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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

fluide caloporteur

English translation:

coolant

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2012-05-10 14:54:07 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
May 7, 2012 13:31
12 yrs ago
3 viewers *
French term

fluide caloporteur

French to English Tech/Engineering Nuclear Eng/Sci Réacteurs à eau pressurisée
Hello,

I am struggling with 'fluide caloporteur' in the following context:

Le combustible constitué d’uranium faiblement enrichi (3 à 5% d’uranium 235) est conditionné en pastilles empilées dans de longs tubes appelés crayons. Le cœur d’un REP de 1 450 MWe en contient 52 800. Dans la cuve, ces crayons baignent dans de l’eau ordinaire servant à la fois de modérateur (ralentisseur de neutrons) et de fluide caloporteur. Pour éviter qu’elle ne bouille, cette eau est mise sous forte pression (environ 155 bars dans un REP français). D’où la dénomination de réacteur à eau pressurisée. Cette eau circule dans le circuit primaire qui reste intégralement dans l’enceinte de confinement, assurant une meilleure sécurité contre les fuites radioactives.


I am stuck between 'heat transfer medium' and ' fluid coolant'

Many thanks in advance
Proposed translations (English)
4 coolant
5 Heat exchanger fluid
3 +1 heat transfer fluid

Discussion

Claire Cox May 7, 2012:
PWRs For a non-technical audience, I think coolant is still going to be most easily understood here, the PWR is after all a pressurized water (cooled) reactor
Tony M May 7, 2012:
@ Meir Not necessarily FR word order: 'fluid coolant' is perfectly OK in EN too, as distinct from, for example 'solid coolant' or 'gaseous coolant'.
chris collister May 7, 2012:
Heat transfer fluid is not wrong. Although much heat transfer is to do with cooling, this is a bit too specific since, for example, heat is transferred from reactive elements at a high temperature to water at a lower temperature for the purposes of generating steam. As for "fluid", this is often a liquid (even a molten metal) but can sometimes be a gas.
meirs May 7, 2012:
heat transfer medium is my choice the other - I would phrase "coolant fluid" (not fluid coolant - this is FR order of words)

Proposed translations

13 mins
Selected

coolant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressurized_water_reactor



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 27 mins (2012-05-07 13:58:50 GMT)
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http://www.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=f...
Note from asker:
This is for a non-technical audience. thanks for pointing this out Claire.
Peer comment(s):
agree Radu DANAILA
5 mins
disagree Tony M : Not really so sure; after all, as Terry confirms, the MAIN function of this fluid is to extract heat from the reactor in order to use it for other purposes; incidentally, in doing so, it cools the reactor too...
11 mins
agree Claire Cox : This is how I would interpret this here too; the asker doesn't say whether this is intended for a technical or non-technical audience, which might help too/especially as the asker clarifies in subsequent questions that this is for a non-technical audience
23 mins
disagree Terry Richards : It's main function is to transfer heat energy to the generators. The cooling function is only secondary in normal operation.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you abfortin, 'coolant' seems to fit best."
+1
25 mins

heat transfer fluid

Not a nuclear expert!

But it seems to me that the use of the FR term is specifically because its primary function is to extract the wanted heat so it can be used for other purposes; the concomitant cooling function, although vital, is after all only incidental.
Peer comment(s):
agree Terry Richards : It's actually used both ways but in normal operation it's function is to extract energy from the core to generate electricity. In shutdown it is used to extract waste heat.
1 hr
Thanks, Terry!
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

Heat exchanger fluid

Namely; "Les échangeurs de chaleur"
Something went wrong...
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