Fuel units, fuel elements and reactor cores

Abstract

The fuel unit of the embodiment of the present invention comprises: a main body, a first surface, a second surface and a plurality of connecting channels, the first surface and the second surface are arranged opposite to each other along the thickness direction of the main body, a plurality of first openings are arranged on the first surface, at least part of the plurality of first openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, a plurality of second openings are arranged on the second surface, at least part of the plurality of second openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, the plurality of second openings correspond one-to-one with the plurality of first openings, the thickness direction of the main body is consistent with the extension direction of the central axis of the main body, a plurality of connecting channels correspond one-to-one with the plurality of first openings and the plurality of second openings, the connecting channels connect the first openings and the second openings, and the first openings and the second openings are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the central axis of the main body. The fuel unit of the present invention is easy to manufacture, and the fuel element formed after the fuel units are stacked has the advantage of a high heat transfer coefficient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of nuclear propulsion, and in particular to a fuel unit, a fuel element and a reactor core. Background Art

[0002] Nuclear thermal propulsion reactors use hydrogen as coolant, and fuel designs often use solid-state stacks in the form of straight-hole graphite hexagonal prisms and metal stacks in the form of spiral tubes. Among them, in the related art, the length of the straight hole of the solid-state stack in the form of straight-hole graphite hexagonal prisms is significantly shorter than that of the metal stack in the form of spiral tubes of the same length size. Therefore, the solid-state stack in the form of straight-hole graphite hexagonal prisms has a small heat transfer coefficient, while the metal stack in the form of spiral tubes has a problem of high manufacturing difficulty. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve one of the technical problems in the related art at least to a certain extent.

[0004] To this end, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel unit, which is easy to manufacture, and a fuel element formed by stacking the fuel units has the advantage of a high heat transfer coefficient.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel element, which has the advantages of being easy to manufacture and having a high heat transfer coefficient.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a reactor core, the fuel element of which has the advantages of being easy to manufacture and having a high heat exchange coefficient.

[0007] The fuel unit of the embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body; a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are arranged opposite to each other along the thickness direction of the main body, a plurality of first openings are provided on the first surface, at least part of the plurality of first openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, a plurality of second openings are provided on the second surface, at least part of the plurality of second openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, the plurality of second openings correspond one-to-one with the plurality of first openings, and the thickness direction of the main body is consistent with the extension direction of the central axis of the main body; a plurality of connecting channels, the plurality of connecting channels correspond one-to-one with the plurality of first openings and the plurality of second openings, the connecting channels connect the first openings and the second openings, and the first openings and the second openings are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the central axis of the main body.

[0008] The fuel unit of the embodiment of the present invention is provided with connecting channels, which can facilitate manufacturing, and a plurality of fuel units can be stacked to form a fuel element, and the connecting channels form spiral channels, which increases the distance of gas flow and can improve the heat exchange effect.

[0009] In addition, the radial dimension of the connecting channel of the fuel unit or the thickness of the fuel unit itself can be changed to change the spiral channel formed by the connecting channel, thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the spiral channel.

[0010] Therefore, the fuel unit of the embodiment of the present invention is easy to manufacture, and the fuel element formed by stacking the fuel units has the advantage of a high heat exchange coefficient.

[0011] In some embodiments, a central hole is further included, wherein the central hole penetrates the first surface and the second surface along the thickness direction of the main body, and the axis of the central hole coincides with the central axis of the main body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the plurality of first openings include a plurality of first groups, the first groups are arranged around the center hole, and the plurality of first groups are spaced apart along the radial direction of the center hole; the plurality of second openings include a plurality of second groups, the second groups are arranged around the center hole, and the plurality of second groups are spaced apart along the radial direction of the center hole.

[0013] In some embodiments, the central axis of the connecting channel is an arc.

[0014] In some embodiments, the central axis of the connecting channel is a straight line.

[0015] In some embodiments, a dimension of the body in the thickness direction is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 100 mm.

[0016] In some embodiments, a radial dimension of the connecting channel is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, and the number of the first openings is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 50.

[0017] The fuel element according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises the fuel unit according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0018] In some embodiments, there are a plurality of the fuel units, and the plurality of the fuel units are stacked in sequence along the thickness direction of the main body to form the fuel element, and a first opening of one of two adjacent fuel units is connected to a second opening of the other one.

[0019] The reactor core of the embodiment of the present invention includes the fuel elements according to the above-mentioned embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a fuel unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-section of the AA surface.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fuel element according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Schematic cross-sectional view of the middle BB surface.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] Fuel unit 1; main body 11; first surface 111; first opening 1111; second surface 112; second opening 1121; connecting channel 113; center hole 114;

[0026] Fuel element 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0028] A fuel unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fuel unit 1 of the embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body 11 , a first surface 111 , a second surface 112 and a plurality of connecting channels 113 .

[0030] The first surface 111 and the second surface 112 are arranged along the thickness direction of the main body 11 (eg Figure 2 The first surface 111 is provided with a plurality of first openings 1111, and at least a portion of the plurality of first openings 1111 is arranged around the central axis of the main body 11. The second surface 112 is provided with a plurality of second openings 1121, and at least a portion of the plurality of second openings 1121 is arranged around the central axis of the main body 11. The plurality of second openings 1121 correspond to the plurality of first openings 1111 one by one, and the thickness direction of the main body 11 is consistent with the extension direction of the central axis of the main body 11. The plurality of connecting channels 113 correspond to the plurality of first openings 1111 and the plurality of second openings 1121 one by one, and the connecting channels 113 connect the first openings 1111 and the second openings 1121, and the first openings 1111 and the second openings 1121 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the central axis of the main body 11.

[0031] Specifically, as shown in the figure, the first surface 111 and the second surface 112 are arranged opposite to each other in the vertical direction, that is, the upper surface of the main body 11 is the first surface 111, and the lower surface of the main body 11 is the second surface 112. The number of the plurality of first openings 1111, the plurality of second openings 1121 and the plurality of connecting channels 113 are all the same.

[0032] It can be understood that part of the multiple first openings 1111 is arranged around the central axis of the main body 11, that is, this part of the first openings 1111 can be evenly distributed on a circle with the projection of the central axis of the main body 11 on the first surface 111 as the center and the distance from the center of the first opening 1111 to the central axis of the main body 11 as the radius. Similarly, other parts of the multiple first openings 1111 are also evenly distributed on the first surface 111.

[0033] A connecting channel 113 connects a first opening 1111 and a second opening 1121, and there is a gap between the first opening 1111 and the second opening 1121 in the circumferential direction of the central axis of the main body 11, that is, there is a gap between the projection of the first opening 1111 on the second surface 112 and the projection of the second opening 1121 on the second surface 112, then the central axis of the connecting channel 113 has an angle greater than 0 degrees with the up and down direction.

[0034] That is, a plurality of fuel units 1 of the embodiments of the present invention can be stacked to form a fuel element. Since the central axis of the connecting channel has an angle with the vertical direction, the connecting channels on the plurality of fuel units 1 are connected to form a spiral channel, which increases the distance of gas flow and thus improves the heat exchange effect. Moreover, the fuel unit 1 has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture.

[0035] In addition, the radial dimension of the connecting channel of the fuel unit 1 or the thickness of the fuel unit 1 itself is changed to change the path dimension of the spiral channel formed by the connecting channel 113, thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the spiral channel.

[0036] Therefore, the fuel unit 1 of the embodiment of the present invention is easy to manufacture, and the fuel element formed by stacking the fuel units 1 has the advantage of a high heat exchange coefficient.

[0037] It should be noted that the main body 11 of the fuel unit 1 may be a regular prism, preferably, as Figure 1 As shown, the main body 11 is a regular hexagonal prism.

[0038] In some embodiments, the fuel unit 1 of the present embodiment further includes a center hole 114 , which passes through the first surface 111 and the second surface 112 along the thickness direction of the main body 11 , and the axis of the center hole 114 coincides with the center axis of the main body 11 .

[0039] Specifically, as shown in the figure, the center hole 114 is a straight hole, that is, the axis extension direction of the center hole 114 is consistent with the up-down direction, and the center hole 114 passes through the first surface 111 and the second surface 112 along the up-down direction.

[0040] It can be understood that the center hole 114 can be used to install a support member or other components, for example, it can be used to install a structural support rod (not shown in the figure) and the like.

[0041] In some embodiments, the plurality of first openings 1111 include a plurality of first groups, the first groups are arranged around the central hole 114, and the plurality of first groups are spaced apart in the radial direction of the central hole 114. The plurality of second openings 1121 include a plurality of second groups, the second groups are arranged around the central hole 114, and the plurality of second groups are spaced apart in the radial direction of the central hole 114.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in the figure, the plurality of first openings 1111 are divided into a plurality of parts, each part includes a plurality of first openings 1111, and the plurality of first openings 1111 form a first group, that is, a first group is composed of a plurality of first openings 1111, and the plurality of first openings 1111 of the first group are arranged around the central hole 114. The plurality of first openings 1111 of the first group can be evenly spaced around the circumference of the central hole 114, that is, the plurality of first openings 1111 of the first group are evenly distributed on a circle with the center of the central hole 114 as the center and the distance from the center of one of the first openings 1111 in the first group to the center of the central hole 114 as the radius. The other first groups are spaced apart from the first group along the radial direction of the central hole 114. Similarly, the multiple second openings 1121 in a second group corresponding to the first group are evenly distributed on a circle with the center of the center hole 114 as the center and the distance from the center of a second opening 1121 in the second group to the center of the center hole 114 as the radius, and the other second groups are arranged at intervals from the second group along the radial direction of the center hole 114.

[0043] Alternatively, if Figure 1 As shown, the main body 11 is a regular hexagonal prism, and the centers of the first openings 1111 in a first group are connected in sequence to form a regular hexagon, and the distance between every two adjacent first openings 1111 in a first group is equal. Similarly, the centers of the second openings 1121 in the second group are connected in sequence to form a regular hexagon.

[0044] Optionally, the central axis of the connecting channel 113 is an arc, that is, the connecting channel 113 is an arc-shaped channel, and after multiple fuel units 1 are stacked to form a fuel element, the connecting channels 113 on the fuel units 1 are connected, and a spiral channel can also be formed to increase the path size for heat exchange and improve the heat exchange effect.

[0045] Preferably, if Figure 2 As shown, the central axis of the connecting channel 113 is a straight line. It can be understood that the connecting channel 113 is a straight channel with an inclined axis, that is, the central axis of the connecting channel 113 has an angle greater than 0 degrees with the up and down direction, so that the connecting channel 113 is inclined.

[0046] That is to say, when multiple fuel units 1 are stacked in the up and down direction, the connecting channels 113 of two adjacent fuel units 1 are connected, and the connecting channels 113 on the multiple fuel units 1 are connected to form a spiral channel, which is used for heat exchange of gas and has a longer length than a straight channel, thereby improving the heat exchange effect.

[0047] In some embodiments, the dimension of the body 11 in the thickness direction is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 100 mm.

[0048] It is understandable that if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when the number and radial size of the first opening 1111, the second opening 1121 and the connecting channel 113 remain unchanged, the thickness of the main body 11 is changed, and the angle between the extending direction of the central axis of the connecting channel 113 and the up-down direction can be changed to change the length of the spiral channel. That is, when the number and radial size of the first opening 1111, the second opening 1121 and the connecting channel 113 remain unchanged, the smaller the thickness of the main body 11, the larger the angle between the extending direction of the central axis of the connecting channel 113 and the up-down direction.

[0049] In some embodiments, a radial dimension of the connecting channel 113 is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, and the number of the first openings 1111 is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 50.

[0050] It is understandable that if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, changing the number of first openings 1111, or changing the radial dimensions of the first openings 1111, the second openings 1121 and the connecting channel 113, or changing the number of first openings 1111 and the radial dimensions of the first openings 1111, the second openings 1121 and the connecting channel 113 can change the path size of the spiral channel.

[0051] It should be noted that the wall surface of the connecting channel 113 and the peripheral wall surface of the fuel unit 1 are both provided with an anti-corrosion coating, for example, a zirconium carbide coating is used to meet the hydrogen corrosion resistance conditions.

[0052] The fuel element according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the fuel element 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises the fuel unit 1 according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0054] In some embodiments, there are multiple fuel units 1, and the multiple fuel units 1 are stacked in sequence along the thickness direction of the main body 11 to form a fuel element 2, and the first opening 1111 of one of two adjacent fuel units 1 is connected to the second opening 1121 of the other one.

[0055] It is understandable that if Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the second opening 1121 in one fuel unit 1 in the fuel element 2 of the embodiment of the present invention is connected to the first opening 1111 in the fuel unit 1 adjacent to it and located below the one fuel unit 1, so that the connecting channels on the two adjacent fuel units 1 are connected, thereby forming a spiral channel.

[0056] The following describes a reactor core according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] The reactor core according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the fuel element 2 according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0058] It can be understood that the fuel unit 1 in the reactor core of the embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. In addition, the fuel element 2 formed by stacking a plurality of the fuel units 1 has a spiral channel, which increases the path of the gas passing through the spiral channel and improves the heat exchange effect of the gas.

[0059] Therefore, the fuel element 2 of the reactor core of the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of convenient manufacturing and high heat transfer coefficient.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0061] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0062] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0063] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0064] In the present invention, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0065] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. Changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of the above embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel unit, characterized in that: include: main body; a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are arranged opposite to each other along the thickness direction of the main body, a plurality of first openings are arranged on the first surface, and at least parts of the plurality of first openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, The second surface is provided with a plurality of second openings, at least part of the plurality of second openings are arranged around the central axis of the main body, the plurality of second openings correspond to the plurality of first openings one by one, and the thickness direction of the main body is consistent with the extension direction of the central axis of the main body; A plurality of connecting holes, the plurality of connecting holes corresponding to the plurality of first openings and the plurality of second openings one by one, the connecting holes communicating with the first openings and the second openings, the first openings and the second openings being spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the central axis of the main body, and the wall surface of the connecting hole being provided with an anti-corrosion coating; A center hole, wherein the center hole passes through the first surface and the second surface along the thickness direction of the main body, and the axis of the center hole coincides with the center axis of the main body.

2. The fuel unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The plurality of first openings include a plurality of first groups, the first groups are arranged around the central hole, and the plurality of first groups are spaced apart along a radial direction of the central hole; The plurality of second openings include a plurality of second groups, the second groups are arranged around the central hole, and the plurality of second groups are spaced apart in a radial direction of the central hole.

3. The fuel unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The central axis of the connecting channel is an arc.

4. The fuel unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The central axis of the connecting channel is a straight line.

5. The fuel unit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The dimension of the main body in the thickness direction is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 100 mm.

6. The fuel unit according to claim 5, characterized in that The radial dimension of the connecting channel is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, and the number of the first openings is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 50.

7. A fuel element, characterized in that: Comprising a fuel unit according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. The fuel element according to claim 7, characterized in that There are a plurality of the fuel units, which are stacked in sequence along the thickness direction of the main body to form the fuel element, and a first opening of one of two adjacent fuel units is communicated with a second opening of the other.

9. A reactor core, characterized in that: Comprising a fuel element according to claim 8.

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