MGCR HEAT EXCHANGER TEST PROGRAM

The Maritime Gas-Cooled Reactor (MGCR) project has completed the study and design of a closed-cycle gas turbine propulsion plant utilizing a helium-cooled nuclear reactor as the heat source. The cycle employs a counterflow shell-and-tube regenerator to attain a high thermodynamic cycle efficiency. A heat exchange test program was conducted to compile and correlate sufficient experimental data for the aerodynamic and thermal design of the prototype regenerator. The model heat exchanger was similar in configuration to the prototype unit. The pressure-drop and heat-transfer performance of a compact parallel-flow tube bundle is given both in the unsupported configuration and with airfoil-shaped tube supports distributed along the bundle. The Fanning friction factor with the airfoil-shaped supports is approximately 70% greater than for the unsupported tube configuration. The airfoil supports effect a 40% increase in Colburn's heat transfer factor, j, over the unsupported configuration. Determinations of the unsupported-tube values of friction factor and Colburn-j agreed well with the literature. A section is devoted to the application of these data to the design of exchangers. The correlated data, representing some 1200 individual runs, cover a range of Reynolds number from 10,000 to 500,000. The moderate pressure-drop increment due to the airfoil-shaped supports, in conjunction with the favorable increase in heat-transfer rate, becomes especially important in the design of compact gas to gas heat exchangers with very low friction pressure losses. The concluding section of the report compares the size, weight, and cost of conventional baffled-shell units and the MGCR design for the requirements of the MGCR cycle. The MGCR design was one-fifth the volume, one fourth the weight, and one-third the cost of comparable baffled-shell units. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  General Dynamics

  Quincy, MA  United States  02169
• Authors:
  • Paulsen, H C
• Publication Date: 1961-4

Media Info

• Pagination: 139 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Gas turbines; Nuclear power plants; Propulsion
• Old TRIS Terms: Gas cooled reactors
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00026441
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rpt
• Contract Numbers: AT(04-3)-187
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 4 1973 12:00AM