Pressure drop measurements on supercritical helium cooled cable in conduit conductors

Forced flow cable-in-conduit conductors with large cooled surface areas provide excellent stability margins at the price of high frictional losses and large pumping power requirements. For extensive projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor design cooperation, it is essential to know the pressure drops to be expected from different conductor geometries and operating conditions. To measure these pressure drops a flow loop was constructed to circulate supercritical helium through different conductors. The loop is surrounded by a 5 K radiation shield to allow for stable operation at the required temperatures. A coil heat exchanger immersed in a helium bath is used to remove the heat generated by the pump. Pressure drops are measured across 1 meter lengths of the conductors for various mass flow rates. Friction factor versus Reynolds number plots are used to correlate the data.