Experimental study on thermal-hydraulic performance of helically coiled tubes steam generator of lead-bismuth reactor

Abstract

The advantages of the helically coiled tube steam generator lie not only in its high heat transfer efficiency but also in its compact structure, which is initially used in Pb–Bi–SCO₂ reactors, and its main function is to transfer the heat from the lead-bismuth side to the SCO₂ side. In this experiment, two sets of helical heat exchanger tubes are selected as the objects of investigation. Experiments are conducted on the heat transfer performance of a helical tube to study the influence of structural parameters, mass flux, pressure, and heat flux on the heat transfer characteristics during subcooled boiling and post-dryout. Considering the results of the study, new heat transfer characteristic correlations are derived for the subcooled boiling and post-dryout heat transfer regions, which provide data and theoretical support for the engineering application and thermal hydraulic analysis of steam generators.