Modeling of thermohydraulic transients in a boiling helium natural circulation loop

Boiling helium natural circulation loops are a cooling option for superconducting magnets. Previous studies on the field have provided a thorough understanding of their steady state behavior in all boiling regimes. Recent experimental research has lead to the understanding of their transient behavior. In particular, it highlights the impact of the thermohydraulic evolution of the circuit on the onset of transient boiling crisis, which represents a limitation of the cooling system. Hence, the need of modeling this aspect of these systems. In this work we present modeling options of two-phase helium loops departing from the homogeneous equilibrium two-phase flow model. Reasonable additional assumptions are introduced to obtain a simplified model and the effect of these assumptions is evaluated by comparison with the solution of the non-simplified equations system. These methods are compared to experimental data to analyze their success and limitations.