Experimental qualification of subassembly design for Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

► Extensive experiments were carried out on PFBR subassemblies for its design qualification. ► Tests include pressure drop measurements, cavitation testing, flow induced vibration testing, hydraulic lifting, etc. ► The results obtained were compared with design specifications. ► The experimental results give confidence to the designers. ► It also assures the safe operation of the subassembly for its entire design life. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) which is under construction at Kalpakkam, India, is a 500 MWe sodium cooled pool type reactor. The core of the PFBR consists of 1758 free standing subassemblies supported on the grid plate. The entire core is divided into 15 different flow zones and the flow rate required through each zone is calculated based on the fission heat generation. The coolant sodium flows from the bottom of the subassembly to top and the design of the subassembly for each flow zone is quite complex. There are 181 fuel subassemblies in PFBR core with 217 fuel pins in each subassembly, vertically held in the form of bundle within a hexagonal wrapper tube. The pins are separated by spacer wires wound around the pins helically. Analytical prediction of subassembly pressure drop, vibration and determination of inception of cavitation for this complex geometry is very difficult. So experiments were conducted extensively to get a more accurate evaluation of the design and for its qualification for the use in PFBR, which is designed for 40 years of operation. Pressure drop and cavitation experiments were carried out in water on full scale (1:1) subassemblies of all flow zones. The overall pressure drop of the subassembly determines the ratings of the pump. Cavitation of the pressure drop devices lead to erosion damage of fuelpins and may also result in reactivity fluctuation due to sodium-void effect. So it is essential to confirm that the subassembly is not cavitating in the operating regime of the reactor. Subassembly can vibrate in cantilever mode due to the turbulence in the flow and can result in reactivity fluctuation, reactor control problem and can even lead to the failure of the fuel pins. So vibration measurements were carried out in water on the maximum rated subassembly. This paper discusses various experiments carried out on PFBR subassembly, the similarity criteria followed, instrumentation, results and conclusion.