A test facility for heat transfer, pressure drop and stability studies under supercritical conditions

Supercritical water (SCW) exhibits excellent heat transfer characteristics and high volumetric expansion coefficient (hence high mass flow rates in natural circulation systems) near pseudo-critical temperature. SCW is being considered as a coolant in some advanced nuclear reactor designs on account of its potential to offer high thermal efficiency, compact size, elimination of steam generator, separator and dryer, making it economically competitive. The elimination of phase change results in elimination of the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) phenomenon. Cooling a reactor at full power with natural instead of forced circulation is generally considered as enhancement of passive safety. In view of this, it is essential to study natural circulation, heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of supercritical fluids. Carbon-dioxide can be considered to be a good simulant of water for natural circulation at supercritical conditions since the density and viscosity variation of carbon-dioxide follows a parallel curve as that of water at supercritical conditions. Hence, a supercritical pressure natural circulation loop (SPNCL) has been set up in Hall-7, BARC to investigate the heat transfer, pressure drop and stability characteristics of supercritical carbon-dioxide under natural circulation conditions. The details of the experimental facility are presented in this report. (author)