Implementation of fiber optic temperature sensors in quenching heat transfer analysis

•Optical fiber sensors were used to measure temperature during quenching experiments at atmospheric pressure.•2D Inverse heat transfer was used to analyze the effects of surface roughness, cladding material, and, subcooling.•A significant axial conduction effect was observed using optical fibers.•Qu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied thermal engineering 2021-08, Vol.195, p.117257, Article 117257
Main Authors: Hurley, Paul, Duarte, Juliana Pacheco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cladding
Conduction heating
Conductive heat transfer
Experimentation
Fiber optics
Film boiling
Heat transfer
Light water reactors
Nuclear fuel elements
Nuclear fuels
Nuclear reactors
Nuclear safety
Optical fibers
Quenching
Sensors
Simulators
Spatial resolution
Surface properties
Surface roughness
Temperature
Temperature sensors
Thermal hydraulics
Thermocouples
Transient heat transfer
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Summary:•Optical fiber sensors were used to measure temperature during quenching experiments at atmospheric pressure.•2D Inverse heat transfer was used to analyze the effects of surface roughness, cladding material, and, subcooling.•A significant axial conduction effect was observed using optical fibers.•Quenching front propagation from optical fibers is shown. The minimum film boiling temperature (Tmin) is one of the primary factors that influence the efficiency of rewetting of nuclear fuel rods after a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in a light water reactor. In order to properly study the mechanisms behind the transient heat transfer phenomena that occurs during quenching, experimentation must be done using the most high-fidelity, high-resolution instrumentation available. In past experiments, thermocouples have been used to measure the temperature change in fuel rod simulators during quenching. However, these devices do not provide a high enough spatial resolution to obtain a full measurement of the temperature change throughout the rods. In order to study the entire test length during quenching, optical fiber temperature sensors are used and compared to the thermocouples. These fiber sensors have the capability of measuring every 0.65 mm with a similar degree of accuracy to the thermocouple measurements. By utilizing optical fiber sensors, the effects of cladding material, liquid subcooling, and surface roughness on the quenching temperature of fuel rod simulators is studied. In addition, the effect of axial heat conduction of the quenching temperature is also made possible to examine using fiber optic sensors. By better understanding the factors that influence quenching, one can properly study the effect of cladding surface properties on the safety of nuclear reactors.
ISSN:1359-4311
1873-5606
DOI:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.117257