A LIQUID-METAL EXPERIMENTAL LOOP FOR MHD PRESSURE-DROP AND COMPATIBILITY STUDIES

A liquid metal experimental loop for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop and compatibility studies has been built up in China recently. It is operating in two phases: phase I, using (Na78K)-Na-22, the loop operates at Room Temperatre (RT) for MHD experiments; phase II, liquid lithium will be employed and the loop operates at elevated temperatures for compatibility experiments. The gap of the electromagnet is 8 cm and the magnetic strength within it, where the MHD test section is installed, is 1.9 T. The maximum values of the Hartmann number M and interaction parameter N for MHD experiments are 7500 and 25000, respectively. The minimum value of the pressure drop which can be reliably measured by the pressure transducer is 3000 Pa, and the maximum flow velocity in the present MHD test section is 0.9 m/s. The operation temperature for compatibility experiments is up to 520-degrees-C and the maximum flow velocity in the compatibility test section is not less than 1.7 m/s.