Hydraulic testing of helium cooled irradiation rigs of the IFMIF High Flux Test Module

Abstract

The hydraulic testing of a single 1:1 irradiation rig inside a mock-up container is part of the validation activities which support the engineering design of the High Flux Test Module. Uniform perfusion of the multiple parallel minichannels of the irradiation rigs by helium gas is of importance to obtain uniform and predictable temperatures. To evaluate the uniform distribution to the different parallel minichannels, the mean velocity profiles of the rectangular jets are measured using hot-wire anemometry. The velocity profiles show a symmetric and constant distribution of the mass flow to the parallel minichannels. The pressure drop in the test section with one of the candidate rig shapes is measured. The pressure drop depends significantly on the entrance pressure level; acceleration resulting from the volumetric expansion of helium gas has to be taken into account in simulations. Measurements with strain gage show the pressure depending deformation of the compartment container without the rig. The results agree well with simulations and approximation calculations.