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Experimental study on free convection of sodium in a long cylinder

  • Heat and Mass Transfer and Properties of Working Fluids and Materials
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Abstract

The operation experience of sodium fast reactor shows that during design-basis validation of pipelines and equipment it is necessary to take into account the sodium free convection in the enclosures. The paper presents the results of experimental study of free convection of liquid sodium in a long thermo-insulated cylinder with the end heat supply and removal. The sodium-filled cylinder diameter is 168 mm, length is 850 mm. Three experiments for horizontal, inclined (at 45° to a vertical line) and vertical position of the cylinder were compared in detail. The Rayleigh number (based on cylinder diameter) is approximately same for three experiments and is equal to 5 × 106. The structure of large-scale and small-scale flows was analyzed. Nusselt number estimations being the intensity measure of heat transfer in case of free convection were obtained. A relationship between the flow structure and the Nusselt number is revealed.

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Correspondence to I. V. Kolesnichenko.

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Original Russian Text © I.V. Kolesnichenko, A.D. Mamykin, A.M. Pavlinov, V.V. Pakholkov, S.A. Rogozhkin, P.G. Frick, R.I. Khalilov, S.F. Shepelev, 2015, published in Teploenergetika.

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Kolesnichenko, I.V., Mamykin, A.D., Pavlinov, A.M. et al. Experimental study on free convection of sodium in a long cylinder. Therm. Eng. 62, 414–422 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0040601515060026

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0040601515060026

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