Fusion reactor multi-working-condition full-range hydrogen isotope separation method

Abstract

The invention discloses a fusion reactor multi-working-condition full-range hydrogen isotope separation method, which adopts any mode of series connection and / or parallel connection of a plurality of low-temperature rectification systems, series connection and / or parallel connection of a plurality of low-heat cycle adsorption systems, series connection and / or parallel connection of the low-temperature rectification systems and the heat cycle adsorption systems aiming at multiple working conditions of a fusion reactor. The multiple working conditions of the fusion reactor comprise any one of deuterium and tritium gas separation with the tritium content larger than or equal to 1%, deuterium and tritium gas separation with the trace tritium content and ternary gas hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixed separation. According to the invention, the series connection and parallel connection design of two hydrogen isotope separation processes is adopted, the requirements of treatment of different gases in the fusion reactor and material flow balance during continuous treatment are considered, and the requirement of continuous treatment of hydrogen isotope gases in the fusion reactor is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hydrogen isotope separation technology, and in particular to a method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor. Background Technology

[0002] Fusion reactors use deuterium and tritium as fuel, and their operation inevitably requires the processing of large quantities of hydrogen isotopes. Therefore, an isotope separation system (ISS) is established to separate and recover hydrogen isotopes to maintain stable reactor operation and tritium self-sufficiency. Because hydrogen isotopes have the same electronic configuration and extremely similar physical and chemical properties, achieving efficient and economical separation of hydrogen isotopes remains a significant challenge. Various separation methods for elemental hydrogen isotopes have been developed to address the differences in processing scenarios and the specific materials being processed, including thermal diffusion, chromatography, thermal cycling adsorption, and cryogenic distillation.

[0003] Currently, with the deepening research into fusion energy technology, the application scenarios for the complex and varied separation of hydrogen isotopes are gradually increasing. In the design of fusion reactor isotope separation systems, methods such as thermal diffusion and conventional chromatography are somewhat insufficient for processing large-scale hydrogen isotope gases. Cryogenic distillation systems have a large bottom layer during separation, which is insufficient for small-scale gas processing. Existing processing technologies have certain limitations in handling unburned deuterium-tritium mixtures in fusion reactor ash, removing trace amounts of tritium from large amounts of deuterium, and treating ternary gas mixtures. Therefore, this invention addresses the processing needs of fusion reactors under different operating conditions, providing a complete solution for hydrogen isotope separation under various operating conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to provide a multi-condition, full-range hydrogen isotope separation method for fusion reactors to meet the hydrogen isotope separation and processing requirements under different operating conditions.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the technical solution provided by this invention is as follows: A method for full-range hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions in a fusion reactor, targeting multiple operating conditions of the fusion reactor, employing any one of the following methods: series and / or parallel connection of several cryogenic distillation systems, series and / or parallel connection of several low-temperature cycling adsorption systems, series and / or parallel connection of cryogenic distillation systems and thermal cycling adsorption systems; the multiple operating conditions of the fusion reactor include any one of the following: separation of deuterium-tritium gas with tritium ≥ 1%, separation of deuterium-tritium gas with trace tritium content, and separation of ternary gas hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixture.

[0006] Furthermore, for deuterium-tritium gas separation conditions with tritium content ≥1%, Daily processing volume reaches ≥1m 3The gas to be separated is introduced into multiple cryogenic distillation systems connected in series, and a balancing reactor is set between the cryogenic distillation systems connected in series. Daily processing volume <1 m 3 When the volume is small or there is no need for continuous separation, in the series mode, the gases to be separated are sequentially passed through a series of thermal cycle adsorption systems for separation. When only a single separation is required, a parallel mode is used. The gas to be separated is separated in a single thermal cycle adsorption system to obtain process tail gas and process product gas. The gas retained in the thermal cycle adsorption system is separated again by a smaller-scale thermal cycle adsorption system, reducing the inventory of isotope gases.

[0007] In another specific embodiment, a single-stage or multi-stage cryogenic distillation system is used depending on the purity requirements of the separated product. Specifically, when facing the batch enrichment and separation requirements of hydrogen isotope gas with a low concentration of hundreds of ppm, a single-stage cryogenic distillation system can be used, employing a separation process that combines "quasi-stable distillation" without extracting heavy component product gas with batch distillation to obtain low-concentration hydrogen isotope products and concentrated tritium-containing heavy component product gas. When the daily processing capacity of hydrogen isotope source terms reaches several cubic meters and the source term concentration is stable and continuous, a multi-stage cryogenic distillation separation system can be designed according to the source term and product requirements, and the cryogenic distillation separation system is used in series for separation.

[0008] Furthermore, the deuterium-tritium gas was separated with trace amounts of tritium, specifically, the tritium content was 0.01%-1%. The daily processing volume reached m 3 For deuterium containing trace amounts of tritium, the tritium needs to be removed using a multi-stage series cryogenic distillation system. When the gas is being processed continuously, a quasi-stable cryogenic distillation method is used.

[0009] Specifically, the low-temperature distillation method of quasi-steady distillation involves continuously adding raw materials into the column, continuously removing no product from the bottom of the column, and continuously removing the product from the top of the column. The actual process is a process in which a product gradually accumulates in the bottom of the column. During the product removal process, the feed flow rate, the light component product removal flow rate, and the reboiler heating power are all kept constant.

[0010] Based on the abundance of the inlet feedstock and the required abundance of the product gas, a single-stage or multi-stage cryogenic distillation system is selected for separation.

[0011] Furthermore, for the separation of ternary gas hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixtures, When the hydrogen abundance reaches 90%-99.9% and 0.1%-10% of deuterium and tritium gases are recovered, a single-stage thermal cycle adsorption system is used to separate deuterium and tritium gases. To obtain fuel-grade deuterium and tritium, multiple thermal cycling adsorption systems need to be connected in series.

[0012] Furthermore, if continuous processing is required, a series thermal cycling adsorption system can be used to recover a large amount of deuterium and tritium gas from hydrogen through continuous separation by the thermal cycling adsorption system.

[0013] Furthermore, the daily processing volume is in m 3 For deuterium and tritium mixed gases with tritium abundance in the hundreds of ppm range, a cryogenic distillation system is used for pre-concentration, and the subsequent gas enters a thermal cycling adsorption system for further processing.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. By combining low-temperature distillation and thermal cycling adsorption systems, hydrogen isotope separation is achieved, covering different gas components and different abundance ranges, thus realizing the ability to separate hydrogen isotopes under different operating conditions in fusion reactors.

[0015] 2. The series and parallel design of the two types of hydrogen isotope separation processes takes into account the needs of different gas processing in fusion reactors as well as the material flow balance during continuous processing, thus realizing the need for continuous processing of hydrogen isotope gases in fusion reactors.

[0016] 3. For different application scenarios, suitable hydrogen isotope separation methods are selected and organically combined to achieve efficient hydrogen isotope separation and improve overall processing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a series diagram of a cryogenic distillation system; Figure 2 This is a series diagram of the low-temperature distillation system and the thermal cycling adsorption system; Figure 3 Figures show the series connection of the thermal cycling adsorption system (a) and (b); Figure 4 Diagram of a three-stage series thermal cycling adsorption system for the separation of hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixtures in ternary gases.

[0018] In the picture: 1-First cryogenic distillation system, 2-Second cryogenic distillation system, 3-Third cryogenic distillation system, 4-First thermal cycle adsorption system, 5-First thermal cycle adsorption system, 6-Second thermal cycle adsorption system, 7-Third thermal cycle adsorption system, 8-Fourth thermal cycle adsorption system, 9-First temporary storage tank, 10-Second temporary storage tank, 11-Fifth thermal cycle adsorption system, 12-Sixth thermal cycle adsorption system, 13-Seventh thermal cycle adsorption system, First equilibrium reactor EQ1, Second equilibrium reactor EQ2, Third equilibrium reactor EQ3 Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0021] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0022] The cryogenic distillation system and the thermal cycling adsorption system used in this invention are both existing technologies. The cryogenic distillation system can be used to separate hydrogen isotope gases to obtain ultra-low content low deuterium gas and deuterium-rich gas. The thermal cycling adsorption system is a special chromatographic separation method that utilizes the strong isotope effect of metals to form a stable concentration gradient distribution in the separation column through multiple adsorption and desorption processes, ultimately achieving isotope separation.

[0023] Symbol meanings: Deuterium (D), Tritium (T) Example 1 A multi-condition, full-range hydrogen isotope separation method for fusion reactors, specifically for deuterium-tritium gas separation conditions where tritium ≥ 1% is present: Daily processing volume reaches ≥1m 3 The scale must be large enough to meet the requirement of continuous separation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the original components of the gas to be treated are DT gas. The gas to be separated, with both D and T abundances of 50%, enters the first cryogenic distillation system 1 for separation. Product 1 (T abundance > 90%, D abundance ~10%) is obtained at the bottom of the column. The light component exhaust gas from the upper end of the first cryogenic distillation system 1, together with the exhaust gas from the bottom of the third cryogenic distillation system 3, enters the second cryogenic distillation system 2 for further separation. After separation in the second cryogenic distillation system 2, product 2 (T abundance < 2%, D abundance > 98%) is obtained at the top of the column. The exhaust gas from the bottom of the column returns to the first cryogenic distillation system 1 for further separation. The gas to be separated, D (… 99%)T(1%) enters the third cryogenic distillation system 3 for separation, obtaining product 3 (T abundance 0.2%, the remainder being D). The exhaust gas from the bottom of the third cryogenic distillation system 3 enters the cryogenic distillation system 2 for further separation. Equilibrium reactors are set between the cryogenic distillation systems. Specifically, the first equilibrium reactor EQ1 is connected between the upper ends of the first and second cryogenic distillation systems; the second equilibrium reactor EQ2 is connected between the lower ends of the first and second cryogenic distillation systems; and the third equilibrium reactor EQ3 is connected between the lower ends of the second and third cryogenic distillation systems. Hydrogen isotope gases undergo hydrogen isotope equilibrium reactions in the equilibrium reactors to minimize the content of allotropes.

[0024] Additionally, a first thermal cycling adsorption system is connected after product 1 to achieve lower tritium retention, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0025] Example 2 A multi-condition, full-range hydrogen isotope separation method for fusion reactors, specifically for deuterium-tritium gas separation conditions where tritium ≥ 1% is present: Daily processing volume is less than m 3 When the volume is small, or when there is no need for continuous separation, in series mode, the gases to be separated are sequentially passed through the separation columns of a series-connected thermal cycling adsorption system. Figure 3 As shown in diagram a; after the gas to be separated enters the fourth thermal cycle adsorption system 8, the upper end yields tail gas (depleted product), which enters the first temporary storage tank 9; the lower end yields product gas (enriched product), which enters the second temporary storage tank 11. After one batch of separation is completed, the volumes of the first temporary storage tank 9 and the second temporary storage tank 11 differ depending on their abundance. Based on this difference, the gas in the first temporary storage tank 9 and the second temporary storage tank 11 can be reintroduced into the fourth thermal cycle adsorption system 8 for further separation, or separated using a smaller fifth thermal cycle adsorption system 10, such as... Figure 3 As shown in b.

[0026] Example 3 A multi-condition, full-range hydrogen isotope separation method for fusion reactors, specifically for separating deuterium-tritium gas with a tritium content of 0.01%-1%. The daily processing volume reached m 3 At the deuterium level, a large amount of deuterium is mixed with trace amounts of tritium, which needs to be removed by using a multi-stage series cryogenic distillation system; when the gas is processed continuously, a quasi-stable cryogenic distillation method is used.

[0027] Specifically, the low-temperature distillation method of quasi-steady distillation involves continuously adding raw materials into the column, continuously removing no product from the bottom of the column, and continuously removing the product from the top of the column. The actual process is a process in which a product gradually accumulates in the bottom of the column. During the product removal process, the feed flow rate, the light component product removal flow rate, and the reboiler heating power are all kept constant.

[0028] Example 4 A multi-condition, full-range hydrogen isotope separation method for fusion reactors, specifically for the separation of hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixtures in ternary gases: Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the original components of the gas to be treated are HDT ternary gases, with a total DT abundance of <2% and a T abundance of 300 ppm. The feed gas is separated in the fifth thermal cycle adsorption system 11 to obtain a tail gas with a T abundance of <20 ppm, which can then be processed in a cryogenic distillation system. A mixed gas with a total DT abundance of ~10% is obtained at the first-stage product end and enters the sixth thermal cycle adsorption system 12. The tail gas end of the sixth thermal cycle adsorption system 12 obtains a tail gas with a total DT abundance of ~1%, which is reused as feed gas for the fifth thermal cycle adsorption system 11. The product end of the sixth thermal cycle adsorption system 12 obtains a product gas with a total DT abundance of ~50%, which is used as feed gas for the seventh thermal cycle adsorption system 13. The tail gas end of the seventh thermal cycle adsorption system 13 obtains a tail gas with a total DT abundance of ~10%, which is reused as feed gas for the sixth thermal cycle adsorption system 12. The product end of the seventh thermal cycle adsorption system 13 obtains a product gas with a total DT abundance of ~99%, which is returned to the fuel cycle system.

[0029] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0030] The above detailed embodiments are a description of the present invention. It should not be considered that the specific embodiments of the present invention are limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, several simple deductions and substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all of these should be considered to fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for hydrogen isotope separation across multiple operating conditions and the entire range in a fusion reactor, characterized in that, For multiple operating conditions of fusion reactors, the following methods are employed: series and / or parallel connection of several cryogenic distillation systems, series and / or parallel connection of several low-temperature cycling adsorption systems, series and / or parallel connection of cryogenic distillation systems and thermal cycling adsorption systems; the multiple operating conditions of the fusion reactor include any one of the following: separation of deuterium-tritium gas with tritium ≥ 1%, separation of deuterium-tritium gas with trace tritium content, and separation of ternary gas hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixture.

2. The method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, For deuterium-tritium gas separation conditions with tritium content ≥1%, Daily processing volume reaches ≥1m 3 The gas to be separated is introduced into multiple cryogenic distillation systems connected in series, and a balancing reactor is set between the cryogenic distillation systems connected in series. Processing <1 m per day 3 When the scale is small or there is no need for continuous separation, the gas to be separated is sequentially separated through a series thermal cycle adsorption system in the series mode. When only a single separation is required, the parallel mode is used. After the gas to be separated is separated in a single thermal cycle adsorption system, process tail gas and process product gas are obtained. The gas retained in the thermal cycle adsorption system is separated again by a smaller-scale thermal cycle adsorption system, reducing the inventory of isotope gases.

3. The method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Separation of deuterium-tritium gas with trace amounts of tritium. The daily processing volume reached m 3 For deuterium containing trace amounts of tritium, the tritium needs to be removed using a multi-stage series cryogenic distillation system. When the gas is being processed continuously, a quasi-stable cryogenic distillation method is used.

4. The method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, For the separation of hydrogen-deuterium-tritium mixtures in ternary gases, When the hydrogen abundance reaches 90%-99.9% and 0.1%-10% of deuterium and tritium gases are recovered, a single-stage thermal cycle adsorption system is used to separate deuterium and tritium gases. To obtain fuel-grade deuterium and tritium, multiple thermal cycling adsorption systems need to be connected in series.

5. The method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor according to claim 4, characterized in that, If continuous processing is required, a series thermal cycle adsorption system should be used.

6. The method for hydrogen isotope separation under multiple operating conditions and across the entire range in a fusion reactor according to claim 4, characterized in that, Daily processing volume is in m 3 For deuterium and tritium mixed gases with tritium abundance in the hundreds of ppm range, a cryogenic distillation system is used for pre-concentration, and the subsequent gas enters a thermal cycling adsorption system for further processing.

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