Experimental Determination of the Thermal Accommodation Coefficient for Helium on a Stainless Steel Surface Using a Concentric Cylinders Apparatus
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Zampella, Cody S.
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Hadj-Nacer, Mustafa
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
University of Nevada, Reno
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2019
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
78 p.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
M.S.
Body granting the degree
University of Nevada, Reno
Text preceding or following the note
2019
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
Vacuum drying of nuclear fuel canisters may cause the temperature of fuel assemblies to considerably increase due to the effect of gas rarefaction at low pressures. This effect may induce a temperature-jump at the gas-solid interfaces. It is important to predict the temperature-jump at these interfaces to accurately estimate the maximum temperature of the fuel assemblies during vacuum drying. The objective of this work is to set up a concentric cylinder experimental apparatus that can acquire data to benchmark rarefied gas heat transfer simulations and determine the thermal accommodation coefficient at the interface between stainless-steel surfaces and helium gas. The thermal accommodation coefficient is used to characterize the temperature-jump at the interface, and is determined by measuring the temperature difference and heat flux across a 2-mm gap between the concentric cylinders that contains rarefied helium and compare the results to analytical calculations in the slip rarefaction regime.