HETRA experiment for investigation of heat removal from the first wall of helium-cooled-pebble-bed test blanket module

Abstract This paper presents an experimental test section which has been developed at the Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technique in Karlsruhe Institute of Technology for investigations of heat removal from the first wall (FW) of the Helium-Cooled-Pebble-Bed Test Blanket Module (HCPB TBM). The test section named HETRA is attached to HEBLO facility which can provide Helium parameters relevant for HCPB TBM conditions–pressure of 8 MPa and inlet temperature of 300 °C. The purpose of planned investigations is to verify numerically found decrease of heat transfer coefficient due to a pronounced asymmetry of heat loads at the first wall of HCPB TBM. This paper describes how HETRA test section has been built: from its design over fabrication to the assembling. The planned measurements are also explained by presentation of a detailed measuring scheme. Finally, the first results concerning experimental and computational determination of pressure losses in HETRA cooling channel are presented.