Cold trap regeneration system and method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactor

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of radioactive material processing, and in particular to a cold trap regeneration system and method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors. The cold trap regeneration system provided by the embodiments of the present application can perform online regeneration on the cold trap of a sodium-cooled fast reactor, realize the regeneration utilization of the cold trap after decommissioning, and thus facilitate the reduction of the number of cold traps in the sodium-cooled fast reactor. Compared with the processing mode of the cold trap in the sodium-cooled fast reactor in the related art, the cold trap is regenerated by using the cold trap regeneration system provided by the embodiments of the present application, the processing process is relatively simple, and the decommissioned cold trap does not need to be cut, cleaned or processed, which is beneficial to reducing the radiation received by the operator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to the field of radioactive material processing technology, specifically to a cold trap regeneration system and method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors. Background Technology

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

[0003] Sodium-cooled fast reactors typically use liquid sodium as the coolant for the main heat transfer system. However, metallic and non-metallic impurities present in liquid sodium can affect its heat transfer performance, material properties, nuclear performance, and may even affect the safe operation of the entire reactor.

[0004] Therefore, cold traps are installed in sodium-cooled fast reactors to purify liquid sodium. However, after a certain period of operation, the impurities generated within the cold traps typically become saturated, causing them to lose their purification capacity. This loss of purification capacity results in a large amount of waste. Currently, there are still many difficulties in dealing with cold traps that have lost their purification capacity. Summary of the Invention

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

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a cold trap regeneration system suitable for a sodium-cooled fast reactor, comprising: a pumping device, a separation device, a reaction device, and a collection device, wherein the pumping device is configured to pump a sodium-containing vapor mixture from the cold trap of the sodium-cooled fast reactor to the separation device; the separation device is configured to receive the sodium-containing vapor mixture and separate the vapor mixture to obtain a separation product; the reaction device is configured to receive the separation product obtained by the separation device and react with the separation product to obtain a reactant; and the collection device is configured to collect the reactant obtained by the reaction device.

[0007] The cold trap regeneration system provided in this application can regenerate the cold traps of sodium-cooled fast reactors online, enabling their reuse after decommissioning and thus reducing the number of cold traps in sodium-cooled fast reactors. Compared to the methods used in related technologies for processing cold traps in sodium-cooled fast reactors, the cold trap regeneration system provided in this application is simpler and eliminates the need for cutting, cleaning, or other treatments on the decommissioned cold traps, thereby reducing radiation exposure to operators.

[0008] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a cold trap regeneration method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors, applicable to the cold trap regeneration system of embodiments of this application. The method includes at least the following steps: S10, charging and discharging sodium from the cold trap of the sodium-cooled fast reactor into a sodium storage device; S20, extracting the sodium-containing steam mixture from the cold trap after step S10 to a separation device; S30, receiving the sodium-containing steam mixture using the separation device and separating the steam mixture to obtain a separation product; S40, receiving the separation product obtained by the separation device using a reaction device and reacting it with the separation product to obtain a reactant; S50, collecting the reactant obtained by the reaction using a collection device.

[0009] The cold trap regeneration method provided in this application can regenerate cold traps in sodium-cooled fast reactors online, enabling their reuse after decommissioning and thus reducing the number of cold traps in sodium-cooled fast reactors. Compared to related technologies for processing cold traps in sodium-cooled fast reactors, the cold trap regeneration method provided in this application is simpler and eliminates the need for cutting, cleaning, or other treatments on the decommissioned cold traps, thereby reducing radiation exposure to operators.

[0010] These and other advantages of this application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of this application, the specific embodiments of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings, together with the following detailed description, are included in and form a part of this specification. Elements having the same function and structure are indicated by the same reference numerals. It should be understood that these drawings only depict typical examples of this application and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this application.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a cold trap regeneration system suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors according to embodiments of this application.

[0013] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are shown only in a schematic manner without affecting the reader's understanding.

[0014] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 10. Vacuum extraction device; 20. Separation device; 21. First separation component; 211. Separation body; 2110. Opening; 212. Separation and recovery section; 22. Second separation component; 30. Reaction device; 40. Collection device; 50. Cold trap; 501. Sodium outlet; 502. Steam outlet; 60. Sodium storage device. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Exemplary embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For clarity and brevity, not all features of actual implementations are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific decisions must be made in the development of any such actual embodiment to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as complying with constraints related to the system and business, and these constraints may vary depending on the implementation. Furthermore, it should be understood that while development work can be very complex and time-consuming, such development work is merely a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the content of this application.

[0016] It should also be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring this application with unnecessary details, only the equipment structure and / or processing steps closely related to the solution according to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not closely related to this application are omitted.

[0017] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by a person with ordinary skills in the field to which this application pertains.

[0018] In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0019] Currently, the main method for handling decommissioned cold traps is non-regenerative processing. For example, related technologies typically involve cutting the decommissioned cold trap out of the loop before pretreatment. However, if the cold trap is large, it may be permanently placed, which is a risky approach. If the cold trap is small, it may be cut first and then the fragments cleaned, which is a cumbersome and difficult process.

[0020] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a cold trap regeneration system suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors. Figure 1 This is a cold trap regeneration system suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors according to embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the cold trap regeneration system includes: an air extraction device 10, a separation device 20, a reaction device 30, and a collection device 40.

[0021] In some embodiments, the pumping device 10 is configured to extract the sodium-containing vapor mixture from the cold trap 50 of the sodium-cooled fast reactor to the separation device 20; the separation device 20 is configured to receive the sodium-containing vapor mixture and separate the vapor mixture to obtain a separation product; the reaction device 30 is configured to receive the separation product obtained by the separation device 20 and react with the separation product to obtain a reactant; and the collection device 40 is configured to collect the reactant obtained by the reaction device 30.

[0022] The cold trap regeneration system provided in the embodiments of this application can regenerate the cold trap 50 of a sodium-cooled fast reactor online, realizing the reuse of the cold trap 50 after decommissioning, thereby helping to reduce the number of cold traps 50 in the sodium-cooled fast reactor. Compared with the processing methods of cold traps 50 in sodium-cooled fast reactors in related technologies, the cold trap regeneration system provided in the embodiments of this application is simpler to regenerate the cold trap 50, and does not require cutting, cleaning or other processing of the decommissioned cold trap, which helps to reduce the radiation exposure to operators.

[0023] In some embodiments, the sodium-containing vapor mixture in this application may include at least sodium and hydrogen.

[0024] In some embodiments, the reaction apparatus 30 may be an apparatus known to those skilled in the art capable of reacting with the separation product obtained by the separation apparatus 20. For example, when the separation product is hydrogen, the reaction apparatus 30 may be an apparatus for reacting with hydrogen, such as a copper oxide bed, etc., which will not be described in detail here. In such embodiments, the copper oxide bed and hydrogen may undergo a reduction reaction under heating conditions to generate copper and water vapor.

[0025] It is understood that the above-described use of a copper oxide bed as a reaction device 30 is merely one embodiment of this application and does not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0026] In some embodiments, the reactants generated in the reaction apparatus 30 can move to the collection device 40 under the drive of the pumping device 10. In embodiments where the separated product is hydrogen, the reaction between the reaction apparatus 30 and the hydrogen can generate water vapor, which can move to the collection device 40 under the drive of the pumping device 10 and be collected by the collection device 40.

[0027] In some embodiments, the collecting device 40 may be provided with an adsorbent containing molecular sieves to adsorb the water vapor obtained from the reaction in the reaction device 30.

[0028] In some embodiments, the pumping device 10 can be a pump, such as a vacuum pump, and the pumping device 10 can provide power for the gas in the entire cold trap regeneration system.

[0029] In some embodiments, the separation device 20 may include a first separation member 21 and a second separation member 22, wherein the first separation member 21 is configured to receive a sodium-containing vapor mixture, perform initial separation on the sodium-containing vapor mixture, and collect sodium from the sodium-containing vapor mixture; the second separation member 22 is configured to further separate the vapor mixture after initial separation by the first separation member 21 to obtain a separation product.

[0030] The embodiments of this application configure the separation device 20 to include a first separation element 21 and a second separation element 22, which enables multiple separations of the sodium-containing vapor mixture, thereby improving the separation effect of sodium in the vapor mixture and preventing sodium from entering the subsequent reaction device 30 and collection device 40.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first separator 21 and the second separator 22 may be configured to process steam mixtures at different scales. For example, the first separator 21 may process a larger scale of steam mixture than the second separator 22, so that the first separator 21 can perform initial separation on a large amount of steam mixture, and then the second separator 22 can perform further separation on the processed steam mixture, thereby improving the separation effect of the steam mixture while ensuring the separation efficiency.

[0032] In some embodiments, taking sodium-containing steam mixture as an example, after the sodium-containing steam mixture is initially separated by the first separator 21, a large amount of sodium in the sodium-containing steam mixture can be separated, and then the separated small amount of sodium and hydrogen are transported to the second separator 22, where the small amount of sodium is separated again to obtain hydrogen.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first separation element 21 includes a separation body 211 and a separation and recovery unit 212, wherein the cold trap 50 of the sodium cold fast reactor is in communication with the separation body 211 for receiving a sodium-containing vapor mixture and performing initial separation of the sodium-containing vapor mixture; the separation and recovery unit 212 is disposed on the separation body 211 for collecting sodium.

[0034] The first separation unit 21 provided in the embodiments of this application connects the separation body 211 to the cold trap 50 of the sodium-cooled fast reactor. It can directly receive the sodium-containing steam mixture in the cold trap 50, and then separate the sodium in the steam mixture. The separated sodium can be directly collected by the separation and recovery unit 212 to realize the recovery of radioactive sodium and avoid sodium from contacting the environment.

[0035] In some embodiments, the separation body 211 may include a housing and a separation section, the housing being in communication with the cold trap 50 of the sodium-cooled fast reactor, and the separation section being disposed within the housing. The separation section is used to perform initial separation of the sodium-containing vapor mixture.

[0036] In some embodiments, the separation section can be a mesh structure, such as a wire mesh, so that sodium condenses and flows downward through the mesh structure, and the downward flow of sodium helps to condense the rising vapor mixture, thereby ensuring the separation effect of the sodium-containing vapor mixture.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first separator 21 may be a condenser to improve the processing efficiency of sodium-containing vapor mixtures.

[0038] In some embodiments, the second separator 22 can be a steam trap, which is used to further separate the steam mixture after the initial separation by the first separator 21. In this way, the steam mixture after the initial separation can be condensed during the operation of the entire condensation and regeneration system by natural air convection cooling, thereby achieving the re-collection of sodium, preventing sodium from entering the subsequent devices, and successfully obtaining the separated product.

[0039] In some embodiments, the separation body 211 forms an opening 2110, which is located in the middle region of the separation body 211, and the cold trap 50 of the sodium-cooled fast reactor communicates with the opening 2110. By placing the opening 2110 in the middle region of the separation body 211, the embodiments of this application facilitate the movement of the initial gaseous separation products generated after separation towards the upper region of the separation body 211, while the liquid sodium can move towards the lower region of the separation body, thereby ensuring sufficient separation of the two.

[0040] In some embodiments, the housing of the detachable body 211 forms an opening 2110.

[0041] In some embodiments, the separation body 211 is configured such that the internal temperature gradually decreases from its opening 2110 towards both ends. By configuring the internal temperature of the separation body 211 to gradually decrease from its opening 2110 towards both ends, embodiments of this application can create a temperature gradient within the separation body. This facilitates the upward flow and gradual cooling of the gaseous initial separation product, and the downward flow and gradual cooling of the liquid sodium. Simultaneously, the downward-flowing liquid sodium also contributes to the condensation of the upward-flowing liquid initial separation product.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first separator 21 may further include a heat exchange section, such as a tube bundle heat exchanger. The process of initial separation of a sodium-containing vapor mixture by the first separator 21 is described in detail below, taking hydrogen as the initial separation product.

[0043] The separation body 211 of the first separation unit 21 can be arranged vertically along its axial direction. The sodium-containing vapor mixture enters the shell of the separation body 211 through the opening 2110. The heat exchange section can be set in the upper and lower regions of the shell, and the heat exchange section can be cooled by air cooling, oil cooling or other methods so that the temperature of the upper and lower regions of the shell is lower than the temperature of the middle region. The cooling medium flowing in the heat exchange section can cool the sodium in the sodium-containing vapor mixture, so that the sodium condenses into liquid sodium. Since the density of liquid sodium is relatively high, it can flow into the separation and recovery section 212 along the shell under the action of gravity. The uncondensed hydrogen can continue to gather upward, thereby achieving the purpose of initial separation of sodium and hydrogen.

[0044] The embodiments of this application also provide a cold trap regeneration method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors, which is applicable to the cold trap regeneration system of the embodiments of this application. The cold trap regeneration method includes at least the following steps S10 to S50.

[0045] S10. The sodium in the cold trap 50 of the sodium-cooled fast reactor is rearranged into the sodium storage device.

[0046] S20. Extract the sodium-containing vapor mixture from the cold trap 50 after step S10 to the separation device 20.

[0047] S30. Receive a sodium-containing steam mixture using a separation device, and separate the steam mixture to obtain a separation product.

[0048] S40. The reaction device receives the separation product obtained by the separation device and reacts it with the separation product to obtain the reactant.

[0049] S50. Collect the reactants obtained from the reaction in the reaction apparatus using a collection device.

[0050] The cold trap regeneration method provided in the embodiments of this application can regenerate the cold trap 50 in a sodium-cooled fast reactor online, realizing the reuse of the cold trap 50 after decommissioning, thereby helping to reduce the number of cold traps 50 in the sodium-cooled fast reactor. Compared with the processing methods of cold traps 50 in sodium-cooled fast reactors in related technologies, the cold trap regeneration method provided in the embodiments of this application is simpler to regenerate the cold trap 50, and does not require cutting, cleaning or other processing of the decommissioned cold trap, which helps to reduce the radiation exposure to operators.

[0051] In some embodiments, the sodium outlet 501 of the cold trap 50 can be connected to the sodium storage device 60, and then the sodium in the cold trap 50 can be discharged to the sodium storage device 60 via the sodium outlet 501 using the gas chamber in the second loop purification system of the sodium-cooled fast reactor.

[0052] In some embodiments, step S10 further includes the following steps: providing a steam outlet 502 on the cold trap 50 of the sodium cold fast reactor, and connecting the steam outlet 502 to the separation device 20 to extract the sodium-containing steam mixture in the cold trap 50 into the separation device 20, thereby collecting the sodium.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the steam outlet 502 can communicate with the opening 2110 formed on the first separating member 21 of the separating device 20.

[0054] In some embodiments, step S40 further includes the step of heating the reaction apparatus 30 to a fourth predetermined temperature to ensure that the reaction apparatus 30 can fully react with the separated product. In such embodiments, those skilled in the art can determine the value of the fourth predetermined temperature based on the reaction apparatus 30 and the type of separated product. For example, when the reaction apparatus 30 is a copper oxide bed and the separated product is hydrogen, the fourth predetermined temperature can be in the range of 450-550°C, such as 500°C.

[0055] In some embodiments, step S10 includes the following steps: S11, heating the mixture in the cold trap 50 of the sodium cold fast reactor to a first predetermined temperature to obtain a sodium-containing vapor mixture; S12, extracting the sodium-containing vapor mixture to a separation device 20.

[0056] The cold trap 50 regeneration method provided in the embodiments of this application first heats the mixture in the cold trap to a first predetermined temperature, which is beneficial for the mixture to decompose under heating, thereby obtaining a sodium-containing vapor mixture, which facilitates subsequent processing of the sodium-containing vapor mixture.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first predetermined temperature may be in the range of 380-470°C, for example, it may be 410°C, 420°C, 430°C, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, step S20 includes the following steps: S21, receiving a sodium-containing vapor mixture using the first separator 21 of the separation device 20 and performing initial separation of the sodium-containing vapor mixture; S22, receiving the vapor mixture obtained in step S21 using the second separator 22 of the separation device 20 and performing further separation of the vapor mixture.

[0059] The cold trap regeneration method provided in the embodiments of this application uses the first separating element 21 and the second separating element 22 of the separating device 20 to separate the sodium-containing vapor mixture. This allows for multiple separations of the sodium-containing vapor mixture, which is beneficial to improving the separation effect of sodium in the vapor mixture and preventing sodium from entering the subsequent reaction device 30 and collection device 40.

[0060] In some embodiments, prior to step S22, the step further includes cooling the steam mixture obtained in step S21, and after the steam mixture obtained in step S21 is cooled to room temperature, it is extracted to the second separator 22 to achieve further separation of sodium from the steam mixture.

[0061] In some embodiments, step S21 includes the following steps: S211, controlling the temperature of the top and bottom regions of the first separator 21 to a second predetermined temperature; S212, controlling the temperature of the middle region of the first separator 21 to a third predetermined temperature; S213, drawing the sodium-containing vapor mixture into the first separator 21 via the middle region; S214, performing initial separation of the vapor mixture using the first separator 21.

[0062] The cold trap 50 regeneration method provided in the embodiments of this application, by setting the opening 2110 in the middle region of the first separating member 21, facilitates the movement of the gaseous initial separation product generated after separation to the upper region of the first separating member 21, while the liquid sodium can move to the lower region of the separation body, thereby ensuring that the two are fully separated.

[0063] In some embodiments, the second predetermined temperature may be in the range of 100-150°C, for example, it may be 110°C, 120°C, 130°C, etc.

[0064] In some embodiments, the third predetermined temperature may be greater than the second predetermined temperature. In such embodiments, the third predetermined temperature may be in the range of 380-470°C, for example, 410°C, 420°C, 430°C, etc.

[0065] Regarding the embodiments of this application, it should also be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0066] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cold trap regeneration system suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors, characterized in that, It includes: The apparatus includes a vacuum device, a separation device, a reaction device, and a collection device, among which... The extraction device is configured to extract the sodium-containing vapor mixture from the cold trap of the sodium-cooled fast reactor to the separation device; The separation device is configured to receive the sodium-containing vapor mixture and separate the vapor mixture to obtain a separation product. The reaction apparatus is configured to receive the separation product obtained by the separation apparatus and react with the separation product to obtain reactants. The collection device is configured to collect the reactants obtained from the reaction in the reaction device.

2. The cold trap regeneration system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separation device includes a first separation component and a second separation component, wherein... The first separator is configured to receive the sodium-containing vapor mixture, perform initial separation of the sodium-containing vapor mixture, and collect sodium from the sodium-containing vapor mixture; The second separator is configured to further separate the vapor mixture after initial separation by the first separator to obtain the separated product.

3. The cold trap regeneration system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first separating element includes a separating body and a separating and recovering unit, wherein, The cold trap of the sodium-cooled fast reactor is connected to the separation body for receiving the sodium-containing steam mixture and performing initial separation of the sodium-containing steam mixture; The separation and recovery unit is located on the separation body and is used to collect the sodium.

4. The cold trap regeneration system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The separation body forms an opening located in the central region of the separation body, and the cold trap of the sodium-cooled fast reactor communicates with the opening.

5. The cold trap regeneration system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The separation body is configured such that the internal temperature gradually decreases from the opening of the separation body towards both ends.

6. A cold trap regeneration method suitable for sodium-cooled fast reactors, characterized in that, It is applicable to the cold trap regeneration system according to any one of claims 1-5, the method comprising the following steps: S10. The sodium in the cold trap is discharged into the sodium storage device; S20. Extract the sodium-containing vapor mixture from the cold trap after step S10 to the separation device. S20. The separation device is used to receive the sodium-containing vapor mixture and to separate the vapor mixture to obtain a separation product. S30. The reaction device receives the separation product obtained by the separation device and reacts it with the separation product to obtain reactants. S40. The reactants obtained from the reaction in the reaction apparatus are collected using the collection device.

7. The cold trap regeneration method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Step S10 includes the following steps: S11. The mixture in the cold trap of the sodium cold fast reactor is heated to a first predetermined temperature to obtain the sodium-containing steam mixture; S12. The sodium-containing vapor mixture is drawn into a separation device.

8. The cold trap regeneration method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Step S20 includes the following steps: S21. The sodium-containing vapor mixture is received using the first separating element of the separation device, and the sodium-containing vapor mixture is initially separated. S22. The steam mixture obtained in step S21 is received by the second separator of the separation device, and the steam mixture is separated again.

9. The cold trap regeneration method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Step S21 includes the following steps: S211. Control the temperature of the top and bottom regions of the first separator to a second predetermined temperature; S212. Control the temperature of the middle region of the first separator to a third predetermined temperature; S213. The sodium-containing vapor mixture is extracted into the first separator via the central region; S214. The steam mixture is initially separated using the first separator.

10. The cold trap regeneration method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, Step S10 also includes the following steps: A steam outlet is provided on the cold trap of the sodium cold fast reactor, and the steam outlet is connected to the separation device.

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