The Performance Test Procedure for the Mechanical Sodium Pump installed in STELLA-1

STELLA-1 (Sodium inTegral Effect test Loop for safety simuLation and Assessment) is a large-scale separate effect test facility for demonstrating the thermal-hydraulic performances of major components such as a Sodium-to-Sodium heat exchanger (DHX), Sodium-to-Air heat exchanger (AHX) of the decay heat removal system, and mechanical sodium pump of the primary heat transport system, which are important to ensure the safety of the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). A mechanical sodium pump, the test component, was scaled down to preserve the major thermal-hydraulic phenomena according to the related similarity criteria using the corresponding prototype pump of the 600 MWe demonstration SFR (DSFR). The vertical submersible prototypic pump had a rated flow rate of 17,415 m³/h, a rated pressure head of 62.9 m, and a rated rotational speed of 433 rpm, and the model pump was scaled down while keeping the same specific speed. The model pump had a rated flow rate of 510 m³/h, a rated pressure head of 50.3 m, and a rated rotational speed of 2,140 rpm. The present paper describes the performance test procedures for the mechanical sodium pump installed in STELLA-1