Theoretical and Experimental Study of Single-Needle Thermal Conductivity Probe

The thermal conductivities of materials (k However, due to the vast number of designs and applications of TCPs, sources of errors with using the probes are diverse. As a result, in this thesis, possible sources of errors in TCPs (single needle) were investigated. The sources include probe sizes, heating powers, sampling media, selection of TCP materials, location of the thermocouple, axial heat conduction, thermal contact resistance, initiating time t

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Single-Needle Thermal Conductivity Probe

The thermal conductivities of materials (k However, due to the vast number of designs and applications of TCPs, sources of errors with using the probes are diverse. As a result, in this thesis, possible sources of errors in TCPs (single needle) were investigated. The sources include probe sizes, heating powers, sampling media, selection of TCP materials, location of the thermocouple, axial heat conduction, thermal contact resistance, initiating time t

A MULTIPHYSICS SIMULATION SUITE FOR SODIUM COOLED FAST REACTORS

A simulation suite has been developed to model reactor power distribution and multiphysics feedback effects in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs). This suite is based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) and employs a general, unstructured mesh to solve the Simplified P3 (SP3) neutron transport equations. In the FEM implementation, two-dimensional triangular elements and three-dimensional wedge elements are selected. Wedge elements are selected for their natural description of hexagonal geometry common to fast reactors. Thermal feedback effects within fast reactors are modeled within the simulation suite. A thermal hydraulic model is developed, modeling both axial heat convection and radial heat conduction within fuel assemblies. A thermal expansion model is included and is demonstrated to significantly affect reactivity. This simulation suite has been employed to model the Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR) benchmark, specifically the MET-1000. It has been demonstrated that these models sufficiently describe the multiphysics feedback phenomena and can be used to estimate multiphysics reactivity feedback coefficients.

The influence of some design parameters on the heat transfer in thermal fuel flowmeter

The article analyzes the influence, relationship and value of design parameters of the heat flow meter on its radial and axial heat fluxes in the tube (tube diameter, heater diameter and their ratio, thermal conductivity of the tube material, etc.). It is shown that at the stage of choosing the design parameters of the flowmeter it is necessary to take into account the influence of its radial heat flux on the axial one. The influence of radial heat flux in the flowmeter tube on the error of fuel loss measurement is substantiated. Analytical dependences which allow to define an axial heat stream are resulted, their analysis concerning influence of flowmeter tube constructive parameters on heat transfer is carried out. Measures are planned and recommendations are developed for the choice of design flowmeter parameters, development or use, provided that the influence of radial heat flow on the axial is reduced, which will reduce the total error of fuel consumption measurement. Regarding the choice of design parameters of heat meters while reducing the error of measuring fuel consumption, it is shown that the maximum possible decrease in the diameter of the heater and increase the diameter of the flow tube reduce the impact of radial heat flow on the axial and thus reduce the total fuel consumption error. Numerical ratios of tube diameter to flowmeter heater diameter for different thermal conductivities of tube materials are given under the condition of minimal influence on fuel consumption measurement error. For tube materials with a thermal conductivity 0.16… 0.25 W / (m ∙ K) (ebonite, fluoroplastic F-5, etc.) the tube diameters ratio and the heater should be within 1.51… 1.62, and for materials with more high thermal conductivity (thermal conductivity greater than 14.9 W / (m ∙ K)), this ratio should be equal to 1.99.

The Effect of the Axial Heat Transfer on Space Charge Accumulation Phenomena in HVDC Cables

To date, it has been widespread accepted that the presence of space charge within the dielectric of high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables is one of the most relevant issues that limits the growing diffusion of this technology and its use at higher voltages. One of the reasons that leads to the establishment of space charge within the insulation of cables is the temperature dependence of its conductivity. Many researchers have demonstrated that high temperature drop over the insulation layer can lead to the reversal of the electric field profile. In certain conditions, this can over-stress the insulation during polarity reversal (PR) and transient over voltages (TOV) events accelerating the ageing of the dielectric material. However, the reference standards for the thermal rating of cables are mainly thought for alternating current (AC) cables and do not adequately take into account the effects related to high thermal drops over the insulation. In particular, the difference in temperature between the inner and the outer surfaces of the dielectric can be amplified during load transients or near sections with axially varying external thermal conditions. For the reasons above, this research aims to demonstrate how much the existence of “hot points” in terms of temperature drop can weaken the tightness of an HVDC transmission line. In order to investigate these phenomena, a two-dimensional numerical model has been implemented in time domain. The results obtained for some case studies demonstrate that the maximum electric field within the dielectric of an HVDC cable can be significantly increased in correspondence with variations along the axis of the external heat exchange conditions and/or during load transients. This study can be further developed in order to take into account the combined effect of the described phenomena with other sources of introduction, forming, and accumulation of space charge inside the dielectric layer of HVDC cables.