POSTACCIDENT HEAT REMOVAL .1. HEAT-TRANSFER WITHIN AN INTERNALLY HEATED, NONBOILING LIQUID LAYER

Correlations of experimental data on heat transfer from nonboiling, horizontal fluid layers with internal heat generation have been cast into a form suitable for analysis of postaccident heat removal in fast reactors. Available data on layers with equal boundary temperatures indicate that the downward heat transfer rate can be accounted for by conduction alone, while the upward heat transfer rate is largely controlled by convection. A new correlation is presented that applies to evaluation of upward and downward heat fluxes from an internally heated layer with unequal boundary temperatures. Analysis techniques are illustrated in an example calculation pertaining to layers of molten mixed-oxide fuel.