Reactor radiation shielding device capable of being replaced and reused on orbit

Abstract

The invention provides a reactor radiation shielding device capable of being replaced and reused on orbit, which is characterized by comprising a reactor (1), a shielding body assembly (3), an unfolding mechanism supporting structure (6), a stretching mechanism (7) and a mechanical arm, the reactor (1) is arranged on the left side of the shielding body assembly (3), and the right side of the shielding body assembly (3) is connected with the stretching mechanism (7) through the unfolding mechanism supporting structure (6); the far end of the stretching mechanism (7) is connected with a spacecraft platform, the near end of the stretching mechanism (7) is provided with a butt joint mechanism (13), the butt joint mechanism (13) is used for butt joint of other devices, and disassembly and installation of the radiation shield module are achieved through a mechanical arm after butt joint. The problems that an existing radiation shielding device is large in mass, large in weight cost, high in cost and abandoned after being used are solved, different radiation shielding requirements can be met, the economical efficiency is greatly improved, the device grade requirement is lowered, and the service life is prolonged.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a radiation shielding device for aerospace mechanical engineering, in particular to a reusable reactor radiation shielding device that can be replaced in orbit. BACKGROUND

[0002] Nuclear energy as a new type of energy has the advantages of high power density, long service life, and no need for oxygen. However, the introduction of a nuclear reactor 1 brings high temperature and high radiation problems. In order to ensure normal operation of the device, a radiation shielding device needs to be added to reduce the radiation dose received by the platform. The radiation shielding device is usually composed of materials with high density, generally including tungsten or uranium metal for shielding photons, and LiH and B4C materials for shielding neutrons, and both need to have a certain thickness, which results in a large weight of the radiation shielding device. In addition, due to the large weight of the shielding, a stretching mechanism 7 is usually used to separate the reactor 1 from the platform by a certain distance to reduce the use of the shielding body, but at the same time, it also increases the structural weight, thereby making the overall mass of the system large. In fact, the shielding body structure is a common structure that can be shared, reused, and assembled among different devices. Separating the shielding body from the platform structure can decouple the design of the two and reduce the mass, improve the economy and efficiency. SUMMARY

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is that existing devices need to carry a large mass of radiation shielding devices, which has a large weight cost, generally several tons, and are designed as integrated, discarded after use, causing waste. On the other hand, due to the large weight cost of the radiation shielding, it is not possible to arrange more shielding materials during design, which results in a long length of the stretching mechanism 7, a high level of devices, and problems of large weight and high cost.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve the above technical problems is:

[0005] A reusable reactor radiation shielding device that can be replaced in orbit, characterized in that it comprises a reactor 1, a shielding body assembly 3, an unfolding mechanism support structure 6, a stretching mechanism 7, and a mechanical arm. The left side of the shielding body assembly 3 is the reactor 1, and the right side is connected to the stretching mechanism 7 through the unfolding mechanism support structure 6. The distal end of the stretching mechanism 7 is connected to the spacecraft platform, and the proximal end is provided with a docking mechanism 13. The docking mechanism 13 is used for docking with other devices. After docking, the mechanical arm is used to disassemble and install the radiation shielding body module.

[0006] Further, the shielding body assembly 3 is in the shape of a truncated cone, including the shielding support structure 2, the shielding device door 8, the shielding body, the rotating shaft driving assembly 4, and the locking mechanism 5. The shielding support structure 2 and the shielding device door 8 jointly constitute the external containing structure of the shielding body. The rotating shaft driving assembly 4 is used for the rotating opening and closing of the shielding device door 8. The locking mechanism 5 is used for locking the shielding device door 8.

[0007] Further, the shielding body inside the shielding body assembly 3 is composed of multiple layers of shielding body split modules 18. The multiple layers of shielding body split modules 18 are staggered along the central axis by rotating at a certain angle to ensure that radiation cannot directly penetrate to the back through the gaps between the shielding body split modules 18. The multiple layers are stacked in the vertical direction. The outer edges of each layer are arranged along the conical surface to jointly constitute the structure of the truncated cone, which matches the shape of the shielding body assembly 3.

[0008] Further, each layer of the shielding body split module 18 is composed of multiple fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks 19 with a certain thickness. The multiple fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks 19 are spliced into a complete circular pie shielding body structure and fixed inside through the shielding support structure 22.

[0009] Further, each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 includes two side buffer structures 23, a metal shell 21, and an internal shielding material layer 22. The buffer structure 23 is used to tightly press each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 together to ensure structural stability. The internal shielding material layer 22 is composed of multiple layers of structures made of single or multiple materials selected from tungsten metal layer, LiH structure layer, and B4C structure layer.

[0010] Further, for neutron shielding, each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 adopts a mixed arrangement of tungsten metal layer, LiH structure layer, and B4C structure layer. For gamma shielding, multiple layers of tungsten metal layer are used.

[0011] Further, the shielding body split module 18 is centrally installed with a rod-type linkage locking mechanism 20, which is composed of a bolt spring assembly 24 and a screw rod driving mechanism 25. By rotating the screw rod driving mechanism 25, the bolt spring assembly 24 is inserted or pulled out of the shielding body split module 18 to achieve locking and unlocking.

[0012] Further, the mechanical arm completes the disassembly of the radiation shielding body split module 18 under the control of the controller 16 and installs it into a new shielding device frame for on-orbit reuse.

[0013] Further, it further includes a local shielding device 9 arranged at the bottom outside of the shielding body assembly 3. The mechanical arm is retracted behind the local shielding device 9 to ensure that the received radiation dose meets the use requirements.

[0014] Further, the mechanical arm comprises a multi-section mechanical arm arm rod 11, a mechanical arm catching mechanism 12, a mechanical arm joint 10, a communication antenna 15, a controller 16, and a solar panel 17; in use, under the control of the controller 16 and the driving of the mechanical arm joint 10, the multi-section mechanical arm arm rod 11 is driven to move around the local shielding device 9; the solar panel 17 is installed on the surface of the multi-section mechanical arm arm rod 11 and continuously provides energy for the movement of the mechanical arm; and the communication antenna 15 is used for communication with other devices, so that the mechanical arm can be controlled by other devices.

[0015] The present application solves the problems of large mass, large weight cost, high cost and disposable use of the existing radiation shielding device. Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1) The on-orbit reusable shielding body structure of the present application has the characteristics of on-orbit disassembly and reinstallation, and can select different types of multi-layer shielding body split modules according to needs, freely combine different materials and different thicknesses of shielding devices, and meet different radiation shielding needs;

[0017] 2) The on-orbit reusable shielding body structure of the present application can be disassembled and separated before retirement and transferred and installed on other devices for repeated use, greatly improving the economy;

[0018] 3) The on-orbit reusable shielding body structure of the present application changes the traditional design logic, can support the design of the lowest radiation shielding level, and can greatly reduce the radiation dose received by the platform, greatly shorten the length of the stretching mechanism 7, reduce the device level requirement, and improve the service life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the shielding body assembly 3 of the present application, (a) is a schematic diagram of the shielding body split module 18 in a complete split state, (b) is a schematic diagram of the shielding body split module 18 in a single split state, and (c) is a schematic diagram of the rod type linkage locking mechanism at the center of the shielding body split module 18;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the on-orbit reuse task state of the shielding device of the present application.

[0022] Explanation of reference signs: 1, reactor; 2, shielding support structure; 3, shielding assembly; 4, rotating shaft driving assembly; 5, locking mechanism; 6, unfolding mechanism support structure; 7, unfolding mechanism; 8, shielding device box door; 9, partial shielding device; 10, mechanical arm joint; 11, mechanical arm arm rod; 12, mechanical arm catching mechanism; 13, docking mechanism; 15, communication antenna; 16, controller; 17, solar cell panel; 18, shielding body split module; 19, fan-shaped body structure shielding block; 20, rod type linkage locking mechanism; 21, metal shell; 22, internal shielding material layer; 23, two-side buffer structure; 24, bolt spring assembly; 25, screw rod driving mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 The purpose of the present application is to provide a reusable reactor radiation shielding device that can be replaced on orbit, which realizes the combination of radiation shielding requirements and system quality requirements, can be used for structural optimization and weight reduction in design, and mainly relates to the technical fields of nuclear reactors, nuclear technology, mechanical engineering and the like. The shielding device is mainly used for devices utilizing nuclear energy.

[0025] The device comprises a reactor 1, a shielding assembly 3, an unfolding mechanism support structure 6, an unfolding mechanism 7, a mechanical arm, and a docking mechanism 13.

[0026] The left side of the shielding assembly 3 is the reactor 1, and the right side is connected to the unfolding mechanism 7 through the shielding support structure 2 and the unfolding mechanism support structure 6. The distal end of the unfolding mechanism 7 is connected to the spacecraft platform, and the proximal end is provided with the docking mechanism 13. The docking mechanism 13 is used for docking with other devices, and after docking, the mechanical arm is used to disassemble and install the radiation shielding body module.

[0027] The mechanical arm can disassemble the radiation shielding body split module 18 under the control of the controller 16 and install it into a new shielding device frame for on-orbit reuse.

[0028] In an embodiment, the shielding assembly 3 has a conical frustum shape and is composed of a shielding support structure 2, a shielding device box door 8, a shielding body, a rotating shaft driving assembly 4, and a locking mechanism 5. The shielding support structure 2 and the shielding device box door 8 together form an external containing structure of the shielding, the rotating shaft driving assembly 4 is used for the rotation opening and closing of the shielding device box door 8, and the locking mechanism 5 is used for locking the shielding box door 8.

[0029] The shielding body inside the shielding body assembly 3 is composed of multi-layer shielding body split module 18, which is staggered along the central axis by rotating a certain angle to ensure that the radiation cannot directly penetrate through the gap between the shielding body split module 18 to the rear, causing the dose at the rear local position to increase significantly. The multi-layer shielding body split module 18 is arranged in this way. And the shielding body split module 18 is stacked in multiple layers along the vertical direction, and the outer edge of each layer is arranged along the conical surface, which together constitutes a conical frustum shape structure, which can match the shape of the shielding body assembly 3. The shielding body split module 18 is first stacked in multiple layers, and then can be inserted into the drawer-like multiple layers.

[0030] The shielding support structure 2 is the peripheral loading structure of all shielding body split modules 18, and the shielding device box door 8 is located at the rear of the shielding body, which can realize the disassembly and installation operation of the shielding body split module 18 by opening and closing.

[0031] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 , the shielding body split module 18 is composed of a plurality of fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks 19 with a certain thickness, and the plurality of fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks 19 can be spliced into a complete circular pie shielding body structure and fixed inside through the shielding support structure 22. Each layer of shielding body split module 18 is Figure 2 like (top view), and a plurality of watermelon pieces are spliced into one layer.

[0032] Each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 includes two side buffer structures 23, a metal shell 21, and an internal shielding material layer 22. The buffer structure 23 is used to tightly press each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 together to ensure structural stability; the internal shielding material layer 22 is composed of a tungsten metal layer, a LiH structure layer, and a B4C structure layer; each fan-shaped body structure shielding block 19 can be composed of a single or multiple materials according to actual needs. For neutron shielding, a mixed arrangement scheme of tungsten metal layer, LiH structure layer, and B4C structure layer can be used, and for gamma shielding, a multi-layer tungsten metal layer scheme can be used.

[0033] In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 , the shielding body split module 18 is centrally installed with a rod-type linkage locking mechanism 20, which is composed of a latch spring assembly 24 and a screw rod driving mechanism 25. By rotating the screw rod driving mechanism 25, the latch spring assembly 24 can be inserted or pulled out of the shielding body split module 18 to realize locking and unlocking.

[0034] In an embodiment, the bottom outer side of the shielding body assembly 3 is provided with a partial shielding device 9, and the mechanical arm is usually folded behind the partial shielding device 9, which can ensure that the radiation dose meets the use requirements. The mechanical arm is composed of a plurality of mechanical arm rods 11, a mechanical arm catching mechanism 12, a mechanical arm joint 10, a communication antenna 15 and a controller 16. In use, under the control of the controller 16 and the driving of the mechanical arm joint 10, the plurality of mechanical arm rods 11 can drive the mechanical arm to move and bypass the partial shielding device 9. The solar cell panel 17 is installed on the surface of the plurality of mechanical arm rods 11, which can continuously provide energy for the movement of the mechanical arm. The communication antenna 15 can be used for communication with other devices, so that the mechanical arm can be controlled by other devices.

[0035] The shielding body structure of the present application has the characteristics of on-orbit reusability and modularity, and is used by on-orbit assembly, which helps to reduce weight and optimize the design of the structure.

[0036] The shielding device specially designs the radiation shielding, changes the previous design concept, adopts a split type multi-fan body shielding module combination application scheme, can allow the shielding body structure to be installed and fixed and locked on the orbit, and can be freely combined on the orbit as needed, so as to realize the radiation shielding effect of different doses and different types of rays.

[0037] The shielding body structure provided by the present application can provide the shielding body for other devices for reuse before retirement, and other subsequent devices do not need the same structure and can be reused on the orbit, which greatly saves the cost of repeatedly launching the shielding body structure. The shielding body structure design solves the problem that the traditional device needs to carry a large proportion of pure structural material to reduce the radiation dose each time, and separates the reusable pure structural material from the device structure itself and assembles on the orbit as needed, so as to further reduce the weight and design constraints caused by radiation restrictions, and realize the more optimal overall design.

[0038] In summary, the on-orbit replaceable and reusable reactor radiation shielding body structure of the present application can realize the reuse of the same type of device radiation shielding material for reassembly and reuse, greatly reduce the radiation dose and reduce the repeated launch, and reduce the economic cost. The radiation shielding device of the present application can shorten the unfolding mechanism for reducing radiation and further reduce the overall mass of the system, and is helpful to the overall control. The present application can reuse the radiation shielding device and material already on the orbit, and improve the launch efficiency.

[0039] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A reactor radiation shielding device multiplicable on orbit, characterized by, It includes reactor (1), shielding assembly (3), unfolding mechanism support structure (6), stretching mechanism (7), mechanical arm, the left side of the shielding assembly (3) is reactor (1), the right side is connected with stretching mechanism (7) through unfolding mechanism support structure (6), the distal end of stretching mechanism (7) is connected with spacecraft platform, the proximal end is installed with docking mechanism (13), the docking mechanism (13) is used for docking with other devices, and after docking, the disassembly and installation of radiation shielding body module are realized through mechanical arm.

2. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shielding assembly (3) is in the shape of a truncated cone and includes shielding support structure (2), shielding device door (8), shielding body, shaft driving assembly (4) and locking mechanism (5). The shielding support structure (2) and the shielding device door (8) jointly constitute the external containing structure of the shielding body. The shaft driving assembly (4) is used for the rotation opening and closing of the shielding device door (8). The locking mechanism (5) is used for locking the shielding device door (8).

3. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The shielding body inside the shielding assembly (3) is composed of multiple shielding body split modules (18). The multiple shielding body split modules (18) are staggered along the central axis and rotated by a certain angle to ensure that the radiation cannot directly penetrate to the rear through the gaps between the shielding body split modules (18) and that the multiple shielding body split modules (18) are stacked in the vertical direction. The outer edges of each layer are arranged along the conical surface to jointly form a truncated cone structure matching the shape of the shielding assembly (3).

4. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each layer of the shielding body split module (18) is composed of multiple fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks (19) with a certain thickness. The multiple fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks (19) are spliced into a complete circular pie shielding body structure and are fixed inside through the shielding support structure (22).

5. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each fan-shaped body structure shielding block (19) includes two side buffer structures (23), a metal shell (21) and an internal shielding material layer (22). The buffer structure (23) is used to tightly press the fan-shaped body structure shielding blocks (19) together to ensure the stability of the structure. The internal shielding material layer (22) is composed of multiple layers of single or multiple materials selected from tungsten metal layer, LiH structure layer and B4C structure layer.

6. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 5, characterized in that, For neutron shielding, each fan-shaped body structure shielding block (19) adopts a mixed arrangement of tungsten metal layer, LiH structure layer and B4C structure layer. For gamma shielding, multiple tungsten metal layers are used.

7. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The shielding body split module (18) is centrally installed with a rod linkage locking mechanism (20) composed of a bolt spring assembly (24) and a screw driving mechanism (25). The bolt spring assembly (24) is inserted or pulled out of the shielding body split module (18) to realize locking and unlocking by rotating the screw driving mechanism (25).

8. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mechanical arm completes the disassembly of the radiation shielding body split module (18) under the control of the controller (16) and installs it into a new shielding device frame for on-orbit reuse.

9. The reactor radiation shielding device of claim 1, wherein, It further includes a local shielding device (9) arranged on the bottom outer side of the shielding assembly (3). The mechanical arm is retracted behind the local shielding device (9) to ensure that the radiation dose received meets the use requirements.

10. A reactor radiation shielding device multipurpose replaceable on orbit according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mechanical arm comprises a multi-section mechanical arm arm rod (11), a mechanical arm catching mechanism (12), a mechanical arm joint (10), a communication antenna (15), a controller (16), and a solar panel (17). In use, under the control of the controller (16) and the driving of the mechanical arm joint (10), the multi-section mechanical arm arm rod (11) is driven to move and operate around the local shielding device (9). The solar panel (17) is installed on the surface of the multi-section mechanical arm arm rod (11) and continuously provides energy for the movement of the mechanical arm. The communication antenna (15) is used for communication with other devices, so that the mechanical arm can be controlled by other devices.

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