Ball-passing device for fuel handling system of high temperature reactor

Abstract

The application discloses a ball passing multi-way device applied to a high-temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system and belongs to the technical field of high-temperature gas cooled reactors.The device comprises a shell, a first ball inlet, a second ball inlet and a blowing port arranged at the first end of the shell, and a ball outlet arranged at the second end of the shell; fuel balls in two rows of spent fuel unloading pipelines enter the shell through the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet at the same time and are output through the ball outlet; when the fuel balls are bridged in the shell, a blowing gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and led out through the blowing port to blow back and break the bridge of the fuel balls. The two ball inlets of the application can normally pass the fuel balls, the bridge can be blown back and unblocked when the bridge is formed, the operation mode of the existing fuel loading and unloading system is reconfigured, and the overall working efficiency of the fuel loading and unloading system is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of high-temperature gas cooled reactors, and particularly relates to a ball passing multi-way device applied to a high-temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system. BACKGROUND

[0002] The fuel loading and unloading system is a key system for realizing long-term safe and stable operation and out-of-service refueling of the high-temperature gas cooled reactor, and mainly performs functions such as loading new fuel into the reactor core, unloading spent fuel from the reactor core, and recycling fuel elements back to the reactor core. The fuel loading and unloading system of the HTR-PM adopts the principles of single-column and single-directional ordered transportation in the design, and utilizes gravity and pneumatic methods to transport and load and unload fuel elements. The former utilizes the favorable geometric shape of the spherical fuel elements to rely on gravity to transport the fuel elements from top to bottom in vertical or inclined pipelines, and the latter relies on a pneumatic lifting system to realize the transportation of the fuel elements from bottom to top. Among them, the new fuel loading pipeline and the fuel main circulation pipeline are merged at the "ball taking three-way joint", and then share a set of pneumatic lifting device (choke + launcher) to lift the fuel balls into the reactor core. Similarly, the two columns of spent fuel primary unloading pipelines of each reactor are merged at the "ball taking three-way joint", and then share a set of pneumatic lifting device (choke + launcher) to lift the spent fuel balls (or graphite balls) into the unloading temporary storage device. For the double reactor, there are a total of 6 "ball taking three-way joints", four of which are for main circulation lifting, and the other two are for lifting the fully burned fuel balls or graphite balls into the spent fuel temporary storage tank. After the spent fuel is lifted once, it is lifted to a certain height and then falls into the tank by gravity. In the above process, there is a problem that two columns of balls may be "bridged" at the same time. In view of this, in the prior art, the fuel loading and unloading system avoids the working condition of simultaneously sending balls upstream of the "ball taking three-way joint" in the automatic loading and unloading logic design (when one column of balls arrives at the "ball taking three-way joint", the other column of balls is temporarily stopped). Although this can avoid "bridging" at the "ball taking three-way joint", it will restrict the refueling speed of the fuel loading and unloading system, especially during the initial reactor loading and the transition to the balanced core, the daily refueling demand is large, but the actual loading and refueling capacity is limited, resulting in a long loading and refueling cycle, which restricts the overall working efficiency of the fuel loading and unloading system and the commissioning and operation period of the high-temperature reactor.

[0003] Therefore, the application provides a ball passing multi-way device which can simultaneously send balls of two columns and is not easy to "bridge". SUMMARY

[0004] The application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems in the prior art, and provides a ball passing multi-way device applied to a high-temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system.

[0005] The application provides a ball passing multi-way device applied to a high-temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system.

[0006] Fuel balls in two fuel unloading pipelines pass into the shell through the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet simultaneously, and are output through the ball outlet.

[0007] When the fuel balls in the shell are bridged, a purge gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and led out through the purge port to blow the fuel balls and break the bridge.

[0008] Optionally, the second ball inlet and the ball outlet are coaxially arranged.

[0009] The axis of the first ball inlet and the axis of the second ball inlet form an angle of 45 degrees.

[0010] Optionally, the device further comprises a first ball inlet pipe, a second ball inlet pipe, a ball outlet pipe and a purge pipe.

[0011] The first ball inlet pipe is coaxially connected with the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet pipe is coaxially connected with the second ball inlet, the ball outlet pipe is coaxially connected with the ball outlet, and the purge pipe is detachably connected with the purge port.

[0012] Optionally, the inner diameters of the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet, the ball outlet and the purge port are the same.

[0013] The inner diameters of the first ball inlet pipe, the second ball inlet pipe and the ball outlet pipe are greater than the diameter of the fuel ball.

[0014] The inner diameter of the purge pipe is smaller than the diameter of the fuel ball.

[0015] Optionally, a dust removal port is further arranged on the shell, the angle between the axis of the dust removal port and the horizontal plane ranges from 15 degrees to 20 degrees, and the axis of the dust removal port is perpendicular to the axis of the purge port, so that the dust in the shell is discharged through the dust removal port.

[0016] Optionally, a dust removal plate is further arranged at the dust removal port, and a plurality of filter holes are arranged on the dust removal plate.

[0017] Optionally, the device further comprises a dust removal pipe, one end of the dust removal pipe is coaxially connected with the dust removal port, and the other end of the dust removal pipe is connected with a dust collection pipeline.

[0018] When the dust in the dust removal pipe accumulates too much, a purge gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and led out through the dust removal pipe.

[0019] Optionally, the device further comprises a judging module, a time delay module and a processing module; wherein,

[0020] The judging module is used for judging whether the number of fuel balls in the shell is less than 2, and when the number of fuel balls is greater than or equal to 2, the fuel balls are judged to be “bridged”, and when the number of fuel balls is less than 2, the device is judged to be in normal operation;

[0021] The time delay module is used for delaying for 3-7 seconds when the fuel balls are “bridged”.

[0022] The processing module is used for introducing a purge gas source to blow back the fuel balls to “break the bridge” and simultaneously interlock the shutdown of the ball unloading equipment connected with the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet.

[0023] Optionally, the device further comprises an alarm module used for issuing an alarm when the fuel balls are judged to be “bridged”.

[0024] Optionally, the device further comprises a purge control module used for controlling the purge time and the stop time after each purge when the fuel balls in the shell are blown back to “break the bridge”.

[0025] The application provides a ball passing multi-pass device applied to a high temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system, which comprises a shell, a first ball inlet and a second ball inlet arranged at a first end of the shell, a purge port arranged at the first end of the shell, and a ball outlet arranged at a second end of the shell; fuel balls in two rows of spent fuel unloading pipelines enter the shell through the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet simultaneously and are output through the ball outlet; when the fuel balls in the shell are “bridged”, a purge gas source is introduced into the shell through the ball outlet and is introduced out of the shell through the purge port to blow back the fuel balls to “break the bridge”. The two ball inlets of the application can normally pass the fuel balls, and the fuel balls can be blown back to be unblocked when the fuel balls are “bridged”. The operation mode of the existing fuel loading and unloading system is reconfigured, and the overall working efficiency of the fuel loading and unloading system is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic view of a ball passing multi-pass device applied to a high temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system according to an embodiment of the application;

[0027] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic view of a ball passing multi-pass device applied to a high temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system according to an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the technical solution of the present application better understood by those skilled in the art, the present application will be described in further detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of the present application.

[0029] Unless otherwise specifically indicated, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present application shall be understood as the usual meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. The use of "including" or "containing" and the like in the present application neither limits the mentioned shapes, numbers, steps, actions, operations, components, elements and / or their groups, nor excludes the presence or addition of one or more other different shapes, numbers, steps, actions, operations, components, elements and / or their groups. In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number and order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In some descriptions of the application, unless otherwise specifically indicated and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connected" or "fixed" and the like similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect through intermediate media, can be internal communication of two elements or interaction relationship of two elements. In addition, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only used to represent the relative positional relationship. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present application proposes a ball passing multi-way device 100 applied to a high temperature reactor fuel handling system, which comprises a shell 110, a first ball inlet, a second ball inlet and a purge port are arranged at a first end of the shell 110, and a ball outlet is arranged at a second end of the shell 110; fuel balls in two rows of spent fuel discharge pipelines enter the shell through the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet at the same time, and are output through the ball outlet; when the fuel balls "bridge" in the shell 110, a purge gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and introduced from the purge port to blow the fuel balls to break the bridge.

[0032] In view of the problem that the current "ball three-way" upstream two-way pipeline simultaneously sends balls downward and is prone to "bridge forming", the device of the embodiment is provided with two ball inlets and a purge port. In normal operation, both ball inlets can normally send balls. When the fuel balls form a "bridge", the purge gas source forms a purge channel through the ball outlet and the purge port to blow the fuel balls to break the "bridge", effectively solving the problem of "bridge forming" of the fuel balls and improving the refueling efficiency of the fuel loading and unloading system.

[0033] It should be noted that, in order to make the fuel balls in the shell fall quickly to the ball outlet, the second end and the first end should be opposite sides, that is, the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet are arranged at the opposite first end of the shell, and the first end is the upper end of the shell, and the second end is the lower end of the shell, and the second end of the shell is provided with a ball outlet, so that the fuel balls entering from the ball inlet are transported from top to bottom, and the fuel balls fall by their own gravity.

[0034] It should be further noted that the shell of the embodiment can be a polyhedral structure. Since the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet and the purge port are arranged at the first end of the shell, and the ball outlet is arranged at the second end, the cross-sectional area of the first end is larger than that of the second end, that is, it can be arranged as a conical structure, and the inside is a conical hollow structure for accommodating fuel balls to form a fuel ball conveying channel.

[0035] Further, in order to make the fuel balls fall by gravity to the ball outlet, the second ball inlet and the ball outlet are coaxially arranged, and the axis of the first ball inlet and the axis of the second ball inlet form a 45° angle, so that the fuel balls fall quickly.

[0036] It should be understood that a connecting pipe can also be correspondingly arranged on each ball inlet and the ball outlet and the purge port to connect external equipment through the connecting pipe.

[0037] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The device 100 of the embodiment further includes a first ball inlet pipe 120, a second ball inlet pipe 130, a ball outlet pipe 140 and a purge pipe 150. The first ball inlet pipe 120 is coaxially connected with the first ball inlet to connect the first row of spent fuel unloading pipeline through the first ball inlet pipe 120, so that the fuel balls fall into the shell 110 through the first ball inlet pipe. The second ball inlet pipe 130 is coaxially connected with the second ball inlet to connect the second row of spent fuel unloading pipeline through the second ball inlet pipe 130, so that the fuel balls fall into the shell 110 through the second ball inlet pipe. The ball outlet pipe 140 is coaxially connected with the ball outlet, and the ball outlet pipe is connected with the downstream lifting device, that is, the flow resistor and the launcher, to perform fuel ball main circulation or one-time unloading lifting of the fuel balls.

[0038] In the embodiment, the device based on the embodiment can converge two ball inlet tubes, and a transmitter can be shared by the first ball inlet tube and the second ball inlet tube.

[0039] It should be noted that the inner diameters of the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet, the ball outlet and the purge port are the same, and the inner diameters are 2-5 mm larger than the diameter of the fuel ball, so as to facilitate the entry and output of the fuel ball. For example, the inner diameters of the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet, the ball outlet and the purge port are all set to 65 mm.

[0040] It should be further noted that the inner diameters of the first ball inlet tube, the second ball inlet tube and the ball outlet tube also need to be larger than the diameter of the fuel ball; the inner diameters of the first ball inlet and the first ball inlet tube are the same, the inner diameters of the second ball inlet and the second ball inlet tube are the same, the inner diameters of the third ball inlet and the third ball inlet tube are the same, and the inner diameters of the ball outlet tube and the ball outlet are the same.

[0041] Further, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the purge tube 150 is detachably connected with the purge port, and the specific connection mode is not limited, for example, the purge tube and the purge port are detachably connected through flanges.

[0042] It should be further noted that when the fuel ball in the shell is purged, in order to avoid purging the fuel ball out of the shell, the inner diameter of the purge tube needs to be smaller than the diameter of the fuel ball, for example, the inner diameter of the purge tube is set to 25 mm.

[0043] Based on the above structure, when operating normally, both ball inlets can normally enter the ball, reconfigure the operation mode of the existing fuel loading and unloading system, and improve the overall working efficiency of the fuel loading and unloading system. When the device is "bridged", the fuel ball needs to be purged in reverse.

[0044] It should be understood that when judging whether the fuel ball is "bridged", the number of fuel balls in the shell needs to be judged, at this time, a first counter can be arranged at the first ball inlet, a second counter can be arranged at the second ball inlet, and a third counter can be arranged at the ball outlet, and the number of fuel balls in the shell is calculated based on the three counters, so as to realize automatic judgment of the number of fuel balls in the shell.

[0045] Specifically, the device comprises a judging module, a delay module and a processing module; the judging module is used to judge whether the number of fuel balls in the shell is less than 2; when the number of fuel balls is greater than or equal to 2, i.e. the count value of the first counter + the count value of the second counter - the count value of the third counter ≥ 2, it is judged that the fuel balls in the device are "bridged"; when the number of fuel balls is less than 2, it is judged that the device is in normal operation and does not need to be purged; the delay module is used to delay for 3-7 seconds, for example 5 seconds, when the fuel balls are "bridged"; the processing module is used to introduce a purge gas source to perform back-purging "bridge breaking" on the fuel balls, and simultaneously interlock the shutdown of the ball unloading equipment connected with the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet, so as to play a protective role on the device.

[0046] Further, in some preferred embodiments, the device further comprises an alarm module, which is used to issue an alarm when it is judged that the fuel balls are "bridged", i.e. to report a fault and inform the operating personnel when back-purging "bridge breaking" is needed.

[0047] Further, in some other preferred embodiments, the device further comprises a purge control module, which is used to control the purge time of each purge and the stop time after the purge when performing back-purging "bridge breaking", i.e. to stop for a period of time after a fixed time of reverse purging, and then to judge again whether the fuel balls are "bridged" in the device.

[0048] Specifically, the purge gas source for back-purging "bridge breaking" is introduced from the ball outlet pipe and led out from the purge pipe, i.e. the direction of reverse purging is from bottom to top, which is opposite to the direction of falling of the fuel balls from top to bottom, and the purge gas source is introduced from the existing purge pipeline of the helium compressor. Moreover, the purge is performed in "intermittent mode", i.e. after each purge for 1 minute, it is stopped for 1 minute; if the count of the first counter CX001 at the first ball inlet + the count of the second counter CX002 at the second ball inlet - the count of the third counter CX003 at the ball outlet < 2 after stopping the back-purging, it is judged that the "bridge breaking" of the fuel ball multi-pass device is successful, and the purge pipeline is stopped and the fuel ball conveying is restarted.

[0049] It should be understood that if the count of the first counter CX001 at the first ball inlet + the count of the second counter CX002 at the second ball inlet - the count of the third counter CX003 at the ball outlet ≥ 2 after stopping the back-purging, it is judged that the "bridge breaking" of the fuel ball multi-pass device needs to be continued, i.e. the purge needs to be continued.

[0050] It should be noted that the system embodiments described in the present application are only illustrative, for example, the division of the modules can be a logical function division, and in actual implementation, there can be another division mode, for example, a plurality of modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0051] The device of this embodiment has the functions of automatic judgment of "bridge formation", alarm and protection of "bridge formation", back-blowing of "bridge breaking" after "bridge formation", and automatic judgment of "bridge breaking success".

[0052] Furthermore, a dust removal port is also provided on the shell. The angle between the axis of the dust removal port and the horizontal plane is in the range of 15° to 20°. The axis of the dust removal port is perpendicular to the axis of the purge port, that is, the dust removal port is perpendicular to the conical surface inside the shell. The dust removal port is also set downward and is located at the lower position of the shell to facilitate the falling of dust, so as to ensure that after the backblowing "breaks the bridge", the fuel ball will fall to the ball outlet by gravity.

[0053] It should be understood that since the inner diameter of the dust removal port is larger than the fuel ball, in order to prevent the fuel ball from entering the dust removal port, an interception structure needs to be set at the dust removal port, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a dust removal plate 170 is further provided at the dust removal port of the shell 110. The dust removal plate 170 is provided with a plurality of filter holes to intercept the fuel balls in the shell and discharge the dust to the outside.

[0054] It should be noted that this embodiment does not specifically limit the structure of the filter holes. For example, through holes with other structures such as round holes, elliptical holes, and square holes are all acceptable.

[0055] Furthermore, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in other preferred embodiments, the device also includes a dust removal pipe 160, one end of which is coaxially connected to the dust removal port, and the other end of the dust removal pipe 160 is connected to a dust tank or a dust collection pipeline to discharge the dust in the shell 110 to the dust tank or dust collection pipeline outside the shell 110.

[0056] It should be noted that the dust removal port and the dust removal tube of this embodiment have the same inner diameter and are coaxially arranged. In addition, in order to improve the dust removal efficiency, the inner diameters of both are larger than the fuel balls. For example, the inner diameters of the dust removal port and the dust removal tube are 65 to 80 mm.

[0057] It is not difficult to understand that the dust and debris collected in the dust removal pipe will accumulate more and more as the multi-pass device operates. In view of this, based on the structure of this embodiment, the radioactive dust can be blown to the existing dust collection equipment (dust tank or pulse back-blowing filter) of the fuel loading and unloading system through regular blowing. That is, when blowing the dust in the dust removal pipe, the blowing air source is introduced from the ball outlet pipe and led out from the dust removal pipe to form a dust removal channel. The blowing air source is quoted from the existing blowing pipeline of the helium compressor.

[0058] The present invention proposes a ball-passing multi-pass device for a high-temperature reactor fuel loading and unloading system, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0059] First, the over-ball multi-way device of the present application can realize double-row simultaneous over-ball, and two over-ball inlet pipelines share one launcher.

[0060] Second, the over-ball multi-way device of the present application can realize automatic determination of fuel ball "bridge", alarm and protection function when "bridge", "bridge" breaking after back blowing, automatic determination of "bridge" breaking success, etc.

[0061] Third, the over-ball multi-way device of the present application has the functions of collecting dust and debris, and regularly transferring the collected dust and debris to a dust collecting device, etc.

[0062] Fourth, the over-ball multi-way device of the present application has the characteristics of complete functions and high integration, and can replace and optimize the functions of the two devices of "debris collector + over-ball three-way device" in the existing equipment, is conducive to efficient operation of the fuel loading and unloading system of the pebble bed type high temperature reactor, improves the daily refueling amount, reduces the initial loading of the reactor and the transition core establishment process, and is conducive to early operation of the high temperature reactor.

[0063] It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A ball-passing multiway device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system, characterized in that, The device comprises: a shell, a first ball inlet, a second ball inlet and a purge port are arranged at a first end of the shell, and a ball outlet is arranged at a second end of the shell; fuel balls in two rows of spent fuel discharge pipelines enter the shell through the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet simultaneously and are output through the ball outlet; the second ball inlet is coaxially arranged with the ball outlet; the axis of the first ball inlet forms a 45° angle with the axis of the second ball inlet; when the fuel balls in the shell "bridge", a purge gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and led out through the purge port to blow the fuel balls to break the bridge; a dust removal port is further arranged on the shell, the angle between the axis of the dust removal port and the horizontal plane ranges from 15° to 20°, and the axis of the dust removal port is perpendicular to the axis of the purge port, so that dust in the shell is discharged through the dust removal port.

2. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further comprises a first ball inlet pipe, a second ball inlet pipe, a ball outlet pipe and a purge pipe; the first ball inlet pipe is coaxially connected with the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet pipe is coaxially connected with the second ball inlet, the ball outlet pipe is coaxially connected with the ball outlet, and the purge pipe is detachably connected with the purge port.

3. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner diameters of the first ball inlet, the second ball inlet, the ball outlet and the purge port are the same; the inner diameters of the first ball inlet pipe, the second ball inlet pipe and the ball outlet pipe are greater than the diameter of the fuel ball; the inner diameter of the purge pipe is less than the diameter of the fuel ball.

4. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A dust removal plate is further arranged at the dust removal port, and a plurality of filter holes are formed in the dust removal plate.

5. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device further comprises a dust removal pipe, one end of the dust removal pipe is coaxially connected with the dust removal port, and the other end of the dust removal pipe is connected with a dust collection pipeline; when dust accumulates too much in the dust removal pipe, a purge gas source is introduced from the ball outlet and led out through the dust removal pipe.

6. The oversphere multiport device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The device further comprises a judgment module, a time delay module and a processing module; wherein the judgment module is used to judge whether the number of fuel balls in the shell is less than 2, and when the number of fuel balls is greater than or equal to 2, it is judged that the fuel balls "bridge", and when the number of fuel balls is less than 2, it is judged that the device is running normally; the time delay module is used to delay for 3 seconds to 7 seconds when the fuel balls "bridge"; the processing module is used to introduce a purge gas source to blow the fuel balls to break the bridge, and simultaneously interlock the shutdown of the ball discharge equipment connected with the first ball inlet and the second ball inlet.

7. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further comprises an alarm module, which is used to issue an alarm when it is judged that the fuel balls "bridge".

8. The oversphere multi-pass device for use in a high temperature reactor fuel handling system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The device further comprises a purge control module, which is used to control the purge time and the stop time after each purge when blowing the fuel balls to break the bridge.

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