TY - GEN
T1 - Transient analysis of an experimental mercury flow loop for sns validation
AU - Delauder, Nathan P.
AU - Ruggles, Arthur E.
AU - Riemer, Bernard W.
AU - Burgess, Thomas W.
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - A transient fluid acoustic model is compared with experimental data obtained from induced pump trips in a mercury loop. The facility consists of a stainless steel loop filled with 19,000 kg (21 tons) of mercury that is motivated by a 41 KW (55 hp) centrifugal pump through 37 m of piping in a full transit. At nominal operation, the volumetric flow rate from the pump discharge is 1400 LPM and velocities throughout the loop range from 0.3 to 3 m/s. A computer model of the mercury loop was made using the fluid transient code from Applied Flow Technology Impulse™. Loss of power to the mercury centrifugal pump may lead to fluidhammer, in which a cavity formed in low pressure regions created downstream of the pump outlet after the pump power is lost, collapses and gives rise to a pressure pulse. Fluidhammer has been created experimentally through a series of induced trips of the mercury centrifugal pump. Pump speed, volumetric flow rates, and dynamic pressures were gathered during the transient events. This data has provided information about the initialization, magnitude, and propagation of the pressure pulses associated with fluidhammer. The data gathered from these tests is presented and compared to simulation results gained from the computer model. Pressure magnitudes found in trip simulations at normal operating conditions nearly match those found in experiments, and other trends of the time traces show reasonable agreement.
AB - A transient fluid acoustic model is compared with experimental data obtained from induced pump trips in a mercury loop. The facility consists of a stainless steel loop filled with 19,000 kg (21 tons) of mercury that is motivated by a 41 KW (55 hp) centrifugal pump through 37 m of piping in a full transit. At nominal operation, the volumetric flow rate from the pump discharge is 1400 LPM and velocities throughout the loop range from 0.3 to 3 m/s. A computer model of the mercury loop was made using the fluid transient code from Applied Flow Technology Impulse™. Loss of power to the mercury centrifugal pump may lead to fluidhammer, in which a cavity formed in low pressure regions created downstream of the pump outlet after the pump power is lost, collapses and gives rise to a pressure pulse. Fluidhammer has been created experimentally through a series of induced trips of the mercury centrifugal pump. Pump speed, volumetric flow rates, and dynamic pressures were gathered during the transient events. This data has provided information about the initialization, magnitude, and propagation of the pressure pulses associated with fluidhammer. The data gathered from these tests is presented and compared to simulation results gained from the computer model. Pressure magnitudes found in trip simulations at normal operating conditions nearly match those found in experiments, and other trends of the time traces show reasonable agreement.
KW - Fluidhammer
KW - Liquid mercury
KW - Method of characteristics
KW - Spallation Neutron Source
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33645979921&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/IMECE2005-82634
DO - 10.1115/IMECE2005-82634
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:33645979921
SN - 0791842193
SN - 9780791842195
T3 - American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fluids Engineering Division (Publication) FED
SP - 685
EP - 692
BT - American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fluids Engineering Division (Publication) FED
T2 - 2005 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2005
Y2 - 5 November 2005 through 11 November 2005
ER -