Abstract
A small forced convection liquid fluoride salt loop is under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to examine the heat transfer behavior of FLiNaK in a heated pebble bed. Loop operation serves several purposes: (1) reestablishing the infrastructure necessary for fluoride salt loop testing, (2) demonstrating a wireless heating technique for simulating pebble type fuel, (3) demonstration of the integration of silicon carbide (SiC) and metallic components into a liquid salt loop, and (4) demonstration of the functionality of distinctive instrumentation required for liquid fluoride salts. Loop operation requires measurement of a broad set of process variables including temperature, flow, pressure, and level. Coolant chemistry measurements (as a corrosion indicator) and component health monitoring are also important for longer-term operation. Two dominating factors in sensor and instrument selection are the high operating temperature of the salt and its chemical environment.
