Development of BNL Heat Transfer Facility 1: flashing experiments

A major area of interest to reactor safety technology is the prediction of actual vapor generation rates under conditions of thermal nonequilibrium as would be encountered during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in a light water reactor. In support of the development of advanced codes dealing with LOCA induced flashing, analytical models of the nonequilibrium vapor generation processes of interest have been formulated, and an experimental facility has been constructed to provide data to verify these models. This facility is known as BNL Heat Transfer Facility. The experimental facility consists of a flow loop, test section and the data acquisition and analysis system. The main portion of the flow loop is constructed from three inch nominal (7.6 cm) stainless steel pipe. High purity water is circulated through the loop using a centrifugal pump rated 1500 l/min at 600 kPa. Very close and stable control of all loop parameters is required since flashing is sensitive to very small changes in such parameters as flow rate, subcooling, and pressure.