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Heat Transfer Project
Zirconium Billet Temperature
by Brent Staleyand Brad Smith
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Background
• Zirconium rods are used to house the fuel pellets in nuclear reactors
• Prior to extrusion, the billets must be lubricated to prevent sticking on the die
• The billets must be heated to a specific temperature for the lubricant to cure properly
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Objective
• Heat a Zirconium billet to a desired temperature in a barrel of water and measure the time
• Calculate time needed to achieve desired temperature and compare with measured time
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Calculations
• Assumptions:– Infinite cylindrical shape assumed– Temp. of the barrel wall equals temp. of the
water– Thermal properties are constant throughout
the billet – Spatial effects were considered– Temp. of the water is constant throughout the
barrel
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Calculations
Free Convection of Concentric Cylinder
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Calculations
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Experimental Setup
Popcorn can - hold the water
Pyrometer – measure the surface temperature of billet
Thermometer – measure temperature of the water
Overhead bridge with block of wood – lower the billet into water
Heat plate – heat water to desired temp.
Stop watch – for obvious reasons
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Experimental results
• Temp. water – 180 F• Starting temp. of billet – 78 F• Final temp. of billet – 166 F• Calculated time from 78 F to 166 F – 228
sec• Measured time – 180 sec• Difference of 48 sec
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Conclusions
• The calculated time was 1.27 times longer than the measured time
• We can attribute this discrepancy to: - End effects of the billet - Interference of the pyrometer with water vapor
- 1st order approximate assumption method is just that – an approximation
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