Conceptual Design of Component Test Facility (CTF) for Investigation of FACE Phenomenon in Molten Lead

Abstract

Lead Fast Reactors (LFR’s) are being identified as Gen IV advanced reactor technologies. Despite its significant advantages for its high boiling point, excellent cooling properties and chemical inertness, there are research challenges associated with development of the technology. It includes its opacity, high density, high temperatures and the potential for corrosion/erosion when it contacts with structural steels/components. Hence it is necessary to test the materials/components in molten lead at reactor conditions to investigate the LFR phenomena and to validate the modeling and simulation tools.

This paper focusses on the design of a separate effect facility for testing pump designs/impellers in molten lead at different flow rates at reactor operating conditions. The conceptual design of the facility to operate at different pressure heads has been discussed with numerical analysis. The Component Test Facility [CTF] is a pump facility to test the components like pump impeller and valves for Flow Accelerated Corrosion and Erosion (FACE) at nominal operating conditions in LFR’s. It is a pool type pump system which accommodates integrated flow obstruction and the drain system to achieve the required pressure drop. The baseline concept includes the flow obstruction system using Porous medium to achieve pressure drop and the drain system with Venturi to measure mass flow rates. In this work, computational investigations have been performed using COMSOL Multiphysics to estimate the flow properties and pressure head in the pump with an axisymmetric model for different flow resistances. Simulations are carried out using Turbulence modeling with Free and Porous media flow module. The results were used to calculate the system curve for the pump facility and estimate the flow velocity for different mass flow rates. Also, flexible accommodation of different pump curves to test has been discussed.