MHD Effects on Heat Transfer in a Molten Salt Blanket

Heat transfer in closed channel flows of molten salts (MS)s, such as FLiBe or FLiNaBe, has been considered under specific reactor conditions. MHD effects have been accessed for two blanket concepts: self-cooled MS blanket, and dual-coolant MS blanket. The effect of heat transfer degradation due to turbulence reduction by a magnetic field in the First Wall channels of the self-cooled blanket was analyzed with the K- model of turbulence. In the dual-coolant blanket, the MS flow is laminar. A 2-D MHD code was used to calculate the laminar velocity profile first. Then, the temperature field was calculated using a 3-D temperature code. Reasonable interface temperatures below the material limit of 550°C, and low heat escape from the breeder zone have been demonstrated. Model limitations and the ways of their improvement are also discussed.