Nuclear power source for generating power by using temperature difference

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the field of devices for directly generating electric energy through fusion or fission reaction, in particular to a nuclear power source for generating power through temperature difference. The apparatus comprises: a reaction module configured to be capable of generating heat; the power generation module comprises a plurality of power generation elements, each power generation element is fixedly connected with the reaction module on the radial outer side of the reaction module, and heat generated by the reaction module can be transmitted to each power generation element; the heat dissipation module is arranged on the radial outer side of each power generation element and fixedly connected with each power generation element, and heat of each power generation element can be transmitted to the heat dissipation module so that heat of each power generation element can be dissipated through the heat dissipation module; wherein a temperature difference exists between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of each power generation element, and each power generation element can generate electric power according to the temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side. The nuclear power supply provided by the embodiment of the invention can generate the electric power according to the temperature difference, can avoid vibration, and is beneficial to improving the reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of devices for directly generating electrical energy from fusion or fission reactions, and specifically to a nuclear power source for generating electricity using temperature differences. Background Art

[0002] The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] During the operation of a spacecraft, there is a long period of time when it is not exposed to solar radiation energy. The traditional method of generating electricity using solar radiation energy cannot provide long-term energy for the spacecraft and is not suitable for spacecraft. Therefore, radioactive isotope batteries are usually used to provide long-term energy for spacecraft.

[0004] Plutonium isotopes are usually used as fuel in radioactive isotope batteries. However, due to the shortage of plutonium isotopes, as the number of spacecraft continues to increase, the number of radioactive isotope batteries cannot meet the energy needs of many spacecraft. Summary of the invention

[0005] A brief overview of the present application is provided below in order to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the present application. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive overview of the present application. It is not intended to identify the key or important parts of the present application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present application. Its purpose is merely to present certain concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description discussed later.

[0006] Nuclear power can generate heat energy through the core of a nuclear reactor and convert it into electrical energy, which can get rid of the energy dependence on solar radiation. Therefore, nuclear power can replace isotope batteries to provide long-term energy for spacecraft. Nuclear power in related technologies usually uses Stirling generators to achieve thermal-electric conversion. Since Stirling generators vibrate during the power generation process, the reliability of nuclear power is adversely affected.

[0007] In view of at least one aspect of the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a nuclear power source (hereinafter referred to as a nuclear power source) that generates electricity using temperature difference, which includes a reaction module, a power generation module, and a heat dissipation module. The reaction module is configured to generate heat; the power generation module includes a plurality of power generation elements, each of which is arranged on the radial outer side of the reaction module and is fixedly connected to the reaction module, and the heat generated by the reaction module can be transferred to each power generation element; the heat dissipation module is arranged on the radial outer side of each power generation element and is fixedly connected to each power generation element, and the heat of each power generation element can be transferred to the heat dissipation module, so as to use the heat dissipation module to dissipate the heat of each power generation element; wherein, there is a temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of each power generation element, and each power generation element can generate electric power according to the temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side.

[0008] The nuclear power supply provided in the embodiment of the present application transfers the heat generated by the reaction module to the power generation element, and dissipates the heat of the power generation element through the heat dissipation module, so that a temperature difference is formed between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of the power generation element, so that the power generation element can generate electric power according to the temperature difference, vibration can be avoided, and the reliability of the nuclear power supply is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other objects and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present application.

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a nuclear power source for generating electricity using temperature difference provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a nuclear power supply is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the shell of a nuclear power supply is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the shell of a nuclear power supply at the third shell is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the nuclear power supply is shown.

[0015] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the nuclear power supply at the third casing is shown.

[0016] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the nuclear power supply at the second housing is shown.

[0017] Description of reference numerals:

[0018] 100. Nuclear power source;

[0019] 10. Reaction module; 11. Fuel assembly; 111. Fuel element; 112. Evaporation fitting; 12. Shell; 1201. Accommodation chamber; 1202. Heat exchange chamber; 1203. Reflux member; 121. First shell; 122. Second shell; 123. Third shell; 13. Radial reflection layer; 14. Control drum; 141. Absorption part; 142. Main body; 15. Shielding layer; 16. Control drum driving mechanism;

[0020] 20. Power generation module; 21. Power generation element;

[0021] 30. heat dissipation module; 31. heat dissipation element.

[0022] It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are merely shown in a schematic manner that does not affect the reader's understanding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, not all features of the actual implementation are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific decisions must be made in the process of developing any such actual implementation in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting those constraints related to the system and business, and these constraints may vary from implementation to implementation. In addition, it should be understood that although the development work may be very complex and time-consuming, it is only a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the content of this application.

[0024] It is also necessary to explain here that, in order to avoid obscuring the present application due to unnecessary details, only the device structure and / or processing steps closely related to the scheme according to the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not very relevant to the present application are omitted.

[0025] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2The embodiment of the present application provides a nuclear power source 100 for generating electricity by using temperature difference, which includes a reaction module 10, a power generation module 20 and a heat dissipation module 30. The reaction module 10 is configured to generate heat; the power generation module 20 includes a plurality of power generation elements 21, each of which is arranged on the radial outer side of the reaction module 10 and is fixedly connected to the reaction module 10, and the heat generated by the reaction module 10 can be transferred to each power generation element 21; the heat dissipation module 30 is arranged on the radial outer side of each power generation element 21 and is fixedly connected to each power generation element 21, and the heat of each power generation element 21 can be transferred to the heat dissipation module 30, so as to use the heat dissipation module 30 to dissipate the heat of each power generation element 21; wherein, there is a temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of each power generation element 21, and each power generation element 21 can generate electric power according to the temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side.

[0026] The nuclear power supply 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application transfers the heat generated by the reaction module 10 to the power generation element 21, and dissipates the heat of the power generation element 21 through the heat dissipation module 30, so that a temperature difference is formed between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of the power generation element 21, so that the power generation element 21 can generate electric power according to the temperature difference, vibration can be avoided, and the reliability of the nuclear power supply 100 is improved.

[0027] In some embodiments, the operating temperature of the nuclear power supply 100 is 600° C., so that mature materials can be used, which is beneficial to shorten the R&D cycle and reduce the R&D cost.

[0028] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the reaction module 10 may include a fuel assembly 11 and a shell 12. The fuel assembly 11 is composed of a plurality of fuel elements 111, each of which is configured to generate heat; the plurality of fuel elements 111 are disposed inside the shell 12, the power generation module 20 is disposed radially outside the shell 12, and the power generation module 20 is fixedly connected to the shell 12; wherein the shell 12 contains a cooling medium for cooling the plurality of fuel elements 111, and the heat generated by the plurality of fuel elements 111 can be transferred to the shell 12 via the cooling medium, and then transferred to the power generation module 20. In such an embodiment, the heat generated by the fuel element 111 can be transferred to the shell 12 via the cooling medium in the shell 12, and then transferred to the power generation module 20, which is conducive to improving the heat transfer efficiency between the fuel element 111 and the power generation module 20.

[0029] In some embodiments, the cooling medium may be sodium metal.

[0030] In some embodiments, the power generation element 21 is connected to the housing 12 by welding.

[0031] In some embodiments, the housing 12 may be made of 316L stainless steel. In some embodiments, the fuel element 111 may be uranium dioxide fuel or uranium zirconium trioxide fuel clad in 316L stainless steel.

[0032] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the shell 12 is formed with a accommodating cavity 1201 and a heat exchange cavity 1202 located above the accommodating cavity 1201, the heat exchange cavity 1202 is communicated with the accommodating cavity 1201, a plurality of fuel elements 111 and a cooling medium are arranged in the accommodating cavity 1201, the power generation module 20 is arranged on the radial outer side of the heat exchange cavity 1202, and the power generation module 20 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the heat exchange cavity 1202; the cooling medium can absorb the heat generated by the plurality of fuel elements 111 in the accommodating cavity 1201 and evaporate, and the evaporated cooling medium can spontaneously enter the heat exchange cavity 1202 to exchange heat with the shell 12 and condense, so as to transfer the heat to the shell 12, and then transfer it to the power generation module 20; the condensed cooling medium can return to the accommodating cavity 1201. In such an embodiment, the evaporated cooling medium can spontaneously enter the heat exchange chamber 1202 to exchange heat with the shell 12 and condense, and the heat generated by the fuel element 111 can be transferred to the shell 12 and the power generation module 20 without the aid of active equipment such as pumps, thereby enabling the nuclear power supply 100 to operate passively; at the same time, the condensed cooling medium returns to the containing chamber 1201 to ensure that there is always enough cooling medium in the containing chamber 1201, which is beneficial to ensuring the heat transfer efficiency between the fuel element 111 and the power generation module 20, and there is no need to replenish the containing chamber 1201.

[0033] In some embodiments, before the nuclear power source 100 is started, the metallic sodium in the accommodation chamber 1201 is solid; after the nuclear power source 100 is started, the solid metallic sodium absorbs the heat generated by the fuel element 111 and melts to become liquid metallic sodium; the liquid metallic sodium absorbs the heat generated by the fuel element 111 in the accommodation chamber 1201 to become sodium vapor and enter the heat exchange chamber 1202; the sodium vapor in the heat exchange chamber 1202 condenses to become liquid sodium and returns to the accommodation chamber 1201. In some embodiments, the liquid level of the liquid sodium in the accommodation chamber 1201 is located above the top of the fuel element 111, so that multiple fuel elements 111 can be immersed in the liquid sodium.

[0034] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4In some embodiments, the housing 12 may include a first housing 121, a second housing 122, and a third housing 123 connecting the first housing 121 and the second housing 122, the first housing 121 and the third housing 123 forming a heat exchange chamber 1202, the second housing 122 forming a receiving chamber 1201, and a plurality of power generation elements 21 being arranged radially outside the third housing 123; wherein the cross section of the third housing 123 is a regular polygon, and a plurality of power generation elements 21 being arranged radially outside each side of the regular polygon. In such an embodiment, a plurality of power generation elements 21 are arranged radially outside each side of the regular polygon, so that the heat sink 31 connected one-to-one with the power generation element 21 is also arranged radially outside each side of the regular polygon, thereby avoiding interference between the heat sinks 31.

[0035] See also Figure 3 In some embodiments, the first housing 121 may be a circular arc dome, the cross section of the second housing 122 may be a cylinder, and the cross section of the third housing 123 may be a regular octagon. In some embodiments, the power generation element 21 is connected to the third housing 123 by welding.

[0036] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, the heat dissipation module 30 may include a plurality of heat dissipation members 31, each heat dissipation member 31 is disposed on the radially outer side of each power generation element 21, and each heat dissipation member 31 is fixedly connected to a power generation element 21. In such an embodiment, the heat dissipation members 31 are connected to the power generation elements 21 in a one-to-one correspondence, so that each heat dissipation member 31 can dissipate heat for a corresponding power generation element 21, which is conducive to maintaining a uniform temperature of each power generation element 21.

[0037] In some embodiments, the heat sink 31 is connected to the power generation element 21 by welding. In some embodiments, the heat sink 31 may be an aluminum fin or a carbon-carbon fin.

[0038] See also Figure 4 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the housing 12 may include a reflux member 1203 disposed on the inner wall of the heat exchange cavity 1202, for returning the condensed cooling medium to the receiving cavity 1201. In such an embodiment, the reflux member 1203 is conducive to increasing the rate at which the condensed cooling medium returns to the receiving cavity 1201.

[0039] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the return member 1203 is disposed on the inner wall of the third housing 123. In some embodiments, the return member 1203 may be a wick structure made of 316L stainless steel, such as a capillary mesh, a main channel or annular mesh.

[0040] See also Figure 6In some embodiments, the fuel assembly 11 may further include an evaporation fitting 112, which is disposed on the surface of each fuel element 111 and is used to allow the cooling medium in the accommodating cavity 1201 to fill the surface of each fuel element 111, so that the cooling medium in the accommodating cavity 1201 can fully absorb the heat generated by each fuel element 111. In such an embodiment, the evaporation fitting 112 can ensure that even in a gravity-free space environment, the surface of the fuel element 111 still has enough cooling medium, which is beneficial to ensure the heat transfer efficiency between the fuel element 111 and the power generation module 20.

[0041] In some embodiments, the evaporation fitting 112 may be a wick structure made of 316L stainless steel, such as a capillary mesh, a dry channel or annular mesh.

[0042] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the reaction module 10 may further include a radial reflection layer 13, a plurality of control drums 14, a shielding layer 15, and a plurality of control drum driving mechanisms 16. The radial reflection layer 13 is arranged on the radial outer side of the second shell 122, the plurality of control drums 14 are uniformly arranged in the radial reflection layer 13 along the circumferential direction, and the shielding layer 15 is arranged at the lower end of the radial reflection layer 13; the plurality of control drum driving mechanisms 16 are arranged on the shielding layer 15, and the plurality of control drum driving mechanisms 16 are correspondingly connected to the plurality of control drums 14 to drive the control drums 14 to rotate. In such an embodiment, the control drums 14 can be driven to rotate by the control drum driving mechanisms 16 to adjust the power of the fuel element 111; at the same time, the plurality of control drum driving mechanisms 16 are correspondingly connected to the plurality of control drums 14, so that each control drum 14 can rotate to different angles under the driving action of the corresponding control drum driving mechanisms 16, so that the power of the fuel element 111 can be flexibly adjusted.

[0043] In some embodiments, the radial reflective layer 13 may be made of beryllium.

[0044] See also Figure 7 In some embodiments, each control drum 14 may include a main body 142 and an absorption part 141. The corresponding control drum 14 driving structure is connected to the main body 142; the absorption part 141 is used to adjust the power of the fuel element 111. When the absorption part 141 rotates to approach the fuel element 111, the power of the fuel element 111 decreases; when the absorption part 141 rotates to be away from the fuel element 111, the power of the fuel element 111 increases.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the absorption parts 141 of all control drums 14 rotate to be close to the fuel element 111, the fuel element 111 stops generating heat; when the absorption parts 141 of all control drums 14 rotate to be away from the fuel element 111, the power of the fuel element 111 reaches a maximum; by adjusting the number of absorption parts 141 close to the fuel element 111, flexible adjustment of the power of the fuel element 111 is achieved.

[0046] In some embodiments, after the nuclear power supply 100 starts to operate, multiple control drums 14 can be driven separately by multiple control drum driving mechanisms 16 to rotate the absorption parts 141 of the multiple control drums 14 away from the fuel elements 111 so that the fuel elements 111 reach a preset power; then, the control drums 14 are stopped from rotating so that the fuel elements 111 can operate stably at the preset power.

[0047] In some embodiments, the main body portion 142 may be made of beryllium, and the absorbing portion 141 may be made of boron carbide.

[0048] In some embodiments, the reaction module 10 may further include a heat insulation layer, which is disposed on the radially outer side of the shell 12 to keep the shell 12 warm. In such an embodiment, the heat loss of the shell 12 can be reduced by keeping the shell 12 warm through the heat insulation layer, so that the shell 12 has a higher temperature, and the radially inner side of the power generation element 21 connected to the shell 12 also has a higher temperature, so that a temperature difference can be formed between the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the power generation element 21.

[0049] In some embodiments, a heat insulating layer is disposed on the radial outer side of the first shell 121 and the second shell 122. In some embodiments, two adjacent power generation elements 21 disposed in the third shell 123 form a cavity with the third shell 123, and a heat insulating layer is disposed on the radial outer side of the third shell 123 forming the cavity, and no heat insulating layer is disposed at the connection between the third shell 123 and the plurality of power generation elements 21.

[0050] In some embodiments, the insulation layer may be made from multiple layers of foil insulation material.

[0051] In some embodiments, the power generation element 21 is made of silicon germanium. Since silicon germanium has good radiation resistance, in such an embodiment, it is beneficial to increase the service life of the power generation element 21, and further to increase the service life of the nuclear power source 100.

[0052] In some embodiments, a shielding member may be provided between the power generation element 21 and the shell member to shield the fuel element 111 from irradiation.

[0053] The electric power of the nuclear power source 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application can be in the order of 100We to 1000We. In some embodiments, the size, quantity, operating temperature and thermal power of the fuel element 111, the outer diameter of the first shell 121, the height of the third shell 123, the size, quantity, cold end temperature and hot end temperature of the power generation element 21 can be determined according to the actual output electric power of the nuclear power source 100.

[0054] Taking the nuclear power source 100 with an electric power of 100We as an example, the outer diameter of the second shell 122 is 30cm, the height of the third shell 123 is 100cm, the thermal power of the fuel element 111 is 7.5kW, the operating temperature of the fuel element 111 is 600°C, the hot end temperature of the power generation element 21 is 504°C, and the cold end temperature of the power generation element 21 is 338°C (under this temperature condition, the power generation efficiency of the power generation element 21 is 1.3%).

[0055] Regarding the embodiments of the present application, it should also be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features therein can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0056] The above are only specific implementation methods of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. The protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A nuclear power source for generating electricity using temperature difference, characterized in that: include: A reaction module configured to generate heat; A power generation module, the power generation module comprising a plurality of power generation elements, each of which is arranged radially outside the reaction module and fixedly connected to the reaction module, and the heat generated by the reaction module can be transferred to each of the power generation elements; A heat dissipation module is arranged on the radial outer side of each of the power generation elements and is fixedly connected to each of the power generation elements. The heat of each of the power generation elements can be transferred to the heat dissipation module so that the heat dissipation module is used to dissipate the heat of each of the power generation elements. There is a temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side of each of the power generation elements, and each of the power generation elements can generate electric power according to the temperature difference between the radial inner side and the radial outer side.

2. The nuclear power source according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reaction module comprises: a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly being composed of a plurality of fuel elements, each of the fuel elements being configured to generate heat; A shell, wherein the plurality of fuel elements are arranged inside the shell, the power generation module is arranged on the radial outer side of the shell, and the power generation module is fixedly connected to the shell; The shell contains a cooling medium for cooling the multiple fuel elements. The heat generated by the multiple fuel elements can be transferred to the shell via the cooling medium, and then transferred to the power generation module.

3. The nuclear power source according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell is formed with a receiving cavity and a heat exchange cavity located above the receiving cavity, the heat exchange cavity is communicated with the receiving cavity, the plurality of fuel elements and the cooling medium are arranged in the receiving cavity, the power generation module is arranged radially outside the heat exchange cavity, and the power generation module is fixedly connected to the side wall of the heat exchange cavity; The cooling medium can absorb the heat generated by the multiple fuel elements in the accommodating cavity and evaporate. The evaporated cooling medium can spontaneously enter the heat exchange cavity to exchange heat with the shell and condense, so as to transfer the heat to the shell and then to the power generation module. The condensed cooling medium can return to the accommodating chamber.

4. The nuclear power source according to claim 3, characterized in that: The housing comprises: The reflux component is arranged on the inner wall of the heat exchange cavity and is used to make the condensed cooling medium return to the accommodating cavity.

5. The nuclear power source according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fuel assembly further comprises: The evaporation matching piece is arranged on the surface of each fuel element, and is used to enable the cooling medium in the accommodating cavity to fill the surface of each fuel element, so that the cooling medium in the accommodating cavity can fully absorb the heat generated by each fuel element.

6. The nuclear power source according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shell includes a first shell, a second shell, and a third shell connecting the first shell and the second shell, the first shell and the third shell form the heat exchange cavity, the second shell forms the accommodating cavity, and the plurality of power generation elements are arranged on the radial outer side of the third shell; The cross section of the third shell is a regular polygon, and the plurality of power generation elements are arranged radially outside each side of the regular polygon.

7. The nuclear power source according to claim 6, characterized in that: The heat dissipation module includes a plurality of heat dissipation elements, each of which is arranged on the radial outer side of each of the power generation elements, and each of the heat dissipation elements is fixedly connected to one of the power generation elements.

8. The nuclear power source according to claim 6, characterized in that: The reaction module also includes: A radial reflection layer, arranged on the radial outer side of the second shell; A plurality of control drums are uniformly arranged in the radial reflection layer along the circumferential direction; A shielding layer, disposed at the lower end of the radial reflection layer; A plurality of control drum driving mechanisms are arranged on the shielding layer, and the plurality of control drum driving mechanisms are correspondingly connected to the plurality of control drums for driving the control drums to rotate.

9. The nuclear power source according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reaction module also includes: The heat insulation layer is arranged on the radial outer side of the shell and is used for keeping the shell warm.

10. The nuclear power source according to claim 6, characterized in that: The power generating element is made of silicon germanium.

Images