ABSTRACT: The molten salt immersion blanket as proposed for the ARC pilot plant has several functions, one of which is to cool the first wall and vacuum vessel components. While the electrical conductivity of the molten salt (Flibe) is much lower than that of liquid metals (an alternative blanket fluid), it is still expected to experience significant magnetohydrodynamic effects in a high magnetic field. The degree to which turbulent heat transfer in the high Prandtl number molten salt will be degraded by the MHD effect is not experimentally known at high fields (Hartmann number in the 100s to 1000s), and is not fully characterized for low fields. A new flow loop at MIT is attempting to validate and extend existing low magnetic field data (up to 2T) and Hartmann numbers in the low 10s using a molten salt simulant fluid. This paper will present initial results.

BIOSKETCH: Caroline Sorensen is a doctoral student at MIT in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She is based at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and her research focuses on better understanding magnetohydrodynamic heat transfer for novel fusion blanket designs with the aim of advancing the commercialization of fusion energy. She previously earned a Master’s Degree from MIT studying combustion at the Sloan Automotive Laboratory.