Heat Transfer to Supercritical Water Flowing Upward in Single-Rod Bundle

Abstract

Generation-IV Nuclear Power reactors / Plants (NPPs) will have higher thermal efficiencies compared to modern NPPs equipped with light- and heavy-water reactors. Transitioning to SuperCritical Pressures (SCPs) and temperatures in water-cooled reactors is based on the proven thermal-power industry operation for more than 60 years of SCP coal-fired power plants. Before this change can be implemented, a comprehensive understanding of heat transfer at supercritical pressures and temperatures must be achieved.

Experimental data obtained from a vertical single-rod bundle cooled with SuperCritical Water (SCW) have been used to examine SC heat transfer. This dataset was obtained by Dr. V. Razumovskiy1 at the National Technical University of Ukraine, at 22.6 MPa pressure, mass fluxes of 2000 kg/m²s and 2500 kg/m²s, and heat fluxes between 1497–3000 kW/m². The current paper is dedicated to the analysis of these data.