High temperature design of finned-tube sodium-to-air heat exchanger in a sodium test loop

A sodium test loop called ‘SELFA’ (sodium thermal-hydraulic experiment loop for finned-tube sodium-to-air heat exchanger) for simulating thermal hydraulic behavior of the FHX (finned-tube sodium-to-air heat exchanger) unit in a Korean prototype sodium-cooled fast reactor is planned to be constructed at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). In this study, the elevated temperature design for a model FHX and creep–fatigue damage evaluation have been conducted for the model according to the design codes of ASME section III subsection NH and RCC-MRx based on full 3D finite element analyses. Design optimization for the finned-tubes and tube arrangements in the scaled-down FHX has been performed. The materials of the FHX and piping systems are austenitic stainless steel type 316. The design temperature of the SELFA test loop is 600 °C and the design pressure is 1 MPa. The damage evaluation results have shown that no creep–fatigue damage occurs in the present design of the FHX under the intended test conditions.