The Versatile Test Reactor program (VTR)
The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) aims to design an irradiation facility to provide a broad range of testing capabilities for nuclear fuels and materials.
The proposed reactor will have five potential locations for instrumented assemblies and/or cartridge loops (CL). These CL will have the ability to be cooled using Sodium, Lead, Molten Salt, or Helium
HTGR Upper Plenum Natural Circulation Facility
One major accident of interest in the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors is the Pressurized Conduction Cooldown (PCC) scenario. The PCC scenario results in a loss of forced convection to the core, while the loop stays pressurized since there is no breach in the boundary.
Pebble Bed Test Facility
The Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) concept leverages a particle-based fuel format consisting of discrete spherical graphite pebbles arrayed in a packed bed architecture.
Texas A&M is conducting pressure drop and velocity measurements in the versatile experimental facility of randomly packed spheres at various Reynolds numbers.
Helical Coil Steam Generator Test Loop
The helical coil steam generator is a specific type of Tube and Shell Heat Exchanger known for having a higher heat transfer coefficient than many other designs.
Studies focus on the effect the complex geometry plays on flow properties. The state of the art facilities use refractive index matching Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Laser Doppler Anenometry (LDA), and Hot Film Anenometry, to study the cross-flow behavior of the fluid between bundles.