Flow-accelerated corrosion and erosion (FACE) phenomena can be crucial for performance of structural elements in heavy liquid metal (HLM) cooled reactor systems. Existing experimental observations indicate that turbulent flow characteristic can affect FACE, but there is no quantitative data that can be used for model development and validation. Main recirculation pump impellers, which operate at high relative velocities and rotational flow conditions can be especially vulnerable to FACE. For comparison, the core internals operate at lower velocities and in axial flow conditions, but at higher temperatures and neutron fluence. Hence, systematic experimental data is needed to improve our knowledge on FACE phenomena. The Separate Effect Test Facility for Flow-Accelerated Corrosion and Erosion (SEFACE) is designed to obtain such experimental data including high relative velocities (up 20 ms−1) and high temperatures (400 to 550 °C) of liquid lead. This article focuses on the hydrodynamic design of SEFACE. The aim of the design is to achieve well defined flow conditions for experiments and ensure safe operation of the facility. First, we examine three design concepts (i.e., forced convection loop, rotating cylinder, and rotating disk) and motivate the choice of the rotating disk approach for SEFACE. Second, we discuss different design options, i.e., a confined rotor–stator test chamber and the unconfined rotating disk configuration. We used Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) calculations to identify and solve the issues stemming from the high rotational speed. These include, for instance, lead free surface deformation, radial pressure buildup, and axial bending forces due to asymmetric test chamber. The CFD-derived torque and power predictions in rotor–stator and rotating disk systems are verified with selected empirical turbulent friction factor correlations or/and DNS calculations. We demonstrate that the developed hydrodynamic design of SEFACE solves identified issues and enables obtaining experimental data under well-defined flow conditions. The findings are deemed to also be applicable to the design of rotating disk-type FACE installations for other liquid mediums.

Long-term material compatibility in heavy liquid metal (HLM) remains a challenge for the successful deployment of HLM-based technologies. Flow-accelerated corrosion and erosion (FACE) phenomena can lead to continual material deterioration, which needs to be considered throughout the reactor design stage. Nonetheless, known experimental data are inadequate to cover all the prototypical flow regimes during LFR's operation. Modelling of the FAC/FACE phenomena remains mostly in lumped parameter/subchannel scales, where the FAC model is coupled to the bulk flow of the pipe or subchannel. These methodologies might produce a sufficient prediction for the core internals; however, this might not be suitable for the pump impeller due to comparatively greater relative velocity and the occurrence of transient flow patterns near the rotating impeller. To establish an understanding of the connection between turbulence and FACE, the liquid lead-based Separate Effect Flow Accelerated Corrosion and Erosion (SEFACE) facility is currently under design at KTH in the framework of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Research In Sweden (SUNRISE) project. SEFACE attempts to investigate FACE phenomena in the liquid lead and produce quantifiable validation data for model development. The paper divides itself into two parts. Part I refers to the study of operational conditions in SEFACE via Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulation, while Part II deals with the recent attempt on modelling time-dependent flow shear on rotating disks based on large eddy simulation (LES). The paper begins with a brief review of prior studies on flow-accelerated corrosion. Following that, the SEFACE facility's design concept is laid out considering several physical and operational constraints. A periodic wedge of the SEFACE test chamber is chosen to examine the facility's time-averaged behaviour. The k-ω shear stress transport (SST) model was employed for the simulations. The torque prediction on the rotating disk system is verified with the empirical frictional factor prediction. The latest hydrodynamic design enables SEFACE to be spun at 1200 revolutions per minute (corresponding to a maximum velocity of 21 m/s) without causing free surface deformation or excessive pressure. SEFACE permits the collecting of experimental data under the effect of various relative velocities in a single experiment round. The second part of the paper focuses on a recent attempt to determine the wall shear stress distribution on a rotating disk using wall-modelled large eddy simulation (WMLES S-Omega). The obtained amplitude and frequency of wall shear stress fluctuations will aid model development in future.