High heat flux cooling by liquid metal mist flow impinged upon a high temperature wall

A fundamental investigation of liquid metal mist cooling has been performed experimentally which can be applied to a cooling system in high heat flux components of a magnetically confined fusion reactor. Liquid sodium and argon carrier gas are used in forming liquid metal spray, and experiments are made at sodium temperature of 473 K and normal atmospheric pressure. Heat transfer in forced convection region depends upon only sodium mass flux density on a high temperature wall, that is due to the high thermal conductivity of liquid metal. In the region above sodium saturation temperature, heat transfer is extremely augmented by direct evaporation of sodium droplets and thus heat flux increases up to about 3 MW/m2