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What is Pressure Loss Coefficient – PLC – Definition

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Engineers also use the pressure loss coefficient, PLC. This coefficient characterizes pressure loss of a certain hydraulic system or of a part of a hydraulic system. Thermal Engineering

Minor Head Loss – Local Losses

In industry any pipe system contains different technological elements as bends, fittings, valves or heated channels. These additional components add to the overall head loss of the system. Such losses are generally termed minor losses, although they often account for a major portion of the head loss. For relatively short pipe systems, with a relatively large number of bends and fittings, minor losses can easily exceed major losses (especially with a partially closed valve that can cause a greater pressure loss than a long pipe, in fact when a valve is closed or nearly closed, the minor loss is infinite).

The minor losses are commonly measured experimentally. The data, especially for valves, are somewhat dependent upon the particular manufacturer’s design.

Like pipe friction, the minor losses are roughly proportional to the square of the flow rate and therefore they can be easy integrated into the Darcy-Weisbach equation. K is the sum of all of the loss coefficients in the length of pipe, each contributing to the overall head loss.minor head loss - equation

There are several methods how to calculate head loss from fittings, bends and elbows. In the following section these methods are summarized in the order from the simplest to the most sophisticated.

Pressure Loss Coefficient – PLC

Sometimes, engineers use the pressure loss coefficient, PLC. It is noted K or ξ  (pronounced “xi”). This coefficient characterizes pressure loss of a certain hydraulic system or of a part of a hydraulic system. It can be easily measured in hydraulic loops. The pressure loss coefficient can be defined or measured for both straight pipes and especially for local (minor) losses.

PLC - Pressure loss coefficient - equations

Summary:

  • Head loss of hydraulic system is divided into two main categories:
  • A special form of Darcy’s equation can be used to calculate minor losses.
  • The minor losses are roughly proportional to the square of the flow rate and therefore they can be easy integrated into the Darcy-Weisbach equation through resistance coefficient K.
  • As a local pressure loss fluid acceleration in a heated channel can be also considered.

There are following methods:

Why the head loss is very important?

As can be seen from the picture, the head loss is forms key characteristic of any hydraulic system. In systems, in which some certain flowrate must be maintained (e.g. to provide sufficient cooling or heat transfer from a reactor core), the equilibrium of the head loss and the head added by a pump determines the flowrate through the system.

Q-H characteristic diagram of centrifugal pump and of pipeline
Q-H characteristic diagram of centrifugal pump and of pipeline
Example - pressure loss coefficient

Pressure Drop – Fuel Assembly

In general, total fuel assembly pressure drop is formed by fuel bundle frictional drop (dependent on relative roughness of fuel rods, reynolds number, hydraulic diameter etc.) and other pressure drops of structural elements (top and bottom nozzle, spacing grids or mixing grids).

In general, it is not so simple to calculate pressure drops in fuel assemblies (especially the spacing grids) and it belongs to key know-how of certain fuel manufacturer. Mostly, pressure drops are measured in experimental hydraulic loops, rather than calculated.

Engineers use the pressure loss coefficient, PLC. It is noted K or ξ  (pronounced “xi”). This coefficient characterizes pressure loss of a certain hydraulic system or of a part of a hydraulic system. It can be easily measured in hydraulic loops. The pressure loss coefficient can be defined or measured for both straight pipes and especially for local (minor) losses.

PLC - Pressure loss coefficient - equations

Using data from above mentioned example, the pressure loss coefficient (only frictional from straight pipe) is equal to ξ = fDL/DH = 4.9. But the overall pressure loss coefficient (including spacing grids, top and bottom nozzles etc.) is usually about three times higher. This PLC (ξ = 4.9) causes that the pressure drop is of the order of (using the previous inputs) Δpfriction =  4.9 x 714 x 52/ 2 = 43.7 kPa (without spacing grids, top and bottom nozzles). About three times higher real PLC means about three times higher Δpfuel will be.

The overall reactor pressure loss, Δpreactor, must include:

  • downcomer and reactor bottom
  • lower support plate
  • fuel assembly including spacing grids, top and bottom nozzles and other structural components – Δpfuel
  • upper guide structure assembly

In result the overall reactor pressure loss – Δpreactor is usually of the order of hundreds kPa (let say 300 – 400 kPa) for design parameters.

 
References:
Reactor Physics and Thermal Hydraulics:
  1. J. R. Lamarsh, Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Theory, 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA (1983).
  2. J. R. Lamarsh, A. J. Baratta, Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, 3d ed., Prentice-Hall, 2001, ISBN: 0-201-82498-1.
  3. W. M. Stacey, Nuclear Reactor Physics, John Wiley & Sons, 2001, ISBN: 0- 471-39127-1.
  4. Glasstone, Sesonske. Nuclear Reactor Engineering: Reactor Systems Engineering, Springer; 4th edition, 1994, ISBN: 978-0412985317
  5. Todreas Neil E., Kazimi Mujid S. Nuclear Systems Volume I: Thermal Hydraulic Fundamentals, Second Edition. CRC Press; 2 edition, 2012, ISBN: 978-0415802871
  6. Zohuri B., McDaniel P. Thermodynamics in Nuclear Power Plant Systems. Springer; 2015, ISBN: 978-3-319-13419-2
  7. Moran Michal J., Shapiro Howard N. Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, Fifth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN: 978-0-470-03037-0
  8. Kleinstreuer C. Modern Fluid Dynamics. Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4020-8670-0.
  9. U.S. Department of Energy, THERMODYNAMICS, HEAT TRANSFER, AND FLUID FLOW. DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Volume 1, 2 and 3. June 1992.
  10. White Frank M., Fluid Mechanics, McGraw-Hill Education, 7th edition, February, 2010, ISBN: 978-0077422417

See also:

Minor Losses

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