Repeatability of Full Scale 37M Critical Heat Flux Experiments Performed at Stern Laboratories Inc.

Abstract

In 2015, a series of critical heat flux (CHF) experiments was performed in the Stern Laboratories test facility to repeat many of the test conditions performed previously in 2008 and 2011 with the full scale 37M fuel simulation. A total of 117 CHF tests were completed that included three conditions that were repeated daily. The data are self-consistent, repeatable and follow established trends with sub-cooling, flow rate, pressure and diametrical pressure tube creep. A quantitative analysis comparing the CHF values for the 2008, 2011 and 2015 campaigns yields a one-sigma standard deviation of +/- 1.3%, less than the general repeatability acceptance guideline of +/- 2%, confirming that the complete set of data are consistent. This paper presents a summary of the results and comparison study.