Reactor and its reactor vessel

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of pressure vessels of nuclear reactors, and in particular to a reactor and a reactor core vessel thereof, which comprises a vessel body, a plurality of cladding, a partition assembly, a plurality of inlet pipes and a plurality of outlet pipes. The plurality of cladding is arranged in the vessel body and is capable of forming a plurality of fuel channels for accommodating fuel; the partition assembly is arranged inside the vessel body and cooperates with the vessel body to form a plurality of cooling flow channels which are not in communication with each other, and the coolant in the reactor can enter the plurality of cooling flow channels respectively to cool the fuel in the fuel channels; the plurality of inlet pipes and the plurality of outlet pipes are arranged outside the vessel body, and the inlet pipes and the outlet pipes are arranged correspondingly with the cooling flow channels, the coolant flowing into the inlet pipes flows into the corresponding cooling flow channels, and the coolant flowing out of the cooling flow channels flows into the corresponding outlet pipes and flows out of the corresponding outlet pipes. The reactor core vessel provided by the embodiments of the present application can avoid the temperature of the fuel exceeding the melting point, and is beneficial to ensuring the safety of the reactor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this application relate to the field of pressure vessels for nuclear reactors, and more specifically to a reactor and its core container. Background Technology

[0002] The statements herein are provided merely as background information in connection with this application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Lunar reactors can provide energy to lunar bases through nuclear reactions, enabling them to break free from dependence on solar radiation. They have many advantages, such as high energy density, small size, light weight, strong environmental adaptability, and independence from sunlight. With the development of space technology, lunar reactors have been widely used in the design of lunar bases.

[0004] Since lunar reactors are used to provide energy for the lunar base, to ensure the safety of the personnel on the lunar base, the lunar reactors must still be able to output the electrical power needed for the lunar base to survive in the event of a failure, and not completely fail. However, commonly used reactors have only one primary loop in their core vessel. When the primary loop is damaged, the reactor stops operating and cannot output electrical power. Summary of the Invention

[0005] 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.

[0006] In related technologies, the reactor core container is typically configured with multiple primary loops, and each primary loop has a corresponding secondary loop. This ensures that if one or more primary loops fail, the remaining primary loops can still output electrical power. However, even after a primary loop fails, the fuel continues to generate heat, but the secondary loop corresponding to that primary loop cannot remove this heat. The heat is transferred to surrounding primary loops and then removed by their corresponding secondary loops. This inability to remove heat in a timely manner poses a safety hazard, as the fuel temperature may rise above its melting point.

[0007] In response to at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a reactor and its core container.

[0008] In a first aspect, the reactor core container provided in the embodiments of this application includes a container body, multiple cladding shells, a partition assembly, multiple inlet pipes, and multiple outlet pipes. Multiple cladding shells are disposed on the container body, forming multiple fuel channels for containing fuel. The partition assembly is disposed inside the container body and cooperates with the container body to form multiple cooling channels. These cooling channels are not interconnected. The multiple cooling channels and multiple cladding shells are configured such that coolant within the reactor can enter the multiple cooling channels respectively to cool the fuel in the fuel channels. Multiple inlet pipes are disposed outside the container body, corresponding to the cooling channels, so that coolant flowing into the inlet pipes flows into the corresponding cooling channels. Multiple outlet pipes are disposed outside the container body, corresponding to the cooling channels, so that coolant flowing out of the cooling channels flows into and out of the corresponding outlet pipes.

[0009] The core container provided in this application cools the fuel in the fuel channels by entering coolant in multiple unconnected cooling channels. This ensures that even if one cooling channel fails, coolant can still flow into the remaining cooling channels to cool the fuel, preventing the fuel in the fuel channels from continuously rising due to lack of cooling and thus preventing the fuel temperature from exceeding the melting point, which is beneficial to ensuring reactor safety. At the same time, it ensures that the reactor can still output electrical power even if one cooling channel fails.

[0010] Secondly, the reactor provided in the embodiments of this application includes the core container, fuel, and coolant supply unit provided in the embodiments of the first aspect of this application, wherein the fuel is disposed in the core container and the coolant supply unit is used to supply coolant to the core container. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Other objects and advantages of this application will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of this application.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core container provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0013] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of the reactor core container.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a top view of the second type of core container provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0015] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the reactor core container.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a top view of the third type of core container provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a top view of the fourth type of core container provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fifth type of core container provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the fifth type of reactor core container provided in the embodiments of this application, after omitting the container body and cladding.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0021] 100. Reactor core container;

[0022] 10. Container body; 20. Cladding; 201. Fuel channel;

[0023] 30. Separation assembly; 301. Cooling channel; 3011. Intermediate pipe; 3012. Liquid inlet chamber; 3013. Liquid outlet chamber; 31. Liquid inlet partition plate; 310. Liquid inlet clearance hole; 32. Liquid outlet partition plate; 320. Liquid outlet clearance hole; 33. Intermediate pipe casing; 3001. Intermediate pipe fitting; 30010. Through hole;

[0024] 40. Inlet pipe; 50. Outlet pipe.

[0025] 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

[0026] Exemplary embodiments of this application 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.

[0027] It should also be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring this application with unnecessary details, only the equipment structure and / or processing steps closely related to the solution according to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not closely related to this application are omitted.

[0028] See Figure 1 and Figure 2The embodiments of this application provide a reactor core container 100, which may include a container body 10, multiple cladding shells 20, a partition assembly 30, multiple liquid inlet pipes 40 and multiple liquid outlet pipes 50. Multiple cladding shells 20 are disposed on the container body 10, forming multiple fuel channels 201 for containing fuel; a separator assembly 30 is disposed inside the container body 10 to cooperate with the container body 10 to form multiple cooling channels 301, which are not interconnected. The multiple cooling channels 301 and the multiple cladding shells are configured such that the coolant in the reactor can enter the multiple cooling channels 301 respectively to cool the fuel in the fuel channels 201; multiple liquid inlet pipes 40 are disposed outside the container body 10, corresponding to the cooling channels 301, so that the coolant flowing into the liquid inlet pipes 40 flows into the corresponding cooling channel 301; multiple liquid outlet pipes 50 are disposed outside the container body 10, corresponding to the cooling channels 301, so that the coolant flowing out of the cooling channels 301 flows into the corresponding liquid outlet pipes 50 and flows out from the corresponding liquid outlet pipes 50.

[0029] The core container 100 provided in the embodiments of this application cools the fuel in the fuel channels 201 by entering coolant in multiple non-interconnected cooling channels 301. This ensures that even if one cooling channel 301 fails, coolant can still flow into the remaining cooling channels 301 to cool the fuel. This prevents the fuel in the fuel channels 201 from continuously rising in temperature due to lack of cooling, thereby preventing the fuel temperature from exceeding the melting point and ensuring reactor safety. At the same time, it ensures that the reactor can still output electrical power even if one cooling channel 301 fails.

[0030] In some embodiments, the fuel passage 201 is open at both ends. In other embodiments, the fuel passage 201 is open at one end. After fuel is inserted into the fuel passage 201, both ends or one end of the fuel passage 201 may be sealed or otherwise secured as needed.

[0031] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the number of cooling channels 301 can be two or three. In some embodiments, when the core vessel 100 is provided with two cooling channels 301, the reactor can output half of its original power after one cooling channel 301 fails; when the core vessel 100 is provided with three cooling channels 301, the reactor can output two-thirds of its original power after one cooling channel 301 fails.

[0032] In some embodiments, the number of fuel channels 201 and the number of cooling channels 301 can be designed according to actual needs.

[0033] In some embodiments, the core container 100 can be used for a lunar reactor, or for an unmanned or manned reactor located on land or at sea.

[0034] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, multiple cooling channels 301 are evenly distributed within the container body 10. In such embodiments, when one cooling channel 301 fails, the evenly distributed multiple cooling channels 301 result in a lower fuel temperature rise, which helps to prevent the fuel temperature from exceeding its melting point. At the same time, because the fuel temperature rise is lower, mature materials (such as 316L stainless steel) can be used as the material for the container body 10, which helps to reduce the processing and manufacturing difficulty of the core container 100.

[0035] Easy to understand, Figure 2 and Figure 3 The diagram showing the distribution of fuel passages 201 and cooling channels 301 is provided only and does not represent the actual number.

[0036] In some embodiments, when one cooling channel 301 fails, the temperature rise of the fuel can be avoided or reduced by decreasing the thermal power of the reactor core. In some embodiments, multiple fuel channels 201 may be arranged in a triangular grid.

[0037] In some embodiments, the container body 10, the plurality of cladding shells 20, and the partition assembly 30 are integrally formed. In such embodiments, it is beneficial to improve the structural strength of the core container 100.

[0038] In some embodiments, the container body 10, the plurality of cladding shells 20, and the partition components 30 are integrally formed by 3D printing. In such embodiments, 3D printing enables the integral forming of the container body 10, the plurality of cladding shells 20, and the partition components 30 without welding, eliminating issues of weld quality and weld reliability, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the core container 100; at the same time, 3D printing can significantly shorten the processing and manufacturing cycle of the core container 100.

[0039] See Figure 4In some embodiments, each cooling channel 301 includes multiple intermediate pipes 3011, multiple inlet chambers 3012, and multiple outlet chambers 3013. Intermediate pipes 3011 are correspondingly arranged with inlet chambers 3012, so that coolant flowing into the inlet chambers 3012 flows into the corresponding intermediate pipes 3011. Intermediate pipes 3011 are also correspondingly arranged with outlet chambers 3013, so that coolant flowing out of the intermediate pipes 3011 flows into the corresponding outlet chambers 3013 and out of the corresponding outlet chambers 3013. Inlet chambers 3012 are also correspondingly arranged with inlet pipes 40, so that coolant flowing into the inlet pipes 40 flows into the corresponding inlet chambers 3012. Outlet chambers 3013 are also correspondingly arranged with outlet pipes 50, so that coolant flowing out of the outlet chambers 3013 flows into the corresponding outlet pipes 50. The multiple inlet chambers 3012 and the multiple outlet chambers 3013 are not interconnected. In such an embodiment, the liquid inlet chamber 3012 and liquid outlet chamber 3013 are not interconnected, so that each cooling channel 301 is not interconnected, thereby allowing the coolant to still flow into the remaining cooling channels 301 to cool the fuel in the fuel channel 201 when one cooling channel 301 fails.

[0040] In some embodiments, the multiple intermediate pipes 3011 within each cooling channel 301 can be divided into multiple groups, and each group of intermediate pipes 3011 is connected to the same liquid inlet chamber 3012 and liquid outlet chamber 3013. In some embodiments, the structure of the cooling channel 301, the number of intermediate pipes 3011 within each cooling channel 301, and the number of groups of intermediate pipes 3011 can be designed according to actual needs.

[0041] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the shape of the intermediate conduit 3011 can be set according to actual usage needs; for example, the shape of the intermediate conduit 3011 can be set as cylindrical. See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 It is easy to understand that the shape of the intermediate pipe 3011 can also be other shapes besides cylindrical.

[0042] See Figure 5 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the container body 10, multiple shells 20 and partition components 30 can also be integrally formed by welding.

[0043] See Figure 4In some embodiments, the partition assembly 30 may include a plurality of inlet partition plates 31 and a plurality of outlet partition plates 32. The plurality of inlet partition plates 31 are arranged parallel to each other inside the container body 10, and the plurality of inlet partition plates 31 and the inner wall of the container body 10 together form a plurality of inlet chambers 3012; the plurality of outlet partition plates 32 are arranged parallel to each other inside the container body 10, and the plurality of outlet partition plates 32 and the inner wall of the container body 10 together form a plurality of outlet chambers 3013; wherein each inlet partition plate 31 and each outlet partition plate 32 respectively forms a plurality of inlet clearance holes 310 and a plurality of outlet clearance holes 320 for the passage of the plurality of casings 20. In such embodiments, the plurality of non-communicating inlet chambers 3012 and multiple outlet chambers 3013 can be formed by the plurality of inlet partition plates 31 and multiple outlet partition plates 32, thereby enabling the plurality of cooling channels 301 to be non-communicating.

[0044] See Figure 1 In some embodiments, multiple inlet pipes 40 are staggered in both the circumferential and vertical directions of the container body 10, and multiple outlet pipes 50 are staggered in both the circumferential and vertical directions of the container body 10. In such embodiments, it is convenient for coolant to flow into the multiple inlet pipes 40 respectively, and for coolant flowing from the intermediate pipe 3011 into the multiple outlet pipes 50 to flow out from the outlet pipes 50.

[0045] See Figure 4 In some embodiments, the partition assembly 30 may further include multiple intermediate pipe casings 33 disposed inside the container body 10, forming multiple intermediate pipes 3011. The intermediate pipe casings 33 are correspondingly disposed with the inlet partition plate 31 and the outlet partition plate 32. One end of each intermediate pipe casing 33 is connected to the corresponding inlet partition plate 31, and the other end is connected to the corresponding outlet partition plate 32. The remaining inlet partition plates 31 and the remaining outlet partition plates 32 all form through holes 30010 to allow passage of intermediate pipe casings 33 that do not correspond to them. In such embodiments, the intermediate pipe casings 33 are correspondingly disposed with the inlet partition plate 31 and the outlet partition plate 32, so that the intermediate pipes 3011 are correspondingly disposed with the inlet chamber 3012 and the outlet chamber 3013, thereby ensuring that each cooling channel 301 is not interconnected.

[0046] See Figure 7 and Figure 8In some embodiments, the separator 30 may include a plurality of helical intermediate tubes 3001, each intermediate tube 3001 extending helically along the axis of the container body 10. The intermediate tubes 3001 are correspondingly arranged with the inlet chambers 3012 so that coolant flowing into the inlet chambers 3012 flows into the corresponding intermediate tube 3001. The intermediate tubes 3001 are also correspondingly arranged with the outlet chambers 3013 so that coolant flowing out of the intermediate tubes 3001 flows into and out of the corresponding outlet chambers 3013. Each intermediate tube 3001 has a plurality of through holes 30010 for the passage of the plurality of casings 20. In such an embodiment, multiple intermediate pipes 3001 can form multiple intermediate pipes 3011, and each intermediate pipe 3001 has a through hole 30010 for multiple casings 20 to pass through, so that the coolant flowing into each intermediate pipe 3011 can simultaneously cool the fuel in multiple fuel channels 201, thereby ensuring that when one or more intermediate pipes 3011 fail, the remaining intermediate pipes 3011 can still cool the fuel in multiple fuel channels 201.

[0047] Embodiments of this application also provide a reactor, which includes a core container 100, fuel, and a coolant supply unit. The fuel is disposed in the core container 100, and the coolant supply unit is used to supply coolant to the core container 100.

[0048] In some embodiments, the reactor is not loaded with fuel at launch; fuel can be loaded on the lunar surface after launch. In such embodiments, since the core container 100 is empty at launch, even in the event of a launch failure and subsequent fall, the core will not reach a critical or supercritical state, thus ensuring reactor safety.

[0049] Regarding the embodiments of this application, it should also be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0050] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A reactor core container, characterized in that, include: The container body and multiple shells are disposed on the container body and form multiple fuel channels for containing fuel; A separation component is disposed inside the container body and is used to cooperate with the container body to form multiple cooling channels. The multiple cooling channels are not interconnected. The multiple cooling channels and the multiple cladding shells are configured such that the coolant in the reactor can enter the multiple cooling channels respectively to cool the fuel in the fuel channels. Multiple liquid inlet pipes are provided on the outside of the container body. The liquid inlet pipes are correspondingly arranged with the cooling channels so that the coolant flowing into the liquid inlet pipes flows into the corresponding cooling channels. Multiple liquid outlet pipes are disposed outside the container body. The liquid outlet pipes are correspondingly disposed to the cooling channel so that the coolant flowing out of the cooling channel flows into the corresponding liquid outlet pipe and flows out from the corresponding liquid outlet pipe. The multiple cooling channels are evenly distributed within the container body; This ensures that even if one cooling channel fails, coolant can still flow into the remaining cooling channels to cool the fuel, preventing the fuel in the fuel channels from continuously rising in temperature due to lack of cooling. Each of the aforementioned cooling channels includes multiple intermediate pipes, multiple liquid inlet chambers, and multiple liquid outlet chambers. The intermediate pipeline is configured corresponding to the liquid inlet chamber, so that the coolant flowing into the liquid inlet chamber flows into the corresponding intermediate pipeline. The intermediate pipeline is configured to correspond to the liquid outlet chamber, so that the coolant flowing out from the intermediate pipeline flows into the corresponding liquid outlet chamber and flows out from the corresponding liquid outlet chamber; The liquid inlet chamber is also correspondingly provided with the liquid inlet pipe, and the coolant flowing in from the liquid inlet pipe flows into the corresponding liquid inlet chamber. The liquid outlet chamber is also correspondingly provided with the liquid outlet pipe, and the coolant flowing out of the liquid outlet chamber flows to the corresponding liquid outlet pipe; The plurality of liquid inlet chambers are not interconnected with each other, and the plurality of liquid outlet chambers are not interconnected with each other.

2. The reactor core container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The container body, the multiple shells, and the partition components are integrally formed.

3. The reactor core container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separation component includes: Multiple liquid inlet partitions are arranged parallel to each other inside the container body, and the multiple liquid inlet partitions and the inner wall of the container body together form the multiple liquid inlet chambers; Multiple liquid outlet partitions are arranged parallel to each other inside the container body, and the multiple liquid outlet partitions and the inner wall of the container body together form the multiple liquid outlet chambers; Each of the liquid inlet partition plates and each of the liquid outlet partition plates has multiple clearance holes to allow the multiple casings to pass through.

4. The reactor core container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple inlet pipes are staggered in both the circumferential and vertical directions of the container body. The multiple outlet pipes are staggered in both the circumferential and vertical directions of the container body.

5. The core container according to claim 3, characterized in that, The separation component also includes: Multiple intermediate pipelines are encased inside the container body, and these multiple encasing shells form multiple intermediate pipelines. The intermediate pipeline casing is correspondingly provided with the liquid inlet separator and the liquid outlet separator. One end of each intermediate pipeline casing is connected to the corresponding liquid inlet separator, and the other end is connected to the corresponding liquid outlet separator. The remaining inlet and outlet partition plates all have through holes to allow the intermediate pipeline casing, which does not correspond to them, to pass through.

6. The reactor core container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The partition assembly includes multiple helical intermediate tubes, each extending helically along the axis of the container body. The intermediate pipe is correspondingly arranged with the liquid inlet chamber so that the coolant flowing into the liquid inlet chamber flows into the corresponding intermediate pipe. The intermediate pipe is configured to correspond to the liquid outlet chamber, so that the coolant flowing out of the intermediate pipe flows into the corresponding liquid outlet chamber and flows out of the corresponding liquid outlet chamber; Each of the intermediate tubes has multiple through holes for the multiple sheaths to pass through.

7. The core container according to claim 2, characterized in that, The container body, the multiple shells, and the partition components are integrally formed by 3D printing.

8. A reactor, characterized in that, Includes the core container, fuel and coolant supply unit as described in any one of claims 1-7. The fuel is disposed in the core container, and the coolant supply unit is used to supply coolant to the core container.

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