Internal combustion type nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect

Abstract

The invention designs an internal combustion type nuclear power device and method based on the thermoacoustic effect, the system comprises a thermoacoustic engine unit, a resonance system and power generation equipment, the thermoacoustic engine unit comprises a nuclear reactor, a heat regenerator and a heat exchanger, the nuclear reactor serves as a thermoacoustic engine heat source to release a large amount of heat energy, and temperature difference is generated at the two ends of the heat regenerator; the heat regenerator converts heat energy into sound energy by utilizing a thermoacoustic effect; the resonance system is used for transmitting and storing sound energy and modulating the sound field where the heat regenerator is located so that thermoacoustic conversion can be achieved. The power generation equipment generates power by using sound energy. According to the system, nuclear energy serves as a heat source of the thermo-acoustic engine, so that the problems of cost, complexity and low efficiency of a heat exchanger of a traditional external combustion type nuclear energy power generation system are solved, the problem that a traditional power generation system is poor in reliability is solved, and stable and clean electric power generation with good environmental adaptability can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a nuclear power device, in particular to an internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect. Background Art

[0002] The free piston generator system uses a direct combination of a free piston engine and a linear generator. Through the reciprocating motion of the piston, the chemical energy of the fuel is converted into electrical energy output. It is a power generation technology with a high power density. Since the piston directly drives the generator, the size and weight of the whole machine are small, which is suitable for mobile equipment and distributed power generation systems. In addition, it has the characteristics of fast start-up and fast response, which is very suitable as an emergency power supply or load regulation equipment. However, the free piston generator also has some limitations. Due to the lack of the flywheel effect of the traditional piston engine, its speed control and load regulation will be relatively complicated. The misfire problem is a major challenge faced by all free piston engines. From the perspective of continuous operation of the engine, since the free piston linear generator does not have a flywheel to store energy, the energy required for the compression stroke of one engine depends on the combustion condition of the opposite engine. When a misfire occurs in the engine on one side, it cannot provide enough energy to compress the cylinder of the opposite engine, resulting in the inability to transfer energy between system cycles. Therefore, a misfire condition in any working cycle means that the entire system will stop running. In addition, the working process of the free piston linear generator is affected by many external factors. When the external load fluctuates or some other factors affect the formation of the mixture, fuel injection ignition and fuel combustion, the free piston linear generator may also stop working.

[0003] As an important energy source, nuclear energy has the following main advantages:

[0004] (1) High energy density: The energy density of nuclear energy is very high. Compared with fossil fuels, the same weight of uranium fuel can release millions of times more energy, which makes the fuel consumption of nuclear power plants very low.

[0005] (2) Abundant fuel reserves: The earth's uranium reserves are relatively abundant and can meet energy needs for a long time in the future. Compared with fossil fuels, the fuel supply of nuclear energy is more stable and continuous.

[0006] (3) Low operating costs: The investment in building a nuclear power plant is high, but the operating costs are low, especially the fuel costs are very low, which makes the power generation cost of nuclear power advantageous in the long run.

[0007] (4) Environmentally friendly: Nuclear power plants do not emit harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide during operation, and have little impact on the environment. Compared with fossil fuel power generation, nuclear power is more environmentally friendly. The development of nuclear energy will help reduce the greenhouse effect and improve the climate environment.

[0008] (5) High reliability: Once a nuclear power plant is put into operation, it can provide stable power supply for decades and has high reliability.

[0009] (6) Reducing fossil fuel consumption: The widespread use of nuclear power can significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption and help save and protect fossil energy.

[0010] Nuclear energy drives steam turbines to generate electricity: nuclear reactors heat water to produce steam, converting nuclear fission energy into thermal energy; steam pressure drives the steam turbine to rotate, converting thermal energy into mechanical energy; then the steam turbine drives the generator to rotate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. The nuclear reaction in the nuclear reactor generates thermal energy, but it does not directly drive the turbine or generator. The conversion and utilization of thermal energy is carried out outside the system, so it is an external combustion system. There are some problems with external combustion power generation systems: (1) Low heat exchange efficiency: heat transfer needs to be carried out through a heat exchanger, and a certain amount of heat loss will be generated during the heat transfer process, reducing the utilization rate of heat. (2) Harsh working conditions: The heat exchanger material has high requirements for high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, which increases system cost and maintenance difficulty.

[0011] Nuclear energy drives gas turbines to generate electricity: nuclear energy equipment is combined with gas turbines to convert nuclear energy into high-temperature and high-pressure steam or gas, which is then input into gas turbines after appropriate processing. The energy of air or gas is used to drive the shaft to rotate and generate power output. Compared with steam turbines, internal combustion gas turbines have a high power density. However, the intake and exhaust problems of gas turbines still need to be considered, and the environmental adaptability is poor.

[0012] With the continuous deepening of research on thermoacoustic engines, relevant researchers have gradually realized that the high-intensity sound power generated by thermoacoustic engines without moving parts can be used to drive a variety of loads, such as refrigerators or generators. Among them, the thermoacoustic power generation system of a thermoacoustic engine driving a generator can be applied to the field of heat recovery such as solar energy and industrial waste heat, which is an important development direction in thermoacoustic engines. The thermoacoustic power generation system has the advantages of simple structure, high reliability, low maintenance cost, and wide application range. The main components of the thermoacoustic generator include heat exchangers, regenerators and resonance tubes. The structure is relatively simple and does not require complex mechanical moving parts; due to the lack of moving mechanical parts, the reliability and service life of the thermoacoustic generator are high; due to the simple structure, the maintenance and repair costs of the thermoacoustic generator are low; various heat sources, such as nuclear energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, industrial waste heat, etc., can be used to drive the thermoacoustic generator to work.

[0013] Therefore, we proposed to use nuclear energy as the heat source of the thermoacoustic engine and constructed an internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on the thermoacoustic effect. Based on the thermoacoustic effect, the temperature difference of the nuclear reactor is used to excite sound waves, and the sound waves drive the generator to generate electricity. The device and method have the following advantages: (1) There are no mechanical moving parts, the thermoacoustic engine has ultra-high reliability, ultra-long life, high system stability, and solves the instability of the free piston generator system; (2) The internal combustion system makes up for the shortcomings of the low heat exchange efficiency and the limitation of the heat exchanger material of the nuclear energy driven steam turbine power generation system; (3) The closed structure solves the problems of the intake and exhaust of the nuclear energy driven gas turbine power generation system, has good environmental adaptability, and can choose a high-efficiency circulating working fluid (helium). Summary of the invention

[0014] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on the thermoacoustic effect, using nuclear energy as the heat source of the thermoacoustic engine, thereby eliminating the cost, complexity and low efficiency of the heat exchanger of the traditional external combustion nuclear power generation system, solving the problem of poor reliability of the traditional power generation system, and realizing stable, clean and environmentally adaptable power generation.

[0015] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0016] An internal combustion nuclear power plant and method based on thermoacoustic effect, comprising a thermoacoustic engine unit, a resonant system and a power generation device, characterized in that the thermoacoustic engine unit comprises a nuclear reactor heater, a regenerator and a heat exchanger; the nuclear reactor heater releases thermal energy, and the thermoacoustic engine unit converts the thermal energy into acoustic energy; the resonant system is used to transfer and store acoustic energy, and modulate the acoustic field where the regenerator is located to achieve thermoacoustic conversion; the power generation device uses acoustic energy to generate electricity, thereby achieving stable and clean power generation. Furthermore, the nuclear reactor heater, the regenerator and the heat exchanger are connected in sequence.

[0017] Furthermore, the resonance system is in the form of a linear tube, an annular tube or an annular tube with a side branch structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the resonance system is in the form of a constant diameter tube, a variable diameter tube or a combination of the two.

[0019] Furthermore, one or more of the thermoacoustic engine units are coaxially arranged with the resonance system, and the outer wall of the thermoacoustic engine unit is in contact with the inner wall of the resonance system and is placed inside the resonance system.

[0020] Furthermore, the power generation equipment is a linear generator, a loudspeaker, a piezoelectric transducer, or a magnetohydrodynamic generator.

[0021] Furthermore, the power generation equipment is one or more, or a combination of one or more.

[0022] Further, the power generation device is installed inside the resonance system and is arranged coaxially with the resonance system, or the power generation device is located at the end of the resonance system, or the power generation device is coupled to the side of the resonance system.

[0023] Furthermore, the heat regenerator is a wire mesh type heat regenerator, a flat plate type heat regenerator, a honeycomb ceramic heat regenerator, a spiral type heat regenerator, a needle array type heat regenerator, or a randomly filled silk cotton type heat regenerator.

[0024] Furthermore, the heat exchanger is a shell and tube heat exchanger, a sleeve and tube heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a spiral plate heat exchanger, a plate and shell heat exchanger, a fin-tube heat exchanger, or a heat pipe heat exchanger.

[0025] The internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on the thermoacoustic effect of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0026] (1) The structure is relatively simple, without the need for complex mechanical moving parts, with high reliability and service life, solving the instability of the free piston generator system; (2) The internal combustion system makes up for the shortcomings of the nuclear-powered steam turbine power generation system, which has low heat exchange efficiency and is limited by the heat exchanger material; (3) The closed structure solves the problems of intake and exhaust in the nuclear-powered gas turbine power generation system and has good environmental adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of Example 2 of the present invention.

[0029] Among them: 1-nuclear reactor heater, 2-regenerator, 3-main heat exchanger, 4-resonance system, 5-power generation equipment, 6-secondary heat exchanger, 7-secondary nuclear reactor heater, 8-secondary regenerator, 9-secondary main heat exchanger, 10-secondary power generation equipment, 11-secondary secondary heat exchanger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the drawings:

[0031] Embodiment 1:

[0032] The system structure of this embodiment is as follows Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a nuclear reactor heater 1, a regenerator 2, a primary heat exchanger 3, a resonance system 4, a power generation device 5, and a secondary heat exchanger 6.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, an internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect are proposed, which specifically include the following steps:

[0034] The nuclear reactor heater 1 is connected to the regenerator 2 and the main heat exchanger 3 in sequence, and is placed inside the resonance system 4 and arranged coaxially with the resonance system 4. The resonance system 4 is a combination of a constant diameter pipe and a variable diameter pipe. The power generation equipment 5 is coupled to the side of the resonance system 4. The secondary heat exchanger 6 is located inside the resonance system 4 and arranged coaxially with the resonance system 4.

[0035] The nuclear reactor heater 1 releases a large amount of heat energy, providing a heat source for the thermoacoustic engine unit, and a temperature difference is generated at both ends of the regenerator 2. The regenerator 2 uses the thermoacoustic effect to convert heat energy into sound energy. The generated sound energy enters the power generation device 5 through the resonance system 4, and the power generation device 5 uses the sound energy to generate electricity.

[0036] In this embodiment, the regenerator 2 is a flat plate regenerator, the primary heat exchanger 3 is a plate-fin heat exchanger, the power generation equipment 5 is a linear generator, and the secondary heat exchanger 6 is a plate-shell heat exchanger.

[0037] Embodiment 2:

[0038] The system structure of this embodiment is as follows Figure 2 As shown, it includes: a nuclear reactor heater 1, a regenerator 2, a main heat exchanger 3, a resonance system 4, a power generation device 5, a secondary heat exchanger 6, a secondary nuclear reactor heater 7, a secondary regenerator 8, a secondary main heat exchanger 9, a secondary power generation device 10, and a secondary secondary heat exchanger 11.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, an internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect are proposed, which specifically include the following steps:

[0040] The nuclear reactor heater 1 is connected to the regenerator 2 and the main heat exchanger 3 in sequence, and is placed inside the resonance system 4, and is arranged coaxially with the resonance system 4. The secondary nuclear reactor heater 7 is connected to the secondary regenerator 8 and the secondary main heat exchanger 9 in sequence, and is placed inside the resonance system 4, and is arranged coaxially with the resonance system 4. The resonance system 4 is an annular tube with a branch structure, and the resonance system 4 is a combination of a constant diameter tube and a variable diameter tube. The power generation equipment 5 is located inside the resonance system 4, and is arranged coaxially with the resonance system. The power generation equipment 10 is located at the end of the branch pipe of the resonance system 4. The secondary heat exchanger 6 and the secondary secondary heat exchanger 11 are located inside the resonance system 4, and are arranged coaxially with the resonance system 4.

[0041] The nuclear reactor heater 1 and the secondary nuclear reactor heater 7 release a large amount of heat energy through the nuclear fission process, providing a heat source for the thermoacoustic engine, and a temperature difference is generated at both ends of the regenerator 2 and the secondary regenerator 8. The regenerator 2 and the secondary regenerator 8 respectively use the thermoacoustic effect to convert the heat energy into sound energy. The generated sound energy enters the power generation device 5 and the secondary power generation device 10 respectively through the resonance system 4, and the power generation device 5 and the secondary power generation device 10 respectively use the sound energy to generate electricity.

[0042] In this embodiment, the regenerator 2 is a wire mesh type regenerator, the main heat exchanger 3 is a shell and tube heat exchanger, the power generation equipment 5 is a speaker, the secondary heat exchanger 6 is a shell and tube heat exchanger, the secondary regenerator 8 is a spiral type regenerator, the secondary main heat exchanger 9 is a shell and tube heat exchanger, the secondary power generation equipment 10 is a speaker, and the secondary secondary heat exchanger 11 is a fin tube heat exchanger.

[0043] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect, comprising a thermoacoustic engine unit, a resonance system and a power generation device, characterized in that: The thermoacoustic engine unit includes a nuclear reactor heater, a regenerator, and a heat exchanger; the nuclear reactor heater releases thermal energy, and the thermoacoustic engine unit converts the thermal energy into sound energy; the resonance system is used to transmit and store sound energy, and modulate the sound field where the regenerator is located to achieve thermoacoustic conversion; the power generation equipment uses sound energy to generate electricity, thereby achieving stable and clean power generation.

2. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The nuclear reactor heater, the regenerator and the heat exchanger are connected in sequence.

3. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The resonance system is in the form of a linear tube, an annular tube or an annular tube with a side branch structure.

4. The internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The resonance system is in the form of a constant diameter tube, a variable diameter tube or a combination of the two.

5. The internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that One or more of the thermoacoustic engine units are coaxially arranged with the resonance system, and the outer wall of the thermoacoustic engine unit is in contact with the inner wall of the resonance system and is placed inside the resonance system.

6. The internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The power generation equipment is a linear generator, a loudspeaker, a piezoelectric transducer, and a magnetohydrodynamic generator.

7. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The power generation equipment is one or more, or a combination of one or more.

8. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The power generation device is installed inside the resonance system and is arranged coaxially with the resonance system, or the power generation device is located at the end of the resonance system, or the power generation device is coupled to the side of the resonance system.

9. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The regenerator is a wire mesh type regenerator, a flat plate type regenerator, a honeycomb ceramic regenerator, a spiral type regenerator, a needle array type regenerator, and a randomly filled silk cotton type regenerator.

10. An internal combustion nuclear power device and method based on thermoacoustic effect as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The heat exchanger is a shell and tube heat exchanger, a sleeve and tube heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a spiral plate heat exchanger, a plate and shell heat exchanger, a fin-tube heat exchanger, or a heat pipe heat exchanger.

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