Progress on the Insulated Fuel Channel Experiments for Supercritical Water-cooled Reactors

Abstract

The High Efficiency Channel (HEC) design is being considered as an option for the CANDU Supercritical Water Reactor (SCWR). The current design uses a segmented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to insulate the pressure tube from coolant reaching upwards of 650 degrees C at 25 MPa. This paper presents the experimental facility currently being built to measure thermal conductivity of various insulators under prototypic conditions.