Equilibrium Quality and Mass Flux Distributions in an Adiabatic Three-Subchannel Test Section

An experiment was designed to measure the fully developed quality and mass flux distributions in an adiabatic three-subchannel test section. The three subchannels had the geometrical characteristics of the corner, side, and interior subchannels of a boiling water reactor (BWR-5) rod bundle. Data collected with Refrigerant-114 at pressures ranging from 7 to 14 bars, simulating operation with water in the range 55 to 103 bars are reported. The average mass flux and quality in the test section were in the ranges 1300 to 1750 kg/m².s and —0.03 to 0.25, respectively. The data are analyzed and presented in various forms.