reactor

Abstract

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of nuclear reactors, in particular to a reactor. The reactor comprises a reactor core, a coolant loop, a high-temperature gas loop, a heat exchanger, a reactor vessel, a support, an overpressure protector and a pipeline. The reactor core is arranged in the reactor vessel, and the support is arranged outside the reactor vessel to support the reactor vessel. The support is formed with a cavity, and the cavity is filled with liquid. The coolant loop is arranged in the reactor vessel, the high-temperature gas loop is arranged outside the reactor vessel, and the heat exchanger is located between the coolant loop and the high-temperature gas loop. One end of the pipeline is arranged in the reactor vessel, and the other end of the pipeline is arranged in the support through the overpressure protector, so that when the heat exchanger is damaged and high-temperature gas flows into the reactor vessel, the gas pressure in the reactor vessel is greater than the preset pressure of the overpressure protector, and the gas in the reactor vessel flows into the cavity of the support.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of auxiliary component design technology for nuclear reactors, and specifically to a reactor. Background Technology

[0002] The statements herein are provided merely as background information in relation to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Small liquid metal coolant pool reactors (SLCs) compactly arrange the core and primary coolant runoff channels within the main container to reduce the required space. For this type of pool reactor, the main container encloses the entire active zone and primary coolant equipment. The weight of the main container and the mechanical loads from its internal components require stable and reliable support to ensure safe reactor operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A brief overview of this application is provided below to offer a basic understanding of certain aspects thereof. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive summary of the application. It is not intended to identify key or essential parts of the application, nor is it intended to limit its scope. Its purpose is merely to present certain concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0005] This invention provides a reactor. It includes: a reactor core, a coolant circuit, a high-temperature gas circuit, a heat exchanger, a reactor vessel, a support structure, an overpressure protector, and piping. The reactor core is disposed within the reactor vessel, and the support structure is disposed outside the reactor vessel to support it. The support structure has a cavity filled with liquid. The coolant circuit is disposed within the reactor vessel, the high-temperature gas circuit is disposed outside the reactor vessel, and the heat exchanger is located between the coolant circuit and the high-temperature gas circuit. One end of the piping is disposed within the reactor vessel, and the other end of the piping is disposed within the support structure via the overpressure protector. This allows gas within the reactor vessel to flow into the cavity of the support structure when the heat exchanger fails and high-temperature gas flows into the reactor vessel, causing the gas pressure in the reactor vessel to exceed the preset pressure of the overpressure protector.

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide effective support for the reactor vessel through the support member, bearing the mechanical loads caused by the reactor vessel and other factors. Furthermore, by incorporating pipelines and overpressure protectors, in the event of overpressure in the reactor vessel due to breaches in the coolant circuit or high-temperature gas circuit boundaries, the overpressure gas is discharged into the cavity of the support member, ensuring the safety of the reactor vessel. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the invention.

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0011] 10. Core; 20. Heat exchanger; 30. Reactor container; 40. Support components; 50. Overpressure protector; 60. Piping; 61. Bubble generating device; 71. Pressure relief device; 72. Pressure valve; 73. Pressure relief pipeline; 81. Chemical absorbent storage device; 82. Pressure valve; 83. Chemical absorbent blowing pipeline; 90. Coolant drive unit.

[0012] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are shown only in a schematic manner without affecting the reader's understanding. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For clarity and brevity, not all features of actual implementations are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific decisions must be made in the development of any such actual embodiment to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as complying with constraints related to the system and business, and these constraints may vary depending on the implementation. Furthermore, it should be understood that while development work can be very complex and time-consuming, such development work is merely a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the content of this application.

[0014] It should also be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring the invention with unnecessary details, only the device structure and / or processing steps closely related to the solution according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not closely related to the invention are omitted.

[0015] The reactor's heat-to-work conversion loop can employ either a Rankine cycle steam loop or a Brayton cycle supercritical carbon dioxide loop. The inventors of this invention have discovered that for both loops, a rupture at the primary or secondary loop boundary will allow a large amount of gas from the secondary loop to enter the main vessel, leading to an increase in pressure within the main vessel. As the boundary of the primary loop, the main vessel is crucial to the reactor's nuclear safety, and timely depressurization of the main vessel is essential. Furthermore, for pool reactors, the weight of the main vessel and the mechanical loads from its internal components require stable and reliable support.

[0016] Based on this, embodiments of the present invention provide a reactor. For example... Figure 1The diagram shows a schematic of the reactor structure, which includes: a core 10, a coolant circuit, a high-temperature gas circuit, a heat exchanger 20, a reactor vessel 30, a support structure 40, an overpressure protector 50, and piping 60. The core 10 is housed within the reactor vessel 30, while the support structure 40 is located outside the reactor vessel 30, providing support for it. The support structure 40 has a cavity filled with liquid. The coolant circuit is located within the reactor vessel 30, and the high-temperature gas circuit is located outside the reactor vessel 30. The heat exchanger 20 is situated between the coolant circuit and the high-temperature gas circuit to transfer heat from the coolant in the coolant circuit to the gas in the high-temperature gas circuit, thereby removing heat from the core 10.

[0017] One end of the pipeline 60 is installed inside the reactor vessel 30, and the other end of the pipeline 60 is installed inside the support member 40 via the overpressure protector 50, so that when the heat exchanger 20 is damaged and high-temperature gas flows into the reactor vessel 30, causing the gas pressure in the reactor vessel 30 to exceed the preset pressure of the overpressure protector 50, the gas in the reactor vessel 30 flows into the cavity of the support member 40.

[0018] In embodiments of the present invention, the support member 40 provides effective support for the reactor vessel 30, bearing the mechanical loads caused by the reactor vessel 30 and other factors. Furthermore, by providing the pipeline 60 and the overpressure protector 50, when the reactor vessel 30 experiences overpressure due to the failure of the coolant circuit or high-temperature gas circuit boundaries, the overpressure gas is discharged into the cavity of the support member 40, ensuring the safety of the reactor vessel 30.

[0019] In some embodiments, the liquid inside the cavity of the support member 40 can be water. In this embodiment, the support member 40 is configured as a closed device, which contains water. Under normal operating conditions, the water can provide a certain degree of neutron shielding.

[0020] In the embodiments of the present invention, without changing the original coolant circuit layout, a support member 40 for the reactor vessel 30 is designed, which combines the support function, radiation shielding function, and overpressure protection function of the reactor vessel 30. The spatial layout of the small reactor is optimized through functional integration, and a targeted design is made for the special situation of the heat-work conversion circuit, making full use of space and ensuring the safety of reactor operation.

[0021] In some embodiments, the stack container 30 is used to contain coolant, and a gas cavity is formed above the coolant liquid surface to contain gas.

[0022] In some embodiments, the reactor also includes a coolant drive unit 90 disposed within the reactor vessel 30 for driving the coolant circulation within the reactor vessel 30. Specifically, the coolant drive unit 90 drives the coolant to enter the reactor core 10 from the bottom to absorb heat from the reactor core 10 and flows out from the top of the reactor core 10. The coolant flowing out from the top of the reactor core 10 enters the heat exchanger 20, exchanges heat with the gas in the high-temperature gas loop, and then flows out and is absorbed by the coolant drive unit 90, so that the cooled coolant is transported to the bottom of the reactor core 10, thereby forming a coolant circulation loop and realizing the circulation of the coolant.

[0023] In some embodiments, the overpressure protector 50 is an overpressure protection tank that can hold gas at a certain pressure, thereby ensuring that the gas pressure inside the reactor vessel 30 does not become too high when the reactor is operating normally.

[0024] In some embodiments, an overpressure protection membrane is provided inside the overpressure protector 50. When the pressure of the gas entering the overpressure protector 50 exceeds the preset pressure that the overpressure protection membrane can withstand, the overpressure protection membrane ruptures, allowing the gas to enter the cavity of the support member 40.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the reactor further includes a bubble generating device 61, which is disposed at the other end of the pipe 60 and located at the bottom of the cavity. In embodiments of the present invention, by providing a bubble generating device 61 at one end of the pipe 60 located within the cavity of the support member 40, when the gas in the reactor vessel 30 is depressurized into the support member 40, the bubble generating device 61 can increase the contact area between the gas and the liquid within the cavity, thereby rapidly cooling the gas.

[0026] In some embodiments, the high-temperature gas loop can be a Rankine cycle steam loop. During normal reactor operation, the heat from the high-temperature coolant in the coolant loop is transferred to the steam in the high-temperature gas loop via the heat exchanger 20 to remove the heat from the reactor core 10.

[0027] When heat exchanger 20 fails, high-temperature, high-pressure steam from the high-temperature gas circuit enters the gas chamber of reactor vessel 30, causing a rapid increase in gas pressure within reactor vessel 30. At this time, steam enters overpressure protector 50 through pipe 60. When the gas pressure exceeds the preset pressure, the steam is further released through pipe 60 and then released into the cavity of support member 40 through bubble generating device 61. Bubble generating device 61 increases the contact area between steam and water in the cavity of support member 40, causing the steam to cool rapidly and liquefy into liquid water. Unliquefied steam is stored in the space above the liquid surface within support member 40.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the reactor also includes a pressure relief device 71, which is in fluid communication with the cavity of the support member 40. When the pressure in the cavity exceeds a predetermined pressure, the gas in the cavity flows into the pressure relief device 71, thereby relieving pressure in the cavity of the support member 40 and preventing excessive pressure inside the support member 40. The embodiments of the present invention, through multiple pressure relief safety measures, fundamentally ensure the safety of the reactor vessel 30 pressure.

[0029] Specifically, a pressure relief pipe 73 is connected between the pressure relief device 71 and the support member 40. One end of the pipe is in fluid communication with the air chamber above the liquid surface in the cavity of the support member 40, and the other end is connected to the pressure relief device 71. Thus, when the air pressure in the air chamber of the support member 40 exceeds the predetermined pressure, the gas is discharged to the pressure relief device 71.

[0030] In some embodiments, the pressure relief device 71 can be a release tank, which can collect a certain amount of gas to relieve pressure on the support member 40, while containing potentially radioactive gas within the pressure relief device 71 to ensure the safety of the reactor.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the reactor further includes a pressure valve 72, which is disposed on the connecting pipeline between the pressure relief device 71 and the cavity. In this embodiment, the pressure valve 72 is disposed on the pressure relief pipeline 73, which can control the pressure relief of the cavity of the support member 40.

[0032] In some embodiments, the pressure valve 72 is configured to open automatically when the pressure inside the cavity of the support member 40 reaches a predetermined pressure, so that gas flows to the pressure relief device 71, thereby realizing automatic pressure relief of the support member 40 and ensuring the safety of the reactor.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the liquid level inside the cavity of the support member 40 is higher than the liquid level inside the stack container 30, thereby improving the shielding effect of the liquid inside the support member 40 and enabling the support member 40 to better perform its shielding function.

[0034] In some embodiments, the high-temperature gas loop can be a supercritical carbon dioxide loop of the Brayton cycle. During normal reactor operation, the heat from the high-temperature coolant in the coolant loop is transferred to the carbon dioxide in the high-temperature gas loop through the heat exchanger 20, so as to remove the heat from the reactor core 10.

[0035] like Figure 2The diagram illustrates a reactor structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. When the boundary between the coolant circuit and the high-temperature gas circuit ruptures, i.e., when the heat exchanger 20 ruptures, high-temperature and high-pressure carbon dioxide from the high-temperature gas circuit enters the gas chamber of the reactor vessel 30, causing a rapid increase in pressure within the reactor vessel 30. At this time, carbon dioxide gas enters the overpressure protector 50 through the pipeline 60. When the pressure exceeds the preset pressure, the overpressure protection membrane ruptures, further releasing the pressure. The carbon dioxide gas is then discharged into the cavity of the support member 40 through the bubble generating device 61.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the reactor further includes a chemical absorbent storage device 81, which is connected in parallel with the pipeline between the overpressure protector 50 and the support member 40, and the chemical absorbent storage device 81 is in fluid communication with the cavity of the support member 40. In this embodiment, by providing the chemical absorbent storage device 81, the absorption efficiency of liquid carbon dioxide can be improved through the reaction of carbon dioxide gas with the chemical absorbent. Furthermore, by connecting the chemical absorbent storage device 81 in parallel with the pipeline 60 between the overpressure protector 50 and the support member 40, the timely release of pressure in the reactor vessel 30 can be prevented from being affected by the chemical absorbent.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the reactor further includes a pressure valve 82, which is disposed on the connecting pipeline between the chemical absorbent storage device 81 and the cavity of the support member 40. When the pressure in the chemical absorbent storage device 81 reaches a predetermined pressure, the pressure valve 82 can automatically open to allow gas to flow into the cavity of the support member 40, thereby depressurizing the reactor vessel 30 and ensuring the safety of the reactor.

[0038] In some embodiments, the chemical absorbent storage device 81 stores powdered absorbent. When the gas pressure of the stack container 30 is greater than the preset pressure of the overpressure protector 50, some of the high-temperature gas can enter the chemical absorbent storage device 81, so that the powdered absorbent therein enters the cavity of the support member 40 along with the high-temperature gas and dissolves in the liquid in the cavity to form an absorption solution. The absorption solution is used to absorb the high-temperature gas.

[0039] In some embodiments, the powder absorbent is sodium hydroxide powder, which is dissolved in water within the cavity to form a sodium hydroxide solution, thereby absorbing carbon dioxide gas. In other embodiments, the powder absorbent may also be other chemical powders that readily absorb carbon dioxide in solution.

[0040] In some embodiments, a chemical absorbent blowing pipe 83 is connected between the overpressure protector 50 and the support member 40, and is arranged in parallel with the pipe 60 between the overpressure protector 50 and the bubble generating device 61. The chemical absorbent storage device 81 and the pressure valve 82 are both arranged on the chemical absorbent blowing pipe, thereby preventing the flow rate of the powder absorbent from affecting the timely release of pressure in the stack container 30.

[0041] In this embodiment, the chemical solution for absorbing carbon dioxide uses an overpressure preparation method. By storing powdered absorbent in the chemical absorbent storage device 81, when the pressure in the stack container 30 exceeds the preset pressure, the powdered absorbent can enter the cavity of the support member 40 along with the high-temperature and high-pressure carbon dioxide gas to dissolve and prepare an absorption solution to absorb carbon dioxide gas, thereby preventing long-term corrosion of the support member 40 and other structural materials by the chemical solution.

[0042] When the pressure inside the overpressure protector 50 exceeds the preset pressure, most of the carbon dioxide gas flows through the pipe 60 to the cavity of the support member 40, while some carbon dioxide gas enters the chemical absorbent storage device 81. The sodium hydroxide powder dispersed in the chemical absorbent storage device 81 and the carbon dioxide gas form a gas-powder mixture. The pressure of the flowing carbon dioxide gas causes the pressure valve 82 to open, and the pressure of the pressure valve 82 provides the driving force to send the gas-powder mixture through the chemical absorbent blowing pipe 83 into the cavity of the support member 40, where it is configured as an absorption solution to absorb carbon dioxide. The bubble generating device 61 effectively increases the contact area between the chemical absorbent blowing pipe 83 and the absorption solution, allowing the carbon dioxide to be fully absorbed by the absorption solution. The unabsorbed portion is stored in the space above the liquid surface in the support member 40. If the pressure inside the cavity of the support member 40 is too high, the pressure valve 72 will open, releasing the gas through the pressure relief pipe 73 into the pressure relief device 71.

[0043] The reactor in this embodiment can automatically depressurize the reactor vessel 30, automatically absorb carbon dioxide, and automatically collect overpressure gas in the support member 40. Through multiple depressurization safety guarantees, the safety of the reactor vessel 30 pressure is fundamentally guaranteed, and the emission of carbon dioxide is prevented from affecting the environment.

[0044] In embodiments of the present invention, when the high-temperature gas circuit is a water vapor Rankine cycle, the following can be used: Figure 1 The arrangement shown allows overpressured water vapor to be directly discharged into the cavity of the support member 40. When the high-temperature gas circuit is a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle, the following can be used: Figure 2 The arrangement shown discharges the overpressurized carbon dioxide into the cavity of the support member 40, while the powdered absorbent stored in the chemical absorbent storage device 81 is used to prepare an absorption solution to improve the absorption efficiency of carbon dioxide gas.

[0045] The reactor using this embodiment of the invention can achieve automatic pressure relief of the reactor vessel 30, automatic absorption of water vapor or carbon dioxide, and automatic collection of overpressure gas from the support member 40. Through multiple pressure relief safety guarantees, the safety of the reactor vessel pressure is fundamentally ensured. Furthermore, this embodiment integrates safety facilities into the existing structure, achieving optimized space layout and facilitating reactor miniaturization.

[0046] Regarding the embodiments of the present invention, it should also be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0047] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. The scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A reactor, characterized in that, include: Core, coolant loop, high-temperature gas loop, heat exchanger, reactor vessel, support components, overpressure protector, piping; The core is disposed inside the reactor container, and the support member is disposed outside the reactor container to support the reactor container; the support member forms a cavity, and the cavity is filled with liquid; The coolant circuit is located inside the reactor vessel, the high-temperature gas circuit is located outside the reactor vessel, and the heat exchanger is located between the coolant circuit and the high-temperature gas circuit. One end of the pipeline is located inside the reactor container, and the other end of the pipeline is located inside the support member via the overpressure protector, so that when the heat exchanger is damaged and high-temperature gas flows into the reactor container, causing the gas pressure in the reactor container to exceed the preset pressure of the overpressure protector, the gas in the reactor container flows into the cavity of the support member. The reactor further includes a chemical absorbent storage device, which is connected in parallel with the overpressure protector and the support member via a connecting pipe, and the chemical absorbent storage device is connected to the cavity; The high-temperature gas circuit is a supercritical carbon dioxide circulation circuit, and the chemical absorbent storage device stores a powder absorbent, which is sodium hydroxide powder.

2. The reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A bubble generating device is disposed at the other end of the pipeline and at the bottom of the cavity.

3. The reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A pressure relief device is connected to the cavity, and when the pressure in the cavity exceeds a predetermined pressure, gas in the cavity flows into the pressure relief device.

4. The reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid level inside the cavity is higher than the liquid level inside the stack container.

5. The reactor according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A pressure valve is provided on the connecting pipeline between the pressure relief device and the cavity.

6. The reactor according to claim 5, characterized in that, The pressure valve is configured to open automatically when the pressure inside the cavity reaches a predetermined pressure, so that gas flows to the pressure relief device.

7. The reactor according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Also includes: A pressure valve is provided on the connecting pipeline between the chemical absorbent storage device and the cavity.

8. The reactor according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, When the gas pressure in the stack container exceeds the preset pressure of the overpressure protector, the powder absorbent enters the cavity along with the high-temperature gas and dissolves in the liquid within the cavity to form an absorption solution, which is used to absorb the high-temperature gas.

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