Team 63

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Bradley Quick
Justin Bendlak
Emerson Willcutts
Quinn Ottilige

Dr. Wilson Chiu

Sponsor

Zachry Nuclear Engineering, Inc.

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Pipe Freezing in Stagnant Lines

Power plants must evaluate their susceptibility to incidents akin to the 2021 Texas power crisis. Frigid temperatures caused water-filled pipes outside the primary process flow (known as dead legs) to freeze, disrupting power generation and leading to widespread outages. This project aims to improve upon last year's setup for testing thermal mixing within a dead leg under freezing conditions. To achieve this, the flow rate of the primary process flow must maintain laminar flow to prevent momentum-induced mixing, a well-understood phenomenon. The ambient air surrounding the dead leg must be chilled to sub-freezing temperatures of at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Two dead legs, measuring 10 feet each, will be utilized in the experiment—one with a 2-inch diameter and the other with a 1-inch diameter. The fluid within the main process flow will be heated to temperatures ranging from 80 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to observe the effects of thermal mixing at different temperature levels. It can be determined when freezing occurs within the dead legs using thermocouples inserted along its length.