Abstract
Cellular convection was studied rigorously during the development of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant (CRBRP) Program Pumps. The non-symmetrical effects of cellular convection on thermal stresses, thermal distortions, and pump/foundation interface temperatures were important considerations. This paper presents the development of a three-dimensional finite-element heat transfer model which accounts for the cellular convection phenomena. A buoyancy driven cellular convection flow pattern is introduced in the annulus region between the upper inner structure and the pump tank. Steady-state thermal data were obtained for several test conditions for argon gas pressures up to 93psig (741 kPa) and sodium operating temperatures to 1000°F (811 K). Test temperature distributions on the pump tank and inner structure were correlated with numerical results and excellent agreement was obtained.
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