ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2024
Latest News
New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
J. H. Brindley
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 23 | Number 4 | December 1965 | Pages 313-328
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE65-A21067
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Flat-plate fuel-element surface temperatures in the Organic Moderated Reactor Experiment were monitored by 0.005-in. (0.013-cm)-diam chromel-alumel thermocouple wires, spot-welded to the stainless-steel fuel-plate surface. The thermocouple assembly, being exposed to the coolant stream, is subject to thermal-loading errors; as a result, thermocouple-calibration tests were performed in a forced-convection heat-transfer loop with Santowax O-M flowing over an electrically heated test plate containing typical thermocouple specimens. The tests were conducted under the following simulated reactor conditions: coolant temperatures from 300 to 600°F (149 to 316°C), coolant velocities from 10 to 20 ft/sec (3.1 to 6.1 m/sec), and heat fluxes ranging from 0.50 × 105 to 1.6 × 105 Btu/(h ft2) (15.77 to 50.46 W/cm2). Test results demonstrate that at reactor operating conditions, 600 °F organic coolant flowing at 17.5 ft/sec (5.34 m/sec), the observed fuel-plate surface temperature is 700 °F (371 °C), while, in reality, the actual surface temperature is 750 °F (399 °C). The thermocouple thermal-loading errors were found to be a function of the coolant Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. Heat flux had no effect on the calibration. Excellent agreement was obtained between the experimental and predicted (Dittus-Boelter) heat-transfer coefficients for the organic coolant. Thermocouple-calibration factors for correction of observed surface temperatures over a wide range of operating conditions, are presented as a function of the organic-coolant heat-transfer coefficient on the fuel-plate surface. An electrical-analogue model of a thermocouple assembly on the surface of an OMRE fuel element was constructed to: a) verify experimental results; b) study the effect of a fouling film on surface-temperature measurements; and c) provide an inexpensive means of calibrating surface-attached thermocouples on fuel plates for future use. Prediction of thermal-loading errors associated with this type of surface-temperature measurement by the use of existing mathematical results is discussed. Good agreement was obtained between the electrical-analogue results, the analytical predictions, and the experimental data. Film formation on the fuel plate and the thermocouple wire was observed to reduce the thermocouple-calibration factor by as much as 45%.
