Four foot septifoil cooling experiment unrestricted inlet/outlet case

The ability to predict the behavior of reactor components to varying coolant flow scenarios constitutes a necessary skill for assessing reactor safety. One tool for performing these calculations is the Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRAC). In order to benchmark the code, the Safety Analysis Group of SRL requested the Equipment Engineering Section (EES) of SRL to conduct a series of experiments to provide measurements of cooling parameters in a well defined physical system utilizing SRS reactor components. The configuration selected consisted of a short length of septifoil with both top and bottom fittings containing five simulated control rods in an {open_quotes}unseated{close_quotes} configuration. Varying power levels were to be supplied to the rods with 3.5 kilowatts per foot the value targeted for modelling during the computer runs. The septifoil segment was to be operated with no forced flow in order to evaluate thermal-hydraulic cooling. Parameters to be measured for comparison with code predictions were basic cooling phenomena, incidence of film boiling, water flow rate, pressure rise, and ratio of heat transfer through the wall of the assembly vs. heat transfer to axial water flow through the assembly. This report documents testing done with unimpeded flow into and out of the septifoilmore » in order to assess basic cooling phenomena, incidence of film boiling and pressure rise. Previous tests have evaluated water flow rate and the ratio of axial to azimuthal heat transfer.« less