impurity partial pressure of tens Pa, experiments were performed at near atmospheric pressure and by dynamic column breakthrough method at -196°C. The breakthrough curves and desorption curves were measured. By analyzing the breakthrough curve, both the equilibrium adsorption capacity and the kinetic adsorption capacity at breakthrough point were determined. Based on mass-transfer zone model, the experimental breakthrough curves were analyzed. (author)

Transportation system of recoil nucleus by helium jet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabral, S.C.; Borges, A.M.; Lemos Junior, O.F.; Auler, L.T.; Silva, A.G. da

1981-01-01

The transportation system of recoil nucleus by helium jet, is studied. It is used a technique aiming to put in the detection area (region of low background) the recoils, produced by nuclear reactions between target and particle beams, those produced with the help of cyclotron CV-28. (E.G.) [pt

Development of control technology for HTTR hydrogen production system with mock-up test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohashi, Hirofumi; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Nishihara, Tetsuo; Takeda, Tetsuaki; Hayashi, Koji; Takada, Shoji; Inagaki, Yoshiyuki

2006-01-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been planning the demonstration test of hydrogen production with the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). In a HTTR hydrogen production system (HTTR-H2), it is required to control a primary helium temperature within an allowable value at a reactor inlet to prevent a reactor scram. A cooling system for a secondary helium with a steam generator (SG) and a radiator is installed at the downstream of a chemical rector in a secondary helium loop in order to mitigate the thermal disturbance caused by the hydrogen production system. Prior to HTTR-H2, the simulation test with a mock-up test facility has been carried out to establish the controllability on the helium temperature using the cooling system against the loss of chemical reaction. It was confirmed that the fluctuations of the helium temperature at chemical reactor outlet, more than 200 K, at the loss of chemical reaction could be successfully mitigated within the target of ±10 K at SG outlet. A dynamic simulation code of the cooling system for HTTR-H2 was verified with the obtained test data

Cooling Performance Analysis of ThePrimary Cooling System ReactorTRIGA-2000Bandung

Science.gov (United States)

Irianto, I. D.; Dibyo, S.; Bakhri, S.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

The conversion of reactor fuel type will affect the heat transfer process resulting from the reactor core to the cooling system. This conversion resulted in changes to the cooling system performance and parameters of operation and design of key components of the reactor coolant system, especially the primary cooling system. The calculation of the operating parameters of the primary cooling system of the reactor TRIGA 2000 Bandung is done using ChemCad Package 6.1.4. The calculation of the operating parameters of the cooling system is based on mass and energy balance in each coolant flow path and unit components. Output calculation is the temperature, pressure and flow rate of the coolant used in the cooling process. The results of a simulation of the performance of the primary cooling system indicate that if the primary cooling system operates with a single pump or coolant mass flow rate of 60 kg/s, it will obtain the reactor inlet and outlet temperature respectively 32.2 °C and 40.2 °C. But if it operates with two pumps with a capacity of 75% or coolant mass flow rate of 90 kg/s, the obtained reactor inlet, and outlet temperature respectively 32.9 °C and 38.2 °C. Both models are qualified as a primary coolant for the primary coolant temperature is still below the permitted limit is 49.0 °C.

Dry and mixed air cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutner, Gidali.

1975-01-01

The various dry air cooling systems now in use or being developed are classified. The main dimensioning parameters are specified and the main systems already built are given with their characteristics. The available data allow dry air cooling to be situated against the other cooling modes and so specify the aim of the research or currently developed works. Some systems at development stages are briefly described. The interest in mixed cooling (assisted draft) and the principal available systems is analyzed. A program of research is outlined [fr

High efficiency nebulization for helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorabchi, Kaveh; McCormick, Ryan; Levine, Jonathan A.; Liu Huiying; Nam, S.-H.; Montaser, Akbar

2006-01-01

A pneumatically-driven, high efficiency nebulizer is explored for helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The aerosol characteristics and analyte transport efficiencies of the high efficiency nebulizer for nebulization with helium are measured and compared to the results obtained with argon. Analytical performance indices of the helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are evaluated in terms of detection limits and precision. The helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection limits obtained with the high efficiency nebulizer at 200 μL/min are higher than those achieved with the ultrasonic nebulizer consuming 2 mL/min solution, however, precision is generally better with high efficiency nebulizer (1-4% vs. 3-8% with ultrasonic nebulizer). Detection limits with the high efficiency nebulizer at 200 μL/min solution uptake rate approach those using ultrasonic nebulizer upon efficient desolvation with a heated spray chamber followed by a Peltier-cooled multipass condenser

Technique to eliminate helium induced weld cracking in stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chin-An Wang; Chin, B.A.

1992-01-01

Experiments have shown that Type 316 stainless steel is susceptible to heat-affected-zone (HAZ) cracking upon cooling when welded using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process under lateral constraint. The cracking has been hypothesized to be caused by stress-assisted helium bubble growth and rupture at grain boundaries. This study utilized an experimental welding setup which enabled different compressive stresses to be applied to the plates during welding. Autogenous GTA welds were produced in Type 316 stainless steel doped with 256 appm helium. The application of a compressive stress, 55 Mpa, during welding suppressed the previously observed catastrophic cracking. Detailed examinations conducted after welding showed a dramatic change in helium bubble morphology. Grain boundary bubble growth along directions parallel to the weld was suppressed. Results suggest that stress-modified welding techniques may be used to suppress or eliminate helium-induced cracking during joining of irradiated materials

Emergency core cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Nobuaki.

1993-01-01

A reactor comprises a static emergency reactor core cooling system having an automatic depressurization system and a gravitationally dropping type water injection system and a container cooling system by an isolation condenser. A depressurization pipeline of the automatic depressurization system connected to a reactor pressure vessel branches in the midway. The branched depressurizing pipelines are extended into an upper dry well and a lower dry well, in which depressurization valves are disposed at the top end portions of the pipelines respectively. If loss-of-coolant accidents should occur, the depressurization valve of the automatic depressurization system is actuated by lowering of water level in the pressure vessel. This causes nitrogen gases in the upper and the lower dry wells to transfer together with discharged steams effectively to a suppression pool passing through a bent tube. Accordingly, the gravitationally dropping type water injection system can be actuated faster. Further, subsequent cooling for the reactor vessel can be ensured sufficiently by the isolation condenser. (I.N.)

Friction and wear studies of graphite and a carbon-carbon composite in air and in helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, C.C.; Sheehan, J.E.

1980-10-01

Sliding friction and wear tests were conducted on a commercial isotropic graphite and a carbon-carbon composite in air, purified helium, and a helium environment containing controlled amounts of impurities simulating the primary coolant chemistry of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The friction and wear characteristics of the materials investigated were stable and were found to be very sensitive to the testing temperature. In general, friction and wear decreased with increasing temperature in the range from ambient to 950 0 C. This temperature dependence is concluded to be due to chemisorption of impurities to form lubricating films and oxidation at higher temperatures, which reduce friction and wear. Graphite and carbon-carbon composites are concluded to be favorable candidate materials for high-temperature sliding service in helium-cooled reactors

Smart Cooling Controlled System Exploiting Photovoltaic Renewable Energy Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Atieh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A smart cooling system to control the ambient temperature of a premise in Amman, Jordan, is investigated and implemented. The premise holds 650 people and has 14 air conditioners with the cooling capacity ranging from 3 to 5 ton refrigerant (TR each. The control of the cooling system includes implementing different electronics circuits that are used to sense the ambient temperature and humidity, count the number of people in the premise and then turn ON/OFF certain air conditioner(s. The data collected by different electronic circuits are fed wirelessly to a microcontroller, which decides which air conditioner will be turned ON/OFF, its location and its desired set cooling temperature. The cooling system is integrated with an on-grid solar photovoltaic energy system to minimize the operational cost of the overall cooling system.

Thirty years of screw compressors for helium; Dreissig Jahre Schraubenkompressoren fuer Helium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wahl, H. [Kaeser Kompressoren GmbH, Coburg (Germany). Technisches Buero/Auftragskonstruktion

2007-07-01

KAESER helium compressors, as well as their other industrial compressors, will be further developed with the intention to improve the availability and reliability of helium liquefaction systems. Further improvement of compressor and control system efficiency will ensure a low and sustainable operating cost. Fast supply of replacement parts with several years of warranty is ensured by a world-wide distribution system and is also worked on continuously. (orig.)

Design of force-cooled conductors for large fusion magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

Conductors cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection are under active consideration for large toroidal fusion magnets. One of the central problems in designing such force cooled conductors is to maintain an adequate stability margin while keeping the pumping power tolerably low. A method has been developed for minimizing the pumping power for fixed stability by optimally choosing the matrix-to-superconductor and the metal-to-helium ratios. Such optimized conductors reduce pumping power requirements for fusion size magnets to acceptable limits. Furthermore, the mass flow and hence pumping losses can be varied through a magnet according to the local magnetic field and magnitude of desired stability margin. Force cooled conductors give flexibility in operation, permitting, for example, higher fields to be obtained than originally intended by lowering the bath temperature or increasing the pumping power or both. This flexibility is only available if the pumping power is low to begin with. Scaling laws for the pumping requirement and stability margin as functions of operating current density, number of strands and such physical parameters as stabilizer resistivity and critical current density, have been proved. Numerical examples will be given for design of conductors intended for use in large toroidal fusion magnet systems.

Design of force-cooled conductors for large fusion magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

Conductors cooled by supercritical helium in forced convection are under active consideration for large toroidal fusion magnets. One of the central problems in designing such force cooled conductors is to maintain an adequate stability margin while keeping the pumping power tolerably low. A method has been developed for minimizing the pumping power for fixed stability by optimally choosing the matrix-to-superconductor and the metal-to-helium ratios. Such optimized conductors reduce pumping power requirements for fusion size magnets to acceptable limits. Furthermore, the mass flow and hence pumping losses can be varied through a magnet according to the local magnetic field and magnitude of desired stability margin. Force cooled conductors give flexibility in operation, permitting, for example, higher fields to be obtained than originally intended by lowering the bath temperature or increasing the pumping power or both. This flexibility is only available if the pumping power is low to begin with. Scaling laws for the pumping requirement and stability margin as functions of operating current density, number of strands and such physical parameters as stabilizer resistivity and critical current density, have been proved. Numerical examples will be given for design of conductors intended for use in large toroidal fusion magnet systems

Thermal-hydraulic calculation and analysis on helium cooled ceramic breeder pebble bed assembly for in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Chunqiu; Xie Jiachun; Liu Xingmin

2013-01-01

In-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment is one of associated domestic research projects in ITER special program. According to the technical requirements of in-pile irradiation experiment of helium cooled ceramic breeder (ceramic) pebble bed assembly in a research reactor, the feasibility of the design for the in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment of ceramic pebble bed assembly was evaluated. By conducting thermal-hydraulic design calculation with different in-pile irradiation channels, locations and structure parameters for ceramic pebble bed assembly, a reasonable design scheme of ceramic pebble bed assembly satisfying the design requirements for in-pile irradiation was obtained. (authors)

RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 modification for transient accident scenario of Test Blanket Modules in ITER involving helium flows into heavy liquid metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freixa, J.; Pérez, M.; Mas de les Valls, E.; Batet, L.; Sandeep, T.; Chaudhari, V.; Reventós, F.

2015-07-01

The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), India, is currently involved in the design and development of its Test Blanket Module (TBM) for testing in ITER (International Thermo nuclear Experimental Reactor). The Indian TBM concept is a Lead-Lithium cooled Ceramic Breeder (LLCB), which utilizes lead-lithium eutectic alloy (LLE) as tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and coolant. The first wall facing the plasma is cooled by helium gas. In preparation of the regulatory safety files of ITER-TBM, a number of off-normal event sequences have been postulated. Thermal hydraulic safety analyses of the TBM system will be carried out with the system code RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 which was initially designed to predict the behavior of light water reactor systems during normal and accidental conditions. In order to analyze some of the postulated off-normal events, there is the need to simulate the mixing of Helium and Lead-Lithium fluids. The Technical University of Catalonia is cooperating with IPR to implement the necessary changes in the code to allow for the mixing of helium and liquid metal. In the present study, the RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4 two-phase flow 6-equations structure has been modified to allow for the mixture of LLE in the liquid phase with dry Helium in the gas phase. Practically obtaining a two-fluid 6-equation model where each fluid is simulated with a set of energy, mass and momentum balance equations. A preliminary flow regime map for LLE and helium flow has been developed on the basis of numerical simulations with the OpenFOAM CFD toolkit. The new code modifications have been verified for vertical and horizontal configurations. (Author)

Use of a temperature-initiated passive cooling system (TIPACS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Conklin, J.; Reich, W.J.

1994-04-01

A new type of passive cooling system has been invented (Forsberg 1993): the Temperature-Initiated Passive Cooling System (TIPACS). The characteristics of the TIPACS potentially match requirements for an improved reactor-cavity-cooling system (RCCS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR). This report is an initial evaluation of the TIPACS for the MHTGR with a Rankines (steam) power conversion cycle. Limited evaluations were made of applying the TIPACS to MHTGRs with reactor pressure vessel temperatures up to 450 C. These temperatures may occur in designs of Brayton cycle (gas turbine) and process heat MHTGRs. The report is structured as follows. Section 2 describes the containment cooling issues associated with the MHTGR and the requirements for such a cooling system. Section 3 describes TIPACS in nonmathematical terms. Section 4 describes TIPACS's heat-removal capabilities. Section 5 analyzes the operation of the temperature-control mechanism that determines under what conditions the TIPACS rejects heat to the environment. Section 6 addresses other design and operational issues. Section 7 identifies uncertainties, and Section 8 provides conclusions. The appendixes provide the detailed data and models used in the analysis

Use of a temperature-initiated passive cooling system (TIPACS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, C.W.; Conklin, J.; Reich, W.J.

1994-04-01

A new type of passive cooling system has been invented (Forsberg 1993): the Temperature-Initiated Passive Cooling System (TIPACS). The characteristics of the TIPACS potentially match requirements for an improved reactor-cavity-cooling system (RCCS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR). This report is an initial evaluation of the TIPACS for the MHTGR with a Rankines (steam) power conversion cycle. Limited evaluations were made of applying the TIPACS to MHTGRs with reactor pressure vessel temperatures up to 450 C. These temperatures may occur in designs of Brayton cycle (gas turbine) and process heat MHTGRs. The report is structured as follows. Section 2 describes the containment cooling issues associated with the MHTGR and the requirements for such a cooling system. Section 3 describes TIPACS in nonmathematical terms. Section 4 describes TIPACS`s heat-removal capabilities. Section 5 analyzes the operation of the temperature-control mechanism that determines under what conditions the TIPACS rejects heat to the environment. Section 6 addresses other design and operational issues. Section 7 identifies uncertainties, and Section 8 provides conclusions. The appendixes provide the detailed data and models used in the analysis.

Developments in power plant cooling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, N.K.

1993-01-01

A number of cooling systems are used in the power plants. The condenser cooling water system is one of the most important cooling systems in the plant. The system comprises a number of equipment. Plants using sea water for cooling are designed for the very high corrosion effects due to sea water. Developments are taking place in the design, materials of construction as well as protection philosophies for the various equipment. Power optimisation of the cycle needs to be done in order to design an economical system. Environmental (Protection) Act places certain limitations on the effluents from the plant. An attempt has been made in this paper to outline the developing trends in the various equipment in the condenser cooling water systems used at the inland as well as coastal locations. (author). 5 refs., 6 refs

Measurements of the purge helium pressure drop across pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou-Sena, Ali, E-mail: ali.abou-sena@kit.edu; Arbeiter, Frederik; Boccaccini, Lorenzo V.; Schlindwein, Georg

2014-10-15

Highlights: • The objective is to measure the purge helium pressure drop across various HCPB-relevant pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles. • The purge helium pressure drop significantly increases with decreasing the pebbles diameter from one run to another. • At the same superficial velocity, the pressure drop is directly proportional to the helium inlet pressure. • The Ergun's equation can successfully model the purge helium pressure drop for the HCPB-relevant pebble beds. • The measured values of the purge helium pressure drop for the lithium orthosilicate pebble bed will support the design of the purge gas system for the HCPB breeder units. - Abstract: The lithium orthosilicate pebble beds of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket are purged by helium to transport the produced tritium to the tritium extraction system. The pressure drop of the purge helium has a direct impact on the required pumping power and is a limiting factor for the purge mass flow. Therefore, the objective of this study is to measure the helium pressure drop across various HCPB-relevant pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles. The pebble bed was formed by packing the pebbles into a stainless steel cylinder (ID = 30 mm and L = 120 mm); then it was integrated into a gas loop that has four variable-speed side-channel compressors to regulate the helium mass flow. The static pressure was measured at two locations (100 mm apart) along the pebble bed and at inlet and outlet of the pebble bed. The results demonstrated that: (i) the pressure drop significantly increases with decreasing the pebbles diameter, (ii) for the same superficial velocity, the pressure drop is directly proportional to the inlet pressure, and (iii) predictions of Ergun's equation agree well with the experimental results. The measured pressure drop for the lithium orthosilicate pebble bed will support the design of the purge gas system for the HCPB.

Gas turbine modular helium reactor in cogeneration; Turbina de gas reactor modular con helio en cogeneracion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leon de los Santos, G. [UNAM, Facultad de Ingenieria, Division de Ingenieria Electrica, Departamento de Sistemas Energeticos, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico, D. F. (Mexico)], e-mail: tesgleon@gmail.com

2009-10-15

This work carries out the thermal evaluation from the conversion of nuclear energy to electric power and process heat, through to implement an outline gas turbine modular helium reactor in cogeneration. Modeling and simulating with software Thermo flex of Thermo flow the performance parameters, based on a nuclear power plant constituted by an helium cooled reactor and helium gas turbine with three compression stages, two of inter cooling and one regeneration stage; more four heat recovery process, generating two pressure levels of overheat vapor, a pressure level of saturated vapor and one of hot water, with energetic characteristics to be able to give supply to a very wide gamma of industrial processes. Obtaining a relationship heat electricity of 0.52 and efficiency of net cogeneration of 54.28%, 70.2 MW net electric, 36.6 MW net thermal with 35% of condensed return to 30 C; for a supplied power by reactor of 196.7 MW; and with conditions in advanced gas turbine of 850 C and 7.06 Mpa, assembly in a shaft, inter cooling and heat recovery in cogeneration. (Author)

Commercial helium reserves, continental rifting and volcanism

Science.gov (United States)

Ballentine, C. J.; Barry, P. H.; Hillegonds, D.; Fontijn, K.; Bluett, J.; Abraham-James, T.; Danabalan, D.; Gluyas, J.; Brennwald, M. S.; Pluess, B.; Seneshens, D.; Sherwood Lollar, B.

2017-12-01

Helium has many industrial applications, but notably provides the unique cooling medium for superconducting magnets in medical MRI scanners and high energy beam lines. In 2013 the global supply chainfailed to meet demand causing significant concern - the `Liquid Helium Crisis' [1]. The 2017 closure of Quatar borders, a major helium supplier, is likely to further disrupt helium supply, and accentuates the urgent need to diversify supply. Helium is found in very few natural gas reservoirs that have focused 4He produced by the dispersed decay (a-particle) of U and Th in the crust. We show here, using the example of the Rukwa section of the Tanzanian East African Rift, how continental rifting and local volcanism provides the combination of processes required to generate helium reserves. The ancient continental crust provides the source of 4He. Rifting and associated magmatism provides the tectonic and thermal mechanism to mobilise deep fluid circulation, focusing flow to the near surface along major basement faults. Helium-rich springs in the Tanzanian Great Rift Valley were first identified in the 1950's[2]. The isotopic compositions and major element chemistry of the gases from springs and seeps are consistent with their release from the crystalline basement during rifting [3]. Within the Rukwa Rift Valley, helium seeps occur in the vicinity of trapping structures that have the potential to store significant reserves of helium [3]. Soil gas surveys over 6 prospective trapping structures (1m depth, n=1486) show helium anomalies in 5 out of the 6 at levels similar to those observed over a known helium-rich gas reservoir at 1200m depth (7% He - Harley Dome, Utah). Detailed macroseep gas compositions collected over two days (n=17) at one site allows us to distinguish shallow gas contributions and shows the deep gas to contain between 8-10% helium, significantly increasing resource estimates based on uncorrected values (1.8-4.2%)[2,3]. The remainder of the deep gas is

Helium dilution refrigerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1973-01-01

A new system of continuous heat exchange for a helium dilution refrigerator is proposed. The 3 He effluent tube is concurrent with the affluent mixed helium tube in a vertical downward direction. Heat exchange efficiency is enhanced by placing in series a number of elements with an enlarged surface area

Cryogenic system for TRISTAN superconducting RF cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosoyama, K.; Hara, K.; Kabe, A.; Kojima, Yuuji; Ogitsu, T.; Sakamoto, Y.; Kawamura, S.; Ishimaru, Y.

1990-01-01

A cryogenic system consisting of a helium refrigerator (4 kW at 4.4 K) and a liquid helium distribution transfer system for TRISTAN 508 MHz 32 x 5-cell superconducting RF cavities was designed and constructed. After the performance test of the cryogenic system, 16 x 5-cell superconducting RF cavities in 8 cryostats were installed in underground TRISTAN electron-positron collider and connected to the helium refrigerator on the ground level through the transfer line (total length about 330 m) and cooled by liquid helium pool boiling in parallel. The cryogenic system and its operation experience are described. (author)

Commissioning of cryogen delivery system for superconducting cyclotron magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, G.; Nandi, C.; Bhattacharyya, T.K.; Chaudhuri, J.; Bhandari, R.K.

2005-01-01

A K-500 superconducting cyclotron is being constructed at VECC Kolkata. The cryogen delivery system distributes liquid helium and liquid nitrogen to the superconducting cyclotron. Liquid helium is required to cool the cyclotron magnet and cryopanels. Liquid nitrogen is used to reduce the capacity of the helium liquefier. This paper describes the system, the current status and the commissioning experiences of cryogen delivery system for cyclotron magnet. (author)

Emergency cooling system for a gas-cooled nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, R.K.; Burylo, P.S.

1975-01-01

The site of the gas-cooled reactor with direct-circuit gas turbine is preferably the sea coast. An emergency cooling system with safety valve and emergency feed-water addition is designed which affects at least a part of the reactor core coolant after leaving the core. The emergency cooling system includes a water emergency cooling circuit with heat exchanger for the core coolant. The safety valve releases water or steam from the emergency coolant circuit when a certain temperature is exceeded; this is, however, replaced by the emergency feed-water. If the gas turbine exhibits a high and low pressure turbine stage, which are flowed through by coolant one behind another, a part of the coolant can be removed in front of each part turbine by two valves and be added to the haet exchanger. (RW/LH) [de

Investigations of combined used of cooling ponds with cooling towers or spraying systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farforovsky, V.B.

1990-01-01

Based on a brief analysis of the methods of investigating cooling ponds, spraying systems and cooling towers, a conclusion is made that the direct modelling of the combined use of cooling systems listed cannot be realized. An approach to scale modelling of cooling ponds is proposed enabling all problems posed by the combined use of coolers to be solved. Emphasized is the importance of a proper choice of a scheme of including a cooler in a general water circulation system of thermal and nuclear power plants. A sequence of selecting a cooling tower of the type and spraying system of the size ensuring the specified temperature regime in a water circulation system is exemplified by the water system of the Ghorasal thermal power plant in Bangladesh

Self-driven cooling loop for a large superconducting magnet in space

Science.gov (United States)

Mord, A. J.; Snyder, H. A.

1992-01-01

Pressurized cooling loops in which superfluid helium circulation is driven by the heat being removed have been previously demonstrated in laboratory tests. A simpler and lighter version which eliminates a heat exchanger by mixing the returning fluid directly with the superfluid helium bath was analyzed. A carefully designed flow restriction must be used to prevent boiling in this low-pressure system. A candidate design for Astromag is shown that can keep the magnet below 2.0 K during magnet charging. This gives a greater margin against accidental quench than approaches that allow the coolant to warm above the lambda point. A detailed analysis of one candidate design is presented.

Impact of cool-down conditions at T_{c} on the superconducting rf cavity quality factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-M. Vogt

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Many next-generation, high-gradient accelerator applications, from energy-recovery linacs to accelerator-driven systems (ADS rely on continuous wave (CW operation for which superconducting radio-frequency (SRF systems are the enabling technology. However, while SRF cavities dissipate little power, they must be cooled by liquid helium and for many CW accelerators the complexity as well as the investment and operating costs of the cryoplant can prove to be prohibitive. We investigated ways to reduce the dynamic losses by improving the residual resistance (R_{res} of niobium cavities. Both the material treatment and the magnetic shielding are known to have an impact. In addition, we found that R_{res} can be reduced significantly when the cool-down conditions during the superconducting phase transition of the niobium are optimized. We believe that not only do the cool-down conditions impact the level to which external magnetic flux is trapped in the cavity but also that thermoelectric currents are generated which in turn create additional flux that can be trapped. Therefore, we investigated the generation of flux and the dynamics of flux trapping and release in a simple model niobium-titanium system that mimics an SRF cavity in its helium tank. We indeed found that thermal gradients along the system during the superconducting transition can generate a thermoelectric current and magnetic flux, which subsequently can be trapped. These effects may explain the observed variation of the cavity’s R_{res} with cool-down conditions.

Does one need a 4.5 K screen in cryostats of superconducting accelerator devices operating in superfluid helium? lessons from the LHL

Science.gov (United States)

Lebrun, Philippe; Parma, Vittorio; Tavian, Laurent

2014-01-01

Superfluid helium is increasingly used as a coolant for superconducting devices in particle accelerators: the lower temperature enhances the performance of superconductors in high-field magnets and reduces BCS losses in RF acceleration cavities, while the excellent transport properties of superfluid helium can be put to work in efficient distributed cooling systems. The thermodynamic penalty of operating at lower temperature however requires careful management of the heat loads, achieved inter alia through proper design and construction of the cryostats. A recurrent question appears to be that of the need and practical feasibility of an additional screen cooled by normal helium at around 4.5 K surrounding the cold mass at about 2 K, in such cryostats equipped with a standard 80 K screen. We introduce the issue in terms of first principles applied to the configuration of the cryostats, discuss technical constraints and economical limitations, and illustrate the argumentation with examples taken from large projects confronted with this issue, i.e. CEBAF, SPL, ESS, LHC, TESLA, European X-FEL, ILC.

Assessment of the integration of a He-cooled divertor system in the power conversion system for the dual-coolant blanket concept (TW2-TRP-PPCS12D8)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norajitra, P.; Kruessmann, R.; Malang, S.; Reimann, G.

2002-12-01

Application of a helium-cooled divertor together with the dual-coolant blanket concept is considered favourable for achieving a high thermal efficiency of the power plant due to its relatively high coolant outlet temperature. A new FZK He-cooled modular divertor concept with integrated pin arrays (HEMP) is introduced. Its main features and function are described in detail. The result of the thermalhydraulic analysis shows that the HEMP divertor concept has the potential of resisting, a heat flow density of at least 10-15 MW/m 2 at a reachable heat transfer coefficient of approx. 60 kW/m 2 K and a reasonable pumping power. Integration of this divertor concept into the power conversion system using a closed Brayton gas turbine system with three-stage compression leads to a net efficiency of the blanket/divertor cycle of about 43%. (orig.)

Numerical simulation of losses along a natural circulation helium loop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knížat, Branislav, E-mail: branislav.knizat@stuba.sk; Urban, František, E-mail: frantisek.urban@stuba.sk; Mlkvik, Marek, E-mail: marek.mlkvik@stuba.sk; Ridzoň, František, E-mail: frantisek.ridzon@stuba.sk; Olšiak, Róbert, E-mail: robert.olsiak@stuba.sk [Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Nám. slobody 17, 812 31 Bratislava, Slovak Republik (Slovakia)

2016-06-30

A natural circulation helium loop appears to be a perspective passive method of a nuclear reactor cooling. When designing this device, it is important to analyze the mechanism of an internal flow. The flow of helium in the loop is set in motion due to a difference of hydrostatic pressures between cold and hot branch. Steady flow at a requested flow rate occurs when the buoyancy force is adjusted to resistances against the flow. Considering the fact that the buoyancy force is proportional to a difference of temperatures in both branches, it is important to estimate the losses correctly in the process of design. The paper deals with the calculation of losses in branches of the natural circulation helium loop by methods of CFD. The results of calculations are an important basis for the hydraulic design of both exchangers (heater and cooler). The analysis was carried out for the existing model of a helium loop of the height 10 m and nominal heat power 250 kW.

Condenser inleakage monitoring system development. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassen, W.R.; Putkey, T.A.; Sawochka, S.G.; Pearl, W.L.; Clouse, M.E.

1982-09-01

An instrument/hardware package for air and condenser cooling water inleakage location employing the helium and freon techniques was designed and fabricated. The package consists of design details for tracer gas distribution hardware, injection plenums, and a sample preconditioner and instrument module. Design of the package was based on an evaluation of helium and freon leak detectors and a survey of utility user's experience with the helium and freon techniques. The applicability of the instrument/hardware package to air and cooling water inleakage location was demonstrated at Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Moss Landing Station. The use of calibrated leaks indicated that cooling water leaks down to 1.5 x 10 -4 gpm (0.56 ml/min) and air leaks down to 0.05 cfm were readily detectable with the helium technique, whereas a 4 x 10 -4 gpm (1.5 ml/min) liquid leak was the readily detectable minimum via the freon technique. The field demonstration and in-house detector testing showed the helium technique to be preferable to the freon technique for inleakage location at PWRs, BWRs, and fossil-fueled systems

R and D programme on generation IV nuclear energy systems: the high temperatures gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carre, F.; Fiorini, G.L.; Billot, P.; Anzieu, P.; Brossard, P.

2005-01-01

The Generation IV Technology Roadmap selected, among others, a sequenced development of advanced high temperature gas cooled reactors as one of the main focus for R and D on future nuclear energy systems. The selection of this research objective originates both from the significance of high temperature and fast neutrons for nuclear energy to meet the needs for a sustainable development for the medium-long term (2020/2030 and beyond), and from the significant common R and D pathway that supports both medium term industrial projects and more advanced versions of gas cooled reactors. The first step of the 'Gas Technology Path' aims to support the development of a modular HTR to meet specific international market needs around 2020. The second step is a Very High Temperature Reactor - VHTR (>950 C) - to efficiently produce hydrogen through thermo-chemical or electro-chemical water splitting or to generate electricity with an efficiency above 50%, among other applications of high temperature nuclear heat. The third step of the Path is a Gas Fast Reactor - GFR - that features a fast-spectrum helium-cooled reactor and closed fuel cycle, with a direct or indirect thermodynamic cycle for electricity production and full recycle of actinides. Hydrogen production is also considered for the GFR. The paper succinctly presents the R and D program currently under definition and partially launched within the Generation IV International Forum on this consistent set of advanced gas cooled nuclear systems. (orig.)

The development of air cooled condensation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bodas, J.

1990-01-01

EGI - Contracting/Engineering has had experience with the development of air cooled condensing systems since the 1950's. There are two accepted types of dry cooling systems,the direct and the indirect ones. Due to the fact that the indirect system has several advantages over the direct one, EGI's purpose was to develop an economic, reliable and efficient type of indirect cooling system, both for industrial and power station applications. Apart from system development, the main components of dry cooling plant have been developed as well. These are: the water-to-air heat exchangers; the direct contact (DC, or jet) condenser; the cooling water circulating pumps and recovery turbines; and the peak cooling/preheating units. As a result of this broad development work which was connected with intensive market activity, EGI has supplied about 50% of the dry cooling plants employed for large power stations all over the world. This means that today the cumulated capacity of power units using Heller type dry cooling systems supplied and contracted by EGI is over 6000 MW

Experimental and numerical thermohydraulic study of a supercritical helium loop in forced convection under pulsed heat loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagier, Benjamin

2014-01-01

Future fusion reactor devices such as ITER or JT-60SA will produce thermonuclear fusion reaction in plasmas at several millions of degrees. The confinement in the center of the chamber is achieved by very intense magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets. These coils have to be cooled down to 4.4 K through a forced flow of supercritical helium. The cyclic behavior of the machines leads to pulsed thermal heat loads which will have to be handled by the refrigerator. The HELIOS experiment built in CEA Grenoble is a scaled down model of the helium distribution system of the tokamak JT-60SA composed of a saturated helium bath and a supercritical helium loop. The thesis work explores HELIOS capabilities for experimental and numerical investigations on three heat load smoothing strategies: the use of the saturated helium bath as an open thermal buffer, the rotation speed variation of the cold circulator and the bypassing of the heated section. The developed model describes well the physical evolutions of the helium loop (pressure, temperature, mass flow) submitted to heat loads observed during experiments. Advanced controls have been tested and validated to improve the stability of the refrigerator and to optimize the refrigeration power. (author) [fr

Mirror hybrid reactor blanket and power conversion system conceptual design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)