ESTIMATION OF MINOR LOSSES IN A NATURAL CIRCULATION HELIUM LOOP

The article deals with steady flow of highly compressed helium in a natural circulation loop. To describe the mechanism of circulation, it is necessary to properly determine the losses which the functionality of the entire facility depends on. The biggest losses in the system are minor losses for the cooler and the heater. This article describes the way of defining minor losses in the elements at non-isothermal flow. The derived equations are used for evaluation of measurement of the cooler's minor loss (DHR), with installed input power of 500 kW, which is a crucial part of the experimental helium loop. The results are compared with calculations published in referenced literature. The process described leads to a derivation of minor loss coefficient of the DHR (i.e. the element with non-isothermal flow). The results obtained are necessary to develop an 1D model of flow in the loop.