Adaptation of the nuclear safety code CATHARE3 to supercritical helium flow. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shoala, Sulayman; Hoa, Christine; Ercolani, Eric; Poncet, Jean-Marc; Le Thanh, Kim-Claire; Dupouy, François; Vallcorba, Roser; Lacroix, Benoit; Nicollet, Sylvie
• Is Part Of: Cryogenics. Volume 113(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Fusion -- JT-60SA -- Cable In Conduit Conductors -- Safety valve -- Discharge line; Low temperature engineering -- Periodicals; Low temperature research -- Periodicals; 536.56
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cryogenics.2020.103135
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-2275

Abstract

Highlights: Correlations implemented in CATHARE3 to model helium flow in CICC. CATHARE3 well estimates inter-turn heat conduction in Cable in Conduit Conductors. Benchmark with CATHARE3 and THEA on a CICC with high heat load. Comparison between CATHARE3 and experiment on a supercritical helium discharge line. Non negligible impact of the discharge line on the mass flow through a safety valve. Abstract: Several international projects on nuclear fusion are in progress and comprise cryogenic systems for cooling components such as superconducting magnets. Different thermal-hydraulic codes already exist for sizing and validating these cryogenic devices. However, there is still no qualified scientific calculation tool to perform safety thermal hydraulic analyses encountered in fusion reactors. For this purpose, we have started the adaptation of the CATHARE system code, the reference thermal-hydraulic tool for safety studies of French Pressurised Water Reactors developed by CEA, EDF, Framatome, and IRSN, to model supercritical helium flows. Properties of supercritical helium were already available in CATHARE with the fluid library REFPROP. We implemented suitable correlations for friction factors and heat transfer coefficients to account for specific hydraulic parameters of helium flow in Cable In Conduit Conductors (CICC) that are used in superconducting magnets. Then, we performed first evaluations of the CATHARE code abilities to model thermal-hydraulic transient in cryogenic devices of a tokamak. Two cases of helium flow in a CICC of a JT-60SA toroidal field coil have been studied, and comparisons were performed with experimental data and the THEA code developed by CryoSoft. Simulations focusing on the behaviour of a device protected by a safety valve against incidental pressure increase were also performed. CATHARE results were compared with available experimental data on supercritical helium discharge through the safety valve of a tank in case of failure of the insulating vacuum.