A high-power heat pipe cooling reactor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high-power heat pipe cooling reactor, comprising a core and a heat pipe, wherein a plurality of cooling channels are distributed in the core, and independent heat pipes are inserted into each cooling channel from both sides of the core, the hot end of the heat pipe is inserted into the core, and the cold end of the heat pipe is connected to a thermoelectric conversion device. Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts a two-way heat pipe cooling method. When the heat exchange capacity of a single heat pipe is fixed, the heat exchange capacity of each cooling channel is twice the heat exchange capacity of a traditional heat pipe design. Under the same core structure, the present invention doubles the core power, and at the same time ensures reliable heat dissipation in the event of an individual heat pipe failure accident, and the core is safer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of heat pipe cooling reactors, in particular to a high-power heat pipe cooling reactor. Background Art

[0002] The heat pipe cooled reactor adopts the solid-state reactor design concept and removes the core heat in a passive way through heat pipes. It has the characteristics of passive safety, modular design, and compact structure. It has broad application prospects in deep space exploration, land-based nuclear power sources and other fields.

[0003] With the advancement of science and technology, the demand for compact heat pipe-cooled reactors is developing towards high power. However, due to the limited heat exchange capacity of heat pipes, the power of heat pipe stacks is greatly limited, so the advantages of heat pipe stacks cannot be maximized. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a high-power heat pipe cooling reactor in order to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor comprises a reactor core and a heat pipe. A plurality of cooling channels are distributed in the reactor core. Independent heat pipes are inserted into each cooling channel from both sides of the reactor core. The hot ends of the heat pipes are inserted into the reactor core, and the cold ends of the heat pipes are connected to a thermoelectric conversion device.

[0007] Preferably, the hot ends of two independent heat pipes in the same cooling channel contact each other to achieve docking.

[0008] Preferably, the heat pipes in the same cooling channel are all inserted into the middle of the core.

[0009] Preferably, the heat pipes with the same insertion direction are divided into the same group, and the cold ends of each group of heat pipes are respectively connected to the same thermoelectric conversion device.

[0010] Preferably, a shielding device is provided between the thermoelectric conversion device and the core, and the heat pipe passes through the shielding device.

[0011] Preferably, the plurality of cooling channels are distributed in parallel.

[0012] Preferably, the heat pipe comprises a tube shell, a liquid wick and a working medium, the liquid wick is arranged in the tube shell, and the working medium is distributed in the accommodating space of the liquid wick and the accommodating space formed by the tube shell and the liquid wick.

[0013] Preferably, the tube shell and the liquid wick are made of a metal with a high melting point, the melting point of which is higher than the temperature generated by the core.

[0014] Preferably, the working fluid includes alkali metal.

[0015] Preferably, the main material of the shielding device includes lead or tungsten.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] (1) The fission reaction of the nuclear fuel in the reactor releases heat to heat the heat pipes in the reactor. The temperature of the heat pipes in the reactor rises, and the heat of the heat pipes in the reactor is transferred to the other end of the heat pipes outside the reactor through its own natural circulation. The present invention adopts a two-way cooling method of inserting heat pipes. When the heat exchange capacity of a single heat pipe is fixed, the heat exchange capacity of each cooling channel is twice the heat exchange capacity of a traditional heat pipe design. Therefore, under the same core structure, the number of core cooling channels remains unchanged. The present invention doubles the core power, and the high-power power supply can meet the needs of various schemes.

[0018] (2) Under the same core structure, the present invention increases the number of heat pipes for transferring core heat. In the event of a heat pipe failure accident, there are more heat pipes to transfer heat within the core, and the core is safer.

[0019] (3) The present invention uses two sets of thermoelectric conversion devices to perform thermoelectric conversion on both sides of the core, thereby avoiding the problem that the thermoelectric conversion device is too bulky when the thermoelectric conversion is performed on one side, and cannot be used in space-constrained application scenarios such as marine reactors and space reactors;

[0020] (4) The present invention provides a high-power reactor with high power in the reactor, strong neutron flux, higher rate of capture reaction of fissile nuclides absorbing neutrons, faster rate of generation of fissile nuclides, and strong proliferation capacity of the core. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a high-power heat pipe cooling reactor of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heat pipe of the present invention.

[0023] In the figure, 1 is the core, 2 is the heat pipe, 3 is the shielding device, 4 is the thermoelectric conversion device, 21 is the tube shell, 22 is the liquid absorption core, and 23 is the working medium. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Note that the following embodiments are merely illustrative in nature, and the present invention is not intended to limit its applicable objects or uses, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0025] Example

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a high-power heat pipe 2 cooling reactor, including a core 1 and a heat pipe 2, wherein a plurality of cooling channels are distributed in the core 1, and the plurality of cooling channels are distributed in parallel. An independent heat pipe 2 is inserted into each cooling channel from both sides of the core 1, the hot end of the heat pipe 2 is inserted into the core 1, the heat pipe 2 is inserted into the cooling channel in parallel, and the cold end of the heat pipe 2 is connected to a thermoelectric conversion device 4.

[0027] The hot ends of two independent heat pipes 2 in the same cooling channel are in contact with each other to achieve docking, ensuring the safe operation of the core 1. According to the actual working conditions, the length of the heat pipe 2 inserted into the core 1 can ensure the normal operation of the heat pipe 2. The docking position of the two heat pipes 2 in each cooling channel of the core 1 can be changed in the channel, such as Figure 1 As shown in , the butting position of the two heat pipes 2 in the cooling channel of this embodiment is the center line position of the core 1, so the arrangement of the heat pipes 2 of this embodiment presents a symmetrical structure.

[0028] Heat pipes 2 with the same insertion direction are divided into the same group, and each group of heat pipes 2 is respectively connected to the same thermoelectric conversion device 4. A shielding device 3 is provided between the thermoelectric conversion device 4 and the core 1. The heat pipes 2 pass through the shielding device 3. The shielding device 3 protects the thermoelectric conversion device 4 and reduces the radioactive irradiation of the core 1 to the thermoelectric conversion device 4. The thermoelectric conversion device 4 includes thermocouples and alkali metal thermoelectric conversion devices 4. The main material of the shielding device 3 is lead or tungsten, and the purpose is to reduce the irradiation damage of the radioactive rays generated by the core 1 to the thermoelectric conversion device 4.

[0029] like Figure 2As shown, the heat pipe 2 includes a tube shell 21, a liquid wick 22 and a working medium 23. The liquid wick 22 is arranged in the tube shell 21, and the working medium 23 is distributed in the accommodation space of the liquid wick 22 and the accommodation space formed by the tube shell 21 and the liquid wick 22. The tube shell 21 and the liquid wick 22 are composed of a high melting point metal whose melting point is higher than the temperature generated by the core 1, such as SS-316 steel and Mo-14Re alloy, etc. The liquid wick 22 uses capillary force to achieve the exchange between the gas phase and the liquid phase of the working medium 23. The working medium 23 includes alkali metals, such as potassium, sodium and lithium. Two heat pipes 2 are inserted in both directions into each cooling channel of the reactor core 1 of the present invention. During the operation of the reactor, the fission reaction of the nuclear fuel in the reactor releases heat to heat the heat pipes 2 in the reactor. The temperature of the heat pipes 2 in the reactor rises, and the heat of the heat pipes 2 in the reactor is transferred to the other end of the heat pipes 2 outside the reactor through its own natural circulation. Since two heat pipes 2 are inserted into one cooling channel in the reactor, the heat exchange capacity of each cooling channel is twice the heat exchange capacity of a traditional heat pipe 2. The other end of the heat pipe 2 outside the reactor is a thermoelectric conversion device 4, which converts the heat in the heat pipe 2 into electrical energy. Because this method doubles the heat exchange capacity of the cooling channel of the core 1, the operating power of the core 1 is twice the operating power of the traditional heat pipe 2. The number of the system's thermoelectric conversion devices 4 is increased to two, which can increase the power generation capacity of the core 1 to twice that of traditional devices. The increase in power generation can expand the application scenarios of the system; stronger core 1 output power corresponds to stronger core 1 neutron flux, so the core 1 has a stronger proliferation ability; the increase in the number of heat pipes 2 within the reactor can effectively ensure the safe operation of the core 1.

[0030] The above embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention. These embodiments can also be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the technical concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor, characterized in that: It comprises a reactor core (1) and a heat pipe (2), wherein a plurality of cooling channels are distributed in the reactor core (1), and independent heat pipes (2) are inserted into each cooling channel from both sides of the reactor core (1), the hot end of the heat pipe (2) is inserted into the reactor core (1), and the cold end of the heat pipe (2) is connected to a thermoelectric conversion device (4); The hot ends of two independent heat pipes (2) in the same cooling channel are in contact with each other to achieve docking; the heat pipes (2) in the same cooling channel are all inserted into the middle of the core (1); The butt joint position of the two heat pipes (2) in the cooling channel is the centerline position of the core (1); and the arrangement of the heat pipes (2) presents a symmetrical structure.

2. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: Heat pipes (2) with the same insertion direction are divided into the same group, and the cold ends of each group of heat pipes (2) are respectively connected to the same thermoelectric conversion device (4).

3. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: A shielding device (3) is provided between the thermoelectric conversion device (4) and the core (1), and the heat pipe (2) passes through the shielding device (3).

4. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of cooling channels are distributed in parallel.

5. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat pipe (2) comprises a tube shell (21), a liquid wick (22) and a working medium (23); the liquid wick (22) is arranged in the tube shell (21); and the working medium (23) is distributed in the accommodation space of the liquid wick (22) and in the accommodation space formed by the tube shell (21) and the liquid wick (22).

6. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 5, characterized in that: The tube shell (21) and the liquid wick (22) are made of metal with a high melting point, and the melting point of the metal is higher than the temperature generated by the core (1).

7. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 5, characterized in that: The working medium (23) includes alkali metal.

8. A high-power heat pipe cooled reactor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main material of the shielding device (3) includes lead or tungsten.

Images