Experimental Study of Steady-State Transverse Heat Transfer in a Single Channel CICC

A new configuration of the THETIS installation for thermal-hydraulic tests of forced-flow superconducting cables, such as, e.g., cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs), has been prepared at West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin. In the present form, THETIS enables pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient measurements in short samples of conductors using water in a wide range of temperature and Reynolds number. We present the new configuration of the installation and demonstrate its capabilities by reporting the results of the first thermal-hydraulic test conducted on a smooth tube with a square cross section and on a reference sample (JT-60SA TF conductor). The results obtained for a smooth tube are in good agreement with predictions of the standard Dittus-Boelter heat transfer correlation, which positively verifies correctness of the applied procedures. The experimental Nu values obtained for the CICC sample remain almost constant in the considered Re range 700-1700, and they are about three times larger than those predicted by the smooth tube correlation.