Development of Centrifugal Pumps for Operation with Liquid Metals and Molten Salts at 1100–1500°F

Sump-type centrifugal pumps ranging in capacity from 2–1500 gpm have been developed in the Reactor Projects Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for circulating liquid metals and molten salts at temperatures up to 1500°F in metallurgical, heat transfer, and reactor experiments. Each of these pumps uses a nearly conventional bearing assembly to support a vertical shaft and an impeller suspended in a tank containing the high-temperature liquid and an inert blanketing gas. Drive motors and lubrication equipment are external to the pump proper. Seven different models of the sump-type pump have been manufactured and about 400,000 hr of operation has been accumulated in the temperature range 1100–1500°F. Problems resolved in the development of these pumps are discussed. Limitations on the use of this type of pump for reactor and nonreactor applications are noted.