ORNL-2106 - the Molten Salt Energy Technologies Web Site

ART OPERATING MANUAL
W. B. Cottrell
An Operations Committee, consisting of repre-
sentatives of the physics, design, control, engi-
neering, construction, and operating groups, was
formed for the purpose of preparing an Operating
Manual for both the ART and the ETU. Thus far,
the efforts of the committee have been directed
toward the preparation of the ART operating pro-
cedures, which, in first rough-draft form, is about
20% complete. Since ffie ETU is to serve as a
proving ground for the ART, the ETU operating
procedures will subsequently be adapted from the
ART operating procedures and will include other
tests which may be desired.
The bases for the operating procedures are the
experimental objectives of the ART, the reactor
design, the reactor characteristics, as determined
from simulator data, and the flow diagrams and
instrumentation lists for the various systems. The
information being used in the formulation of the
procedures is presently available in the form of
design memorandums and data sheets, reports
prepared by staff members, and minutes of design
and Operations Committee meetings.
The manual is to provide detailed procedures,
including check lists, for all operations beginning
bfter the installation of the ART equipment and
terminating with the orderly shutdown of the re-
actor. As presently outlined the manual will in-
clude a check list of equipment and detailed
procedures for cleaning t RT, for loading the
NaK systems, for heatin reactor, for loading
the sodium and fuel sys r shakedown check-
ing the fluid systems, for enriching the fuel, for
wer (10 to 100 w), for operating
at high power, and
und incompatibilities in the
performance of some system components and
limitations in the design of others which would
peration during unscheduled shutdowns.
These difficulties fall into two categories: those
which will require design changes to permit opera-
tion and those which will not require changes but
which will restrict the method of operation. Pro-
1.6. ART, ETU, AND IN-PILE LOOP OPERATION
PERIOD ENDING JUNE 10, 1956
posed design modifications for resolving these
difficulties are currently being evaluated.
IN-PILE LOOP DEVELOPMENT AND TESTS
C. C. Boltal
J. A. Conlin
C. W. Cunningham
D. B. Trauger
Operation of Loop No. 4
w. L. Scott
R. A. Dreisbach’
W. T. Furgerson
D. M. Haines’
In-pile loop No. 4, which was described in the
previous report,2 was cut from the shielding plug,
and the nose end is being sectioned for metallo-
graphic examination. This loop was operated for
a total of 501 hr, including 316 hr at the maximum
design temperature differential of 2OOOF and 80 hr
at lower temperature differences. The high-
temperature point in the loop was maintained at
150OOF throughout the periods of operation with
a temperature differential imposed on the system.
The loop was operated under isothermal conditions
at lower temperatures during the remaining 105 hr,
while the reactor was shut down for refueling and
for other maintenance. The power density in the
loop was 778 w/cm3 during operation with the
maximum temperature differential, as determined
from the heat removal through the heat exchanger
and the total volume of fuel in the nose from the
heat exchanger outlet to inlet.
Functionally, the loop operation was good. The
heater circuits, which had better insulation than
the insulation used for the heater circuits of loops
tested previously, were free of failured The pump
operated smoothly throughout the test, and con-
trols for the heat exchanger and other components
were satisfactory. However, 7 of the 14 nose
thermocouples failed in operation, either by the
junction coming off the pipe or by breakage of one
of the wires (usually the Chrome1 wire). These
failures are now believed to have been caused by
poor installation techniques. Six of the seven
‘On assignment from Pratt 8, Whitnay Aircraft.
*C. C. Bolto et al.. ANP Quar. Prog. Rep. March 10,
1956, ORNL-2061, p 41.
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