Some new results on liquid metal measuring techniques and instrumentation


Some new results on liquid metal measuring techniques and instrumentation

Gerbeth, G.; Eckert, S.; Weiss, F.-P.

Liquid metal cooling or liquid metal targets belong to innovative reactor concepts such as the sodium cooled fast breeder reactor or the lead-bismuth target in a transmutation system. The safe and reliable operation of liquid metal systems requires corresponding measuring systems and control units, both for the liquid metal single-phase flow as well as for gas bubble liquid metal two-phase flows. We report on some recent developments in this field. Integral flow rate measurements are an important issue. We describe two new, fully contactless electromagnetic solutions and related test measurements at available sodium and lead loops. One of the sensors is of particular interest since its operation does not depend on the electrical conductivity of the liquid metal, hence it is independent on the melt temperature. A development of the past decade is the local velocity measurement by application of the Ultrasound Doppler Velocimetry (UDV). It provides the velocity profile along the ultrasonic beam, and has the capability to work even through some channel wall. We report on measurements in liquid sodium at 150°C. For higher temperatures, an integrated ultrasonic sensor with an acoustic wave-guide has been developed to overcome the limitation of ultrasonic transducers to temperatures lower than 200°C. This sensor can presently be applied at maximum temperatures up to 1000°C. Stable and robust measurements have been performed in various PbBi flows in our laboratory at FZD as well as at the THESYS loop of the KALLA laboratory of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK). We will present experimental results obtained in a PbBi bubbly flow at 250...300°C. Argon bubbles were injected through a single orifice in a cylindrical container filled with stagnant PbBi. Velocity profiles were measured in the bubble plume. At the THESYS loop of FZK, stable velocity profiles were measured in a round tube of diameter 60 mm during a period of about 72 hours at temperatures between 180°C and 350°C. Further, we report on the development of a contactless magnetic tomography of the mean flow in liquid metals. This method gives the full three-dimensional mean velocity distribution in a liquid metal volume. Results from a laboratory demonstration experiment will be presented. Finally, a heat exchanger design will be presented working with an intermediate liquid metal in order to avoid the possible contact between a hot liquid metal and cooling water. It is installed at FZD at a lead loop where liquid lead of up to 500°C circulates. The room temperature liquid alloy GaInSn is used as intermediate melt, the heat flux is controlled by regulating the height of this melt in a gap separating the flowing lead from the cooling water.

  • Lecture (Conference)
    THIRS Workshop, 14.-16.04.2008, Karlsruhe, Germany

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-11737
Publ.-Id: 11737