Speaker
Marco Utili
(FSN-ING)
Description
The experimental facility THALLIUM (Test HAmmer in Lead LithIUM) was designed to experimental validate the RELAP5-3D code simulations of the pressure wave propagation in the HCLL TBM due to In-box LOCA. THALLIUM, which reproduces the geometry of the LLE loop of the HCLL TBM, was installed at the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre to support the accidental analysis of this type of test blanket module. Within the framework of F4E-FPA-372, an experimental campaign was carried out in ITER relevant conditions. The experiments simulated a pipe rupture in a cooling plate of the HCLL TBM. The main objective of our campaign was to study the release of high pressure helium in the LLE. Particularly, one of the fundamental phenomena to be observed is the pressure wave trend in the two pipes that reproduce the pipe forest of ITER. Three parameters were varied during the experiments: the set pressure of the rupture disk, the helium injection mass flow rate and the opening pressure of the relief valve. The second objective of this campaign was to validate the system code RELAP5-3D with our data. Furthermore, an additional task was to test new instrumentation and, in particular, pressure meter with acquisition time of 1kHz and a level meter in the expansion tank. In the pipe forest mock-up, the pressure wave displayed three distinct steps of growth and reached the maximum value in about 4 seconds. These three increases were likely caused by the arrival of the incoming wave, the wave reflected by the isolation valve and the He that reaches the measurement point. The results show that the behaviour of the system is strongly influenced by the isolation valve closure and by the opening pressure of the relief valve. The validation of the code on the basis of the experimental results are being carried out.
Co-authors
Alessandro Venturini
(Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 2, 56122 Pisa, Italy, Italy)
Andrea Malavasi
(FSN-ING, ENEA, Camugnano, Italy)
Marco Utili
(FSN-ING, ENEA, Camugnano, Italy)
Mariano Tarantino
(FSN-ING, ENEA, Camugnano, Italy)
Pattrick Calderoni
(TBM&MD Project, Fusion for Energy, EU Commission, Carrer J. Pla, 2, Builiding B3, 08019 Barcelona, Spain)
