Compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on self-supporting structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a compact type heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure. The compact type heat pipe heat exchanger comprises an inlet section, a heat exchange section and an outlet section. Modular heat exchange units are arranged in the heat exchange sections, each modular heat exchange unit is provided with a hole channel pipe for containing a heat pipe, a plurality of supporting ribs are evenly arranged on the outer wall of each hole channel pipe, the multiple modular heat exchange units are positioned and supported through the supporting ribs, and welding or additional splicing structures between the supporting ribs are not needed; a plurality of supporting ribs are evenly arranged on the outer wall of the hole channel pipe so that a flowing space can be formed on the outer wall of the hole channel pipe, a circulating gas working medium circulates in the flowing space and exchanges heat with the outer wall of the hole channel pipe in a flowing mode, and convection heat exchange of the circulating gas working medium is strengthened through the supporting ribs. Use of a pore plate is avoided, additional splicing structures and welding treatment are not needed, working medium turbulence can be effectively improved, the heat transfer capacity of the heat exchanger is enhanced, and the compact structure of the heat exchanger is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of heat exchangers, and particularly relates to a compact heat pipe heat exchanger. Background Art

[0002] For a solid-state reactor based on passive heat transfer of high-temperature heat pipes, the core layout can be made compact, effectively reducing the size of the reactor and its weight. For example, Figure 1 , most heat pipe reactors use reliable straight heat pipes, which results in a dense condensation section of the heat pipes located in the heat exchanger. How to design a heat pipe heat exchanger with a compact space and strong heat transfer capacity has become a key issue to ensure the safe and efficient conduction of the core heat and improve the overall performance of the reactor.

[0003] For heat pipe heat exchangers with a power in the range of kW to dozens of kW, cross-flow shell-and-tube heat exchangers are mostly used. For example, Figure 2 In Figure 3 , several segmental baffles 31 are arranged in the heat exchanger. By changing the flow direction of the shell-side fluid, the convective heat transfer can be effectively enhanced, and at the same time, effective support can be provided for the tube wall. However, the cross-flow design has disadvantages such as large impact on the tube wall and obvious flow pressure drop. In addition, the heat pipes at the cold-end inlet are affected by the transverse mixing flow of the coolant, and the heat pipes are significantly cooled locally, which easily causes problems such as uneven heat load due to local subcooling of the heat pipes and subcooling failure of the heat pipes.

[0004] To avoid the above problems, longitudinal converters are gradually adopted in heat pipe heat exchangers. When the working fluid of the commonly used longitudinal converter flows through the heat exchange unit, strong flow erosion will occur, which leads to unexpected flow-induced vibration of the heat exchange unit, threatening the structural integrity of the heat exchanger. Therefore, in a longitudinal flow heat pipe heat exchanger, different numbers of orifice plates are usually arranged in the heat exchanger, and the heat exchange unit and the orifice plate are precisely assembled. As shown Figure 4 in the figure, the large ring in the orifice plate is used to insert the heat exchange unit, and the small circular holes and other spaces in the orifice plate are used for the circulation of the working fluid. In the prior art, there are also longitudinal flow heat exchangers based on special-shaped holes, such as Figure 5 - to Figure 6 , the orifice plate of this type of heat exchanger is a circular orifice plate 51 with special-shaped holes, and special-shaped tube holes 61 and fluid guiding holes 62 are arranged on the orifice plate. The fluid longitudinally flows through the tube wall of the heat exchange tube through the guiding holes, and local turbulence is formed in the guiding holes, enhancing the heat transfer process between the fluid and the heat exchange tube. However, such heat exchangers all have disadvantages such as complex structure and difficult processing, and are only effectively applicable to heat exchangers with medium and low viscosity fluids and low flow rates.

[0005] In view of the above problems, there is an urgent need to provide a new structure of a heat pipe heat exchanger to solve the problems of insufficient heat transfer capacity, excessive volume and weight, and complex structure and difficult processing existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure, which can not only meet the strong heat transfer capacity requirements of a high-power heat exchanger, but also effectively reduce the volume and weight of the heat exchanger, providing additional space for the reactor shield and the energy conversion system to control the envelope size and weight of the reactor system.

[0007] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure includes an inlet section, a heat exchange section, and an outlet section; a modular heat exchange unit is arranged in the heat exchange section, the modular heat exchange unit has a duct for accommodating heat pipes, a plurality of support ribs are uniformly arranged on the outer wall of the duct, and the plurality of modular heat exchange units are positioned and supported by the support ribs, and there is no need for welding or additional splicing structures between the support ribs; the plurality of support ribs uniformly arranged on the outer wall of the duct form a flow space on the outer wall of the duct, and the flowing gas working medium flows in the flow space and exchanges heat with the outer wall of the duct, and the flowing gas working medium enhances convective heat transfer through the support ribs.

[0009] Preferably, any cross-sectional circumference of the outer wall of the duct has a fluid area not covered by the support ribs.

[0010] Preferably, the plurality of support ribs are uniformly arranged on the outer wall of the duct in such a way that a plurality of rectangular support ribs uniformly arranged along the circumferential direction on a cross-sectional circumference of the outer wall of the duct are regarded as a set of circumferential support ribs, and according to the length of the heat exchange unit and the support requirements, two or more sets of circumferential support ribs are arranged axially on the outer wall of the duct.

[0011] Preferably, a set of circumferential support ribs is composed of 6 rectangular support ribs.

[0012] Preferably, the flowing gas working medium is helium, air, or supercritical carbon dioxide.

[0013] Preferably, the inlet section includes an inlet section baffle, an inlet ring pipe, a flow distribution pipe, and a heat pipe hole; the inlet section baffle includes an inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet section end face baffle, the inlet ring pipe includes an inlet annular pipe section surrounding the inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet pipe section connected to the inlet annular pipe section, the flow distribution pipe is a plurality of elbows uniformly arranged circumferentially on the inlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the inlet annular pipe section and the inlet section; the heat pipe hole is arranged on the inlet section end face baffle.

[0014] Preferably, the outlet section includes an outlet section baffle, an outlet annular pipe, and a flow collecting pipe; the outlet section baffle includes an outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet section end face baffle, the outlet annular pipe includes an outlet annular pipe section surrounding the outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet pipe section connected to the outlet annular pipe section, and the flow collecting pipe is a plurality of elbows uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the outlet annular pipe section and the outlet section.

[0015] Preferably, the heat exchange section includes a transverse baffle and a cylinder body, and the cylinder body is provided with a cylinder body baffle, an inlet section corrugated pipe, and an outlet section corrugated pipe; the transverse baffle is arranged at both ends of the cylinder body.

[0016] The present invention also provides a reactor heat exchange device for safely and efficiently conducting the heat of the reactor core.

[0017] To achieve this purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0018] A reactor heat exchange device is provided with the above-mentioned compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure.

[0019] Preferably, the power of the reactor heat exchanger is in the range of hundreds of kW to several MW.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0021] (1) Completely cancel the precise assembly between the heat exchange unit and the orifice plate, and adopt a simple "building block" form to form the heat exchange unit group, reducing the processing difficulty; (2) Cancel the orifice plate mechanism, significantly increasing the working fluid flow area, which is not only beneficial to reducing the flow resistance; (3) Cancel the precise assembly link, only need to weld both ends of the heat exchanger, simplifying the equipment manufacturing process and improving the economy; (4) The support ribs can effectively enhance the turbulence of the working fluid, strengthen the heat transfer capacity of the heat exchanger, and at the same time can effectively reduce the high thermal stress generated during the operation of the high-temperature heat pipe heat exchanger; (5) The modular heat exchange unit design, simplified assembly method, and cancellation of the orifice plate mechanism and other settings ensure the compact structure of the heat exchanger; (6) The design of the outlet section and the inlet section of the present invention is beneficial to the uniform distribution of gas flow in the heat exchanger, thereby further improving the performance of the heat exchanger. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structure of a typical high-power heat pipe reactor.

[0023] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-flow shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the front view of.

[0025] Figure 4It is a schematic structural diagram of a longitudinal flow heat exchanger with an orifice plate.

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a circular longitudinal flow heat exchanger based on special-shaped holes.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a special-shaped hole structure based on the eccentricity of the tube wall.

[0028] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure provided by the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the inlet section of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0030] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the outlet section of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0031] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of the effective heat exchange section of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0032] Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of the cylinder body of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0033] Figure 12 It is a cross-sectional view of a modular heat exchange unit in a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0034] Figure 13 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a channel tube in a heat exchange unit of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0035] Figure 14 It is a self-supporting state formed by support ribs between heat exchange units of a compact heat pipe heat exchanger provided by the present invention.

[0036] In the above-mentioned drawings, 31 - bow baffle straight heat pipe, 51 - circular orifice plate, 61 - special-shaped tube hole, 62 - fluid diversion hole, 71 - heat exchanger outlet section, 72 - heat exchanger heat exchange section, 73 - heat exchanger inlet section, 81 - inlet section baffle, 82 - inlet ring pipe, 83 - flow distribution pipe, 84 - heat pipe hole, 91 - outlet section baffle, 92 - outlet ring pipe, 93 - flow collecting pipe, 101 - transverse baffle, 102 - modular heat exchange unit, 111 - cylinder body baffle, 112 - inlet section bellows, 113 - outlet section bellows, 121 - fluid area, 122 - channel tube, 123 - channel gap, 124 - support rib, 125 - heat pipe, 131 - inner wall of channel tube, 132 - rectangular support rib. Detailed implementation manners

[0037] The present invention will be described based on embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments only. In the following detailed description of the present invention, some specific details are described in detail. Those skilled in the art can fully understand the present invention without the description of these details. In order to avoid obscuring the essence of the present invention, well-known methods, processes, flows, and components are not described in detail.

[0038] The following will refer to Figures 7 to 14 Describe an embodiment of the compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure of the present invention.

[0039] A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure provided by the present invention, as Figure 7 shown, includes an inlet section 73, a heat exchange section 72, and an outlet section 71; a modular heat exchange unit is arranged in the heat exchange section 72, the modular heat exchange unit has a duct for accommodating heat pipes, a plurality of support ribs are uniformly arranged on the outer wall of the duct, and positioning and support between the plurality of modular heat exchange units are realized through the support ribs, and there is no need for welding or additional splicing structures between the support ribs; the plurality of support ribs uniformly arranged on the outer wall of the duct form a flow space on the outer wall of the duct, and the flowing gas working medium flows in the flow space and exchanges heat with the outer wall of the duct, and the flowing gas working medium enhances convective heat transfer through the support ribs.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 12 shown, any cross-sectional circumference of the outer wall of the duct has a fluid region 121 not covered by the support ribs.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 13 shown, the setting method of uniformly arranging a plurality of support ribs on the outer wall of the duct is that a plurality of rectangular support ribs 132 uniformly arranged circumferentially on a cross-sectional circumference of the outer wall of the duct are regarded as a group of circumferential support ribs, and two or more groups of circumferential support ribs are arranged axially on the outer wall of the duct according to the length and support requirements of the heat exchange unit.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 13 shown, a group of circumferential support ribs consists of 6 rectangular support ribs 132.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the flowing gas working medium is helium, air, or supercritical carbon dioxide.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 8As shown in the figure, the inlet section includes an inlet section baffle 81, an inlet annular pipe 82, a flow distribution pipe 83, and a heat pipe hole 84; the inlet section baffle 81 includes an inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet section end face baffle, the inlet annular pipe 82 includes an inlet annular pipe section surrounding the inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet pipe section connected to the inlet annular pipe section, the flow distribution pipe 83 is a plurality of elbows uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the inlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the inlet annular pipe section and the inlet section; the heat pipe hole 84 is arranged on the inlet section end face baffle.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 9 shown in the figure, the outlet section includes an outlet section baffle 91, an outlet annular pipe 92, and a flow collecting pipe 93; the outlet section baffle 91 includes an outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet section end face baffle, the outlet annular pipe 92 includes an outlet annular pipe section surrounding the outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet pipe section connected to the outlet annular pipe section, the flow collecting pipe 93 is a plurality of elbows uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction of the outlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the outlet annular pipe section and the outlet section.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the heat exchange section includes a transverse baffle 101 and a cylinder, as Figure 11 shown in the figure, the cylinder is provided with a cylinder baffle 111, an inlet section bellows 112, and an outlet section bellows 113; the transverse baffle 101 is arranged at both ends of the cylinder.

[0047] The present invention also provides a reactor heat exchange device provided with the above-mentioned compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the power of the reactor heat exchanger is in the range of hundreds of kW to several MW.

[0049] The compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure provided by the present invention is suitable for the efficient energy heat exchange scenario of a heat pipe reactor, and can also be applied to many fields such as heat conversion in high-temperature systems and industrial heat energy recovery.

[0050] When the compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure provided by the present invention is in use, it is arranged horizontally (i.e., Figure 7 a sample rotated 90 degrees); the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger are respectively located at both ends of the heat exchanger. Among them, the part with openings at the end ([[]] Figure 8 ) is the inlet section, and the part without an opening structure at the end ([[]] Figure 9 ) is the outlet section. When the device is in use, it is necessary to match and use heat pipes. The heat pipes are inserted into the opening structure, and the heat is transferred to the heat exchanger through the heat pipes. There is gas flow through the internal space of the heat exchanger to take away the heat, realizing efficient heat exchange. After the heat pipes are inserted into the heat exchanger, they are actually located in Figure 12In the 125-component area, the heat pipe does not directly contact the gas. The heat pipe first transfers heat to the pore wall 122, and then the heat transfer is achieved through the convective heat transfer between the pore wall and the gas working medium.

[0051] The compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on the self-supporting structure provided by the present invention uses support ribs for the support and positioning between the pore pipes, and abandons the traditional orifice plate structure, splicing structure or welding fixation method; and can realize the flow mixing of the fluid working medium in the flow space, and strengthen the heat transfer between the gas and the pore pipes.

[0052] The heat exchanger of the present invention can completely cancel the precision assembly between the heat exchange unit and the orifice plate, and adopt a simple "building block" form to form a heat exchange unit group, reducing the processing difficulty; canceling the orifice plate mechanism can significantly increase the flow area of the working medium, which is not only beneficial to reducing the flow resistance; canceling the precision assembly link, only need to weld both ends of the heat exchanger, simplifying the equipment manufacturing process and improving the economy; the support ribs can effectively enhance the turbulence of the working medium, strengthen the heat transfer capacity of the heat exchanger, and at the same time can effectively reduce the high thermal stress generated during the operation of the high-temperature heat pipe heat exchanger; the modular heat exchange unit design, simplified assembly method, and cancellation of the orifice plate mechanism and other settings ensure the compact structure of the heat exchanger; in addition, the design of the outlet section and the inlet section of the present invention is beneficial to the uniform distribution of the gas flow in the heat exchanger, thereby further improving the performance of the heat exchanger; the two ends of the heat exchanger cylinder of the present invention adopt a bellows form, which can reduce the thermal stress of the heat exchanger cylinder, thereby further improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

[0053] The compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on the self-supporting structure provided by the present invention can not only meet the strong heat transfer capacity requirements of high-power heat exchangers, but also effectively reduce the volume and weight of the heat exchanger, providing additional space for the reactor shielding body and the energy conversion system to control the envelope size and weight of the reactor system.

[0054] The present invention has been described in detail above in combination with specific embodiments and exemplary examples. The above description is exemplary and not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments; the above description should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, various equivalent substitutions, modifications or improvements can be made to the technical solutions and their implementation manners of the present invention, and these all fall within the scope of the present invention; the protection scope of the present invention is subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure, characterized in that: It comprises an inlet section, a heat exchange section and an outlet section; a modular heat exchange unit is arranged in the heat exchange section, and the modular heat exchange unit has a channel tube for accommodating a heat pipe, and a plurality of support ribs are evenly arranged on the outer wall of the channel tube, and the plurality of modular heat exchange units are positioned and supported by the support ribs, and no welding or additional splicing structure is required between the support ribs; the plurality of support ribs evenly arranged on the outer wall of the channel tube form a flow space on the outer wall of the channel tube, and the circulating gas medium circulates in the flow space and exchanges heat with the outer wall of the channel tube, and the circulating gas medium strengthens the convective heat exchange through the support ribs.

2. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Any cross-sectional circumference of the outer wall of the channel tube has a fluid area not covered by the supporting ribs.

3. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arrangement method of the multiple support ribs evenly arranged on the outer wall of the channel tube is that the multiple rectangular support ribs evenly arranged along the circumference of a cross-section circle of the outer wall of the channel tube are regarded as a group of circumferential support ribs, and two or more groups of circumferential support ribs are arranged in the axial direction of the outer wall of the channel tube according to the length of the heat exchange unit and the support requirements.

4. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The group of circumferential support ribs consists of 6 rectangular support ribs.

5. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulating gas working medium is helium, air, or supercritical carbon dioxide.

6. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inlet section includes an inlet section baffle, an inlet ring pipe, a flow distribution pipe and a heat pipe hole; the inlet section baffle includes an inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet section end face baffle; the inlet ring pipe includes an inlet annular pipe section surrounding the inlet section cylindrical baffle and an inlet pipe section connected to the inlet annular pipe section; the flow distribution pipe is a plurality of curved pipes evenly arranged around the inlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the inlet annular pipe section and the inlet section; the heat pipe hole is arranged on the inlet section end face baffle.

7. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outlet section includes an outlet section baffle, an outlet annular pipe and a flow collection pipe; the outlet section baffle includes an outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet section end face baffle, the outlet annular pipe includes an outlet annular pipe section surrounding the outlet section cylindrical baffle and an outlet pipe section connected to the outlet annular pipe section, and the flow collection pipe is a plurality of curved pipes evenly arranged around the outlet section cylindrical baffle and connecting the outlet annular pipe section and the outlet section.

8. A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange section comprises a transverse baffle and a cylinder, and the cylinder is provided with a cylinder baffle, an inlet section bellows and an outlet section bellows; the transverse baffle is arranged at both ends of the cylinder.

9. A reactor heat exchange device, characterized in that: A compact heat pipe heat exchanger based on a self-supporting structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is provided.

10. A reactor heat exchange device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The power of the reactor heat exchanger is in the range of hundreds of kW to several MW.

Images