Influence of channel shape and hydraulic diameter in reflood heat transfer

The reflooding behavior of channels having small hydraulic diameters and various shapes is of interest in relation to advanced LWRs having tight lattices. Experiments were conducted at EIR using two test sections having identical hydraulic diameters of 4.8 mm and mass per unit length, but different flow area shapes. The first section was a circular tube, while the second had the shape of a peanut. The quench front (QF) velocity, μ/sub g/, depends on reflooding velocity μ/sub in/, wall temperature ahead of the QF, equilibrium quality near the QF X/sub eq/, pressure p, etc. The multiplicity of parameters makes systematic comparisons possible only through the use of an analytical axial-conduction rewetting mode