Experimental investigation on the interaction characteristics of lead-bismuth liquid metal and water

The energy conversion and utilization of liquid metals is becoming one of the effective ways to solve energy problems. The conversion and transfer of thermal energy from liquid metals to water are significant in advanced nuclear energy and metallurgy. It has been an urgent concern, especially in Generation IV of advanced nuclear energy systems-lead-cooled fast reactors and the ultimate energy source for humanity-fusion engineering. In this paper, a large-scale liquid metal and water interaction test platform was developed to investigate the lead-bismuth liquid metal and water interaction and the cover gas pressurization characteristics. Firstly, the evolution of phase behavior and water/vapor migration paths were inferred based on the transient temperature law. Secondly, the cover gas pressurization patterns above the molten pool were analyzed, and the test data showed three pressurization patterns, including two types of local vapor explosions. Additionally, this paper predicted the existence of another dangerous pressurization mode, i.e., overall vapor explosion. Finally, the cover gas pressurization rate model was established, and there is an appropriate matching between the model and test data with an average relative error of 12.6%. This paper provides an essential reference for profoundly understanding the energy conversion and thermal interactions between liquid metals and water.