Rover testing facilities.
Rover testing facilities of Nuclear Rocket Development Station in Nevada
ROVER PROJECT↗
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Report on Year-4 of Water NSTF Matrix Testing: Facility Maintenance and Accident Testing
Under support from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART), a large-scale test facility has been constructed at Argonne National Laboratory to generate NQA-1 qualified validation data for passive decay heat removal systems in advanced reactors. The Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) reflects key features of a ½ scale, water-based, Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) and is intended to study the behavior, bound performance, and ultimately guide design decisions for passive decay heat removal systems for advanced reactors. In addition to the experimental activities detailed in this report, a supportive computational modeling effort is on-going which has been demonstrated to significantly strengthen the experimental program while also improving accuracy of the computer models. Together these create a mutually beneficial relationship integral to meeting the overall program objective of examining the heat removal performance of the RCCS concept. This report serves as a summary of maintenance and experimental activities during the program’s fourth year of water-based operation. A planned six-month maintenance period began in August 2021, during which major inspections, repairs, cleaning, and installation of new instrumentation and data acquisition hardware were conducted. Most significantly, two heaters that faulted during Year-3 were repaired, allowing the facility to resume use of the full heated section area and full range of available electric power. The remainder of the year consisted of eight months of test operations, during which the facility logged 211 hours of active heating across one bake-out (following the maintenance period) and seven matrix tests; five classifieds as Accepted per NQA-1, one as Trending, and one as Failed. Testing began by performing two repeat cases to confirm expected facility response and behavior during both single- and two-phase flow conditions, ensuring no changes were introduced during the maintenance period that might have altered the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the facility. In continuation of the power parametric series initiated in previous years, a high-power test case was then performed examining heat removal performance at a decay heat load equivalent to 2.4 MWt, full-scale, a level exceeding maximum design targets. Additional testing then introduced various blockage scenarios along the network piping, examining the effects of partial and complete blockages of the flow paths on the system behavior and heat removal performance. A study of static boiling tests directed at understanding the geysering two-phase instability was also conducted. The loop was filled only to the bottom of the tank outlet, creating an open loop configuration that prevents any natural circulation flow from occurring, and the heaters were powered on until the facility reached saturation conditions. Following, a series of quasi-steady-state conditions were introduced by adjusting the inventory level in the adiabatic chimney piping at decreasingly lower elevations above the heated region. A strong correlation of geysering characteristics and loop level was observed, with flow and temperature excursions decreasing in intensity, but increasing in frequency, as the fill were reduced to lower elevations along the chimney piping. Once the level fell very low in the chimney, at points near the top of the heated section, the system reached a stable state of continuous boiling without any occurrence of geysering eruptions. A final significant testing accomplishment this year was successful completion of an “accident scenario” test, whose operating conditions were based on a prototypic decay heat curve provided by Framatome and scaled for the NSTF. This test began by establishing steady-state, single-phase “normal operation” conditions, before simulating an accident trip where the availability of active cooling systems was lost. Loop temperatures gradually increased until reaching saturation and subsequent two-phase boiling flow. Over the course of an extended operational period along the defined decay heat curve, steam boil-off caused gradual but continued depletion of liquid inventory until reaching a critically low level causing flow stagnation and cessation of natural circulation heat removal. At this point, after nearly 72 hours of continuous operation, a cold refill was performed to replenish the system inventory and allow the facility to re-establish closed loop natural circulation flow and return to a safe operational state.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
The status of the SNS external antenna ion source and spare RFQ test facility
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory operates the Spallation Neutron Source, consisting of a H{sup −} ion source, a 1 GeV linac and an accumulator ring. The accumulated <1 μs-long, ∼35 A beam pulses are extracted from the ring at 60 Hz and directed onto a liquid Hg target. Spalled neutrons are directed to ∼20 world class instruments. Currently, the facility operates routinely with ∼1.2 MW of average beam power, which soon will be raised to 1.4 MW. A future upgrade with a second target station calls for raising the power to 2.8 MW. This paper describes the status of two accelerator components expected to play important roles in achieving these goals: a recently acquired RFQ accelerator and the external antenna ion source. Currently, the RFQ is being conditioned in a newly constructed 2.5 MeV Integrated Test Facility (ITF) and the external antenna source is also being tested on a separate test stand. This paper presents the results of experiments and the testing of these systems.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Overview of NASA White Sands Test Facility Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel Testing
This viewgraph presentation examines the White Sands Test Facility testing of Composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV). A COPV is typically a metallic liner overwrapped with a fiber epoxy matrix. There is a weight advantage over the traditional all metal design. The presentation shows pictures of the facilities at White Sands, and then examines some of the testing performed. The tests include fluids compatibility, and Kevlar COPV. Data for the Kevlar tests are given, and an analysis is reviewed. There is also a comparison between Carbon COPVs and the Kevlar COPVs.
Greene, Nathanael↗
A mission profile life test facility
A test facility is being prepared for a 16,000 hour mission profile life test of multiple electric propulsion thrust subsystems. The facility will be capable of simultaneously operating three 2.7 kW, 30 cm mercury ion thrusters and their power processing. The facility will permit conduction of a program of long-term tests to document thruster characteristics as a function of time and operating point to allow prediction of thruster performance for any mission profile. The thruster will be tested in a 7m by 10m vacuum chamber. Each thruster will be installed in a separate lock chamber so that it can be extended into, or extracted from the main chamber without violating the vacuum integrity of the other thruster. The thrusters will exhaust into a 3m by 5m frozen mercury target. The target and an array of cryopanels to collect sputtered target material will be liquid nitrogen chilled. Power processor units will be tested in an adjacent 1.5m by 2m vacuum chamber and will be temperature controlled by simulated heat pipes.
James, E.↗
The ERDA/LeRC photovoltaic systems test facility
A test facility was designed, and built to provide a place where photovoltaic systems may be assembled and electrically configured, to evaluate system performance and characteristics. The facility consists of a solar cell array of an initial 10-kW peak power rating, test hardware for several alternate methods of power conditioning, a variety of loads, an electrical energy storage system, and an instrumentation and data acquisition system.
Forestieri, A. F.↗
Electromagnetic propulsion test facility
A test facility for the exploration of electromagnetic propulsion concept is described. The facility is designed to accommodate electromagnetic rail accelerators of various lengths (1 to 10 meters) and to provide accelerating energies of up to 240 kiloJoules. This accelerating energy is supplied as a current pulse of hundreds of kiloAmps lasting as long as 1 millisecond. The design, installation, and operating characteristics of the pulsed energy system are discussed. The test chamber and its operation at pressures down to 1300 Pascals (10 mm of mercury) are described. Some aspects of safety (interlocking, personnel protection, and operating procedures) are included.
Gooder, S. T.↗
Test flow calibration study of the Langley Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility
The test flow at the exits of two square cross-section contoured nozzles with nominal exit Mach numbers of 4.7 and 6 has been studied as calibration data for the NASA-Langley Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility over simulated flight conditions from Mach 5.5 (at altitudes from 98,600-128,000 ft) to Mach 7 (at altitudes from 108,000-149,000 ft). Nozzle exit contour maps of measured thermodynamic properties, calculated Mach number, and calculated mass flow are used to determine the mass flow approaching the inlets of various scramjet engines. Good agreement is found between experimentally measured facility total mass flow and facility total mass flow determined by integration of the nozzle exit mass flow contours.
Thomas, Scott R.↗
A free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator controls and load interaction test facility
A test facility at LeRC was assembled for evaluating free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator control options, and interaction with various electrical loads. This facility is based on a 'SPIKE' engine/alternator. The engine/alternator, a multi-purpose load system, a digital computer based load and facility control, and a data acquisition system with both steady-periodic and transient capability are described. Preliminary steady-periodic results are included for several operating modes of a digital AC parasitic load control. Preliminary results on the transient response to switching a resistive AC user load are discussed.
Rauch, Jeffrey S.↗
A free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator controls and load interaction test facility
A test facility at LeRC was assembled for evaluating free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator control options, and interaction with various electrical loads. This facility is based on a 'SPIKE' engine/alternator. The engine/alternator, a multi-purpose load system, a digital computer based load and facility control, and a data acquisition system with both steady-periodic and transient capability are described. Preliminary steady-periodic results are included for several operating modes of a digital AC parasitic load control. Preliminary results on the transient response to switching a resistive AC user load are discussed.
Rauch, Jeffrey S.↗
Scaling and design analyses of a scaled-down, high-temperature test facility for experimental investigation of the initial stages of a VHTR air-ingress accident
Not Available
Arcilesi, Jr., David J. (ORCID:0000000245748149)↗
Design of Modular Test Facility for Particle/sCO2 Heat Exchanger Evaluation
Heliogen has designed a 1.3 MW particle and supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) test loop to retire technical and manufacturing risks. The data from this facility will be used to validate near commercial-scale particle heat exchanger modules. The heat exchanger is scaled to capture all features of the full-scale modules. Testing will be conducted with CARBOBEAD HSP 16/30, a larger particle size than other recent testing. The system was designed to ASME codes with the constraint that sCO2 piping and other major components are stainless steels.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Metallography and fuel cladding chemical interaction in fast flux test facility irradiated metallic U-10Zr MFF-3 and MFF-5 fuel pins
Abstract The Mechanistic Fuel Failure (MFF) series of metal fuel irradiations conducted in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) provides an important potential comparison between data generated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II) and that expected in a larger-scale fast reactor. The irradiations were the beginning tests to qualify U-10wt%Zr as a driver fuel for FFTF. The FFTF core, with a 91.4 cm tall fuel column and a chopped cosine neutron flux profile, operated with a peak cladding temperature at the top of the fuel column, but developed peak burnup at the centerline of the core. This places the peak fuel temperature midway between the core center and the top of fuel, lower in the fuel column than in previous EBR-II experiments that had a 32-cm height core. The MFF-3 and MFF-5 qualification assemblies operated in FFTF to >10 at% burnup, and performed very well with no cladding breaches. The MFF-3 assembly operated to 13.8 at% burnup with a peak inner cladding temperature of 643°C, and the MFF-5 assembly operated to 10.1 at% burnup with a peak inner cladding temperature of 651°C. Because of the very high operating temperatures for both the fuel and the cladding, data from the MFF assemblies are most comparable to the data obtained from the EBR-II X447 experiment, which experienced two pin breaches. The X447 breaches were strongly influenced by a large amount of fuel/cladding chemical interaction (FCCI). The MFF pins benefitted from different axial locations of high burnup and peak cladding temperature, which helped to reduce interdiffusion between rare earth fission products and stainless steel cladding. Post-irradiation examination evidence illustrates this advantage. Comparing other performance data of the long MFF pins to prior EBR-II test data, the MFF fuel inside the cladding grew less axially, and the gas release data did not reveal a definitive difference.
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
System overview of the NASA Dryden Integrated Test Facility
The Integrated Test Facility, built at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, provides new real-time test capabilities for emerging research aircraft. An overview of the test facility and the real-time systems developed to operate this unique facility is presented. The facility will reduce flight test risk by minimizing the difference between the flight and ground test environments. This ground test environment is provided by combining real-time flight simulation with the actual aircraft. A brief introduction to the facility is followed by a discussion of the generic capabilities of its real-time systems. The simulation system with flight hardware and the remotely augmented vehicle system is described. An overview of many hardware systems developed for the facility follows. The benefits of applying simulation to hardware-in-the-loop testing on the X-31 Flight Research Program are presented.
Binkley, Robert L.↗
Radiant Heat Test Facility (RHTF): User Test Planning Guide
Test process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the RHTF. The User Test Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non- NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their test engineering personnel in test planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the test process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, test article interfaces, and inputs necessary to define test scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.
DelPapa, Steven↗
A high-Reynolds-number seal test facility: Facility description and preliminary test data
A facility has been developed for testing the leakage and rotordynamic characteristics of interstage-seal configurations for the HPFTP (High Pressure Fuel Turbopump) of the SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine). Axial Reynolds numbers on the order of 400,000 are realized in the test facility by using a Dupont freon fluid called Halon (CBrF3). The kinematic viscosity of Halon is of the same order as the liquid hydrogen used in the HPFTP. Initial testing has focused on the current flight configurations (a three-segment, stepped unit) and a convergent-taper candidate.
Childs, D. W.↗
Antenna Test Facility (ATF): User Test Planning Guide
Test process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the ATF. The User Test Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non-NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their test engineering personnel in test planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the test process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, test article interfaces, and inputs necessary to define test scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.
Lin, Greg↗
Vibration and Acoustic Test Facility (VATF): User Test Planning Guide
Test process, milestones and inputs are unknowns to first-time users of the VATF. The User Test Planning Guide aids in establishing expectations for both NASA and non-NASA facility customers. The potential audience for this guide includes both internal and commercial spaceflight hardware/software developers. It is intended to assist their test engineering personnel in test planning and execution. Material covered includes a roadmap of the test process, roles and responsibilities of facility and user, major milestones, facility capabilities, and inputs required by the facility. Samples of deliverables, test article interfaces, and inputs necessary to define test scope, cost, and schedule are included as an appendix to the guide.
Fantasia, Peter M.↗