Experimental campaign on the upgraded He-FUS3 facility

An extensive thermal-hydraulic experimental campaign was conducted on He-FUS3 helium loop facility to support the conceptual design of HCLL and HCPB Test Blanket System. The experiments were divided into three distinct phases. The first one was dedicated to the evaluation of the new ATEKO Turbo Circulator (TC) performances, identifying its operating limits in terms of supplied helium mass flow as a function of rotational speed, cold by-pass opening and loop pressure. The outcomes were compared with the manufacturer theoretical performance map and with a RELAP5-3D pre-test computation. In the second phase, experiments were carried out to analyze the facility dynamic response in hot conditions and to characterize its main components (TC, heaters, economizer, cooling system and valves). The wide amount of collected data will serve for the development and validation of a numerical model of the facility at TBS conditions. For the third phase, the tests were designed to investigate He-FUS3 behavior in accidental conditions representative of LOFAs and LOCAs scenarios.