Heat and mass transfer calculations in heavy liquid metal loops under forced convection flow conditions

The formation of oxide scales on the structural components in a liquid metal system is considered as a viable measure in limiting the dissolution rates in the hot parts. A simple method has been devised to calculate heat and mass transfer in such systems. The method is based on the use of heat and mass transfer coefficients which determine the heat and mass flux from the wall into the fluid. These coefficients depend on characteristic thermo-hydraulic numbers like the Nusselt number and the Sherwood number. This is supplemented by the application of the mass and energy conservation laws to calculate the conditions in the bulk of the fluid. The dissolution and precipitation rates are then coupled to the oxidation kinetics of the structural components in order to calculate the evolution of the oxide scale thickness and the dimensional changes of the channel walls.