Construction and initial operation of MHD PbLi facility at UCLA

•New MHD PbLi loop has been constructed and tested at UCLA.•Pressure diagnostics system has been developed and successfully tested.•Ultrasound Doppler velocimeter is tested as velocity diagnostics.•Experiments on pressure drop reduction have been performed.•Experiments on MHD flow in a duct with SiC flow channel insert are underway.

A magnetohydrodynamic flow facility MaPLE (Magnetohydrodynamic PbLi Experiment) that utilizes molten eutectic alloy lead–lithium (PbLi) as working fluid has been constructed and tested at University of California, Los Angeles. The loop operation parameters are: maximum magnetic field 1.8 T, PbLi temperature up to 350 °C, maximum PbLi flow rate with/without a magnetic field 15/50 l/min, maximum pressure head 0.15 MPa. The paper describes the loop itself and its major components, basic operation procedures, experience of handling PbLi, initial loop testing, flow diagnostics and current and near-future experiments. The obtained test results of the loop and its components have demonstrated that the new facility is fully functioning and ready for experimental studies of magnetohydrodynamic, heat and mass transfer phenomena in PbLi flows and also can be used in mock up testing in conditions relevant to fusion applications.