Purification device and method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application relates to the field of devices for introducing liquid material into a reactor core, in particular to a purification device and a method for removing impurities in a lead-bismuth alloy. The purification device provided by the embodiment of the present application is capable of removing impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy in the liquid passage assembly through the cooperation between the purification assembly, the liquid passage assembly, the gas passage member, the containing member and the support assembly, and the whole purification process is carried out in the inert gas atmosphere provided by the gas passage member for the liquid passage assembly. The purification assembly is arranged to be capable of removing impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy in the liquid passage assembly and preventing the liquid passage assembly from being blocked. The device can be arranged in or out of the reactor as required, is easy to install and reuse, has ideal purification effect, and can prevent solid impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy from filling and blocking narrow gaps in the reactor, causing deposition and affecting heat transfer, so as to ensure the safety of the reactor cooling, improve the efficiency of the reactor and prolong the service life of the reactor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this application relate to the field of apparatus for introducing liquid materials into a reactor core, and more particularly to a purification apparatus and method for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloys. Background Technology

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

[0003] Lead-bismuth cold fast neutron reactors are among the most promising reactor types currently, using liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) as the loop coolant. LBE offers advantages such as excellent thermal performance, high efficiency in neutron fission chain reactions, chemical inertness and stability, and strong heat carrying and transfer capabilities, making the development of lead-bismuth cold fast neutron reactors highly promising. Summary of the Invention

[0004] 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.

[0005] One aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a purification device suitable for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloys, comprising: a purification component, a liquid passage component, a gas passage component, a containment component, and a support component; the purification component is configured to remove impurities from the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage component and prevent blockage of the liquid passage component; the purification component, the liquid passage component, and the gas passage component are disposed within the containment component; the gas passage component is configured to provide an inert gas atmosphere to the containment component; and the support component is configured to support the purification component, the liquid passage component, and the containment component.

[0006] The purification device provided in the embodiments of this application, through the cooperation of purification components, liquid passage components, gas passage components, containment components, and support components, ensures that the entire purification process is carried out in an inert gas atmosphere provided by the gas passage components to the liquid passage components. The purification components are configured to remove impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage components and prevent blockage of the liquid passage components. The device can be installed inside or outside the reactor as needed, is easy to install, is easy to reuse, and has an ideal purification effect. It can prevent solid impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy from clogging the narrow gaps inside the reactor, causing deposition, and affecting heat transfer, thereby ensuring the safety of reactor cooling, improving reactor efficiency, and extending the reactor's service life.

[0007] Another aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy within a reactor, which employs the aforementioned purification device and includes the following steps: S10: assembling the purification device within the reactor; S20: purifying the lead-bismuth alloy before it enters the reactor using the purification components of the purification device; S30: detecting the purification effect of the lead-bismuth alloy using sampling ports on the inlet and outlet of the liquid passage component of the purification device; if the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, repeating step S30; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the requirements of the reactor, stopping the purification process.

[0008] An embodiment of this application also provides a method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy outside a reactor. This method employs the aforementioned purification device and includes the following steps: S10: Assemble the purification device outside the reactor; S20: Use the purification components of the purification device to purify the lead-bismuth alloy before it enters the reactor; S30: Use the sampling ports on the inlet and outlet of the liquid passage component of the purification device to detect the purification effect on the lead-bismuth alloy. If the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, repeat step S30; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the reactor requirements, stop the purification process. Attached Figure Description

[0009] 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.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the purification device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the structural details of the purification components of the purification device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0011] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Purification device; 10. Purification components; 11. Preliminary purification components; 12. Deep purification components; 13. Barrier components; 20. Liquid flow path components; 21. Purification piping; 22. Inlet fittings; 23. Outlet fittings; 30. Gas passage components; 40. Retaining parts; 50. Support component; 51. First inner support component; 52. Second inner support component; 53. Outer support component. Detailed Implementation

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] The following disclosure provides several different implementations or examples for carrying out this application. To simplify the disclosure of this application, specific examples of components and methods are described below. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit this application. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0015] In related technologies, the coolant in lead-bismuth cold fast neutron reactors is a lead-bismuth alloy. During the melting and filling process of the lead-bismuth alloy, oxygen is introduced, potentially generating metal oxide particles. Additionally, some impurity particles are introduced onto the surface of equipment pipes. These impurities, after entering the reactor, may clog narrow gaps within the reactor, deposit on the reactor pipe walls, affecting heat and mass transfer, damaging steel, and jeopardizing reactor safety. Current lead-bismuth alloy purification methods mainly involve magnetic adsorption and filtration. These methods are also applicable to cold trap purification of alkali metal coolants. However, impurities in alkali metal coolants are primarily non-metallic impurities such as hydrogen and oxygen, which are easily soluble. In contrast, impurities in lead-bismuth alloy coolants are mostly solid metal oxides, such as oxides of iron, chromium, and lead, which are not easily soluble, and their solubility cannot be enhanced by increasing the temperature. Therefore, existing technologies are not ideal for purifying lead-bismuth alloys.

[0016] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide, in one aspect, a purification device suitable for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloys. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the purification device provided in the embodiments of this application, as shown below. Figure 1As shown, it includes: a purification component 10, a liquid passage component 20, a gas passage component 30, a container 40, and a support component 50; the purification component 10 is configured to remove impurities from the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage component 20 and prevent blockage of the liquid passage component 20; the purification component 10, the liquid passage component 20, and the gas passage component 30 are disposed within the container 40; the gas passage component 30 is configured to provide an inert gas atmosphere to the container 40; the support component 50 is configured to support the purification component 10, the liquid passage component 20, and the container 40.

[0017] The purification device 1 provided in the embodiments of this application, through the cooperation between the purification component 10, the liquid passage component 20, the gas passage component 30, the containment component 40, and the support component 50, ensures that the entire purification process is carried out in an inert gas atmosphere provided by the gas passage component 30 to the liquid passage component 20. The purification component 10 is configured to remove impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage component 20 and prevent the liquid passage component 20 from becoming clogged. The device can be installed inside or outside the reactor as needed, is easy to install, is easy to reuse, and has an ideal purification effect. It can prevent solid impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy from filling the narrow gaps inside the reactor, causing deposition, and affecting heat transfer, thereby ensuring the safety of reactor cooling, improving reactor efficiency, and extending the reactor's service life.

[0018] In some embodiments, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the structural details of the purification component 10 of the purification device 1 provided in the embodiments of this application, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the purification component 10 includes: a preliminary purification component 11, multiple deep purification components 12, and multiple blocking components 13; the preliminary purification component 11 is configured to filter impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage component 20, and the multiple deep purification components 12 are configured to further capture impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy; the multiple blocking components 13 are configured to intercept the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy captured by the deep purification components 12 to prevent blockage of the liquid passage component 20; the multiple blocking components 13 are correspondingly disposed on the multiple deep purification components 12; the multiple deep purification components 12 and the preliminary purification component 11 are fixedly disposed on the receiving component 40 by the support component 50.

[0019] In such an embodiment, specifically, the preliminary purification element 11 can be a regular wire mesh, and the deep purification element 12 can be a sintered wire mesh, which mechanically filters the lead-bismuth alloy.

[0020] The embodiments of this application further capture impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage assembly 20 after filtration by the preliminary purification component 11 by setting multiple deep purification components 12. Multiple blocking components 13 intercept the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy captured by the deep purification components 12 to prevent blockage of the liquid passage assembly 20. This allows the purification of the lead-bismuth alloy to proceed step by step, filtering impurities from large to small, and timely intercepting impurities to prevent secondary pollution and blockage. This reduces the frequency of repeated replacement of the purification component 10, thereby enhancing the effect of impurity removal and improving the safety and convenience of using the purification device 1.

[0021] In some embodiments, the plurality of deep purification elements 12 are configured such that their apertures are smaller than those of the primary purification elements 11.

[0022] In such an embodiment, specifically, the deep purification component 12 purifies small particulate impurities, but considering the unexpected situations that may occur in actual engineering, a large-aperture wire mesh, i.e., the preliminary purification component 11, is placed in front of the sintered wire mesh to capture large particulate impurities first, so as to avoid overloading of the deep purification component 12 and causing blockage of the liquid passage component 20.

[0023] The embodiments of this application filter out large-pore impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy by setting a preliminary purification element 11, and a deep purification element 12 further captures small-pore impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy. This makes the purification of the lead-bismuth alloy progressive in steps, increases the number and intensity of purification, and thus enhances the effect of removing impurities.

[0024] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple deep purification components 12 are arranged in layers, forming flow channels inside. Except for the deep purification component 12 closest to the initial purification component 11, each of the other multiple deep purification components 12 has an opening, and the openings of the upper layer are staggered with the openings of the lower layer. Multiple blocking components 13 are arranged in the opposite direction of the openings.

[0025] In this embodiment, specifically, the deep purification element 12 can be a sintered wire mesh. Inspired by the fact that the liquid flows laterally within the structure of the sintered wire mesh during deep filtration, a flow channel design is adopted for the deep purification element 12. Except for the deep purification element 12 closest to the initial purification element 11, the flow channel inlets (i.e., the outlets of the previous layer's deep purification element 12) and outlets of the other layers of deep purification elements 12 are staggered. After the lead-bismuth alloy enters a layer of deep purification element 12 through the flow channel, it will not flow directly into the next layer due to gravity, but will flow laterally within each layer of deep purification element 12. Furthermore, if some of the deep purification elements 12 reach the end of their service life and become blocked, the lead-bismuth alloy can still flow normally through the fixed flow channels without affecting the purification effect of the remaining deep purification elements 12. In addition, each layer's flow channel inlet and outlet (opening) is provided with a barrier 13 to prevent the lead-bismuth alloy from flowing backward during lateral flow and returning to the previous layer of deep purification element 12.

[0026] The embodiments of this application employ a layered arrangement of deep purification components 12. Except for the deep purification component 12 closest to the initial purification component 11, each of the other layers of deep purification components 12 has an opening. The openings of the upper layer are staggered with the openings of the lower layer. Multiple blocking components 13 are arranged in the opposite direction to the openings. This ensures smooth flow and thorough purification of the lead-bismuth alloy while timely intercepting impurities, preventing secondary pollution and blockage, and reducing the frequency of repeated replacement of the purification components 10. As a result, the efficiency, safety, and convenience of the purification device 1 are improved.

[0027] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the liquid passage assembly 20 includes a purification pipe 21, an inlet 22, and an outlet 23; the purification pipe 21 is configured to allow lead-bismuth alloy to flow through the inlet 22, where impurities are removed by the purification assembly 10, and the lead-bismuth alloy is discharged through the outlet 23; the purification pipe 21 is configured to be fixedly mounted on the receiving member 40 by the support assembly 50.

[0028] In such an embodiment, specifically, the inlet 22 and the outlet 23 are also provided with sampling ports to sample and test the lead-bismuth alloy in a timely manner before and after purification.

[0029] The embodiments of this application, by separately setting the purification pipeline 21 and the purification component 10, ensure that the lead-bismuth alloy flows fully through the purification component 10 while also having an independent purification pipeline 21 to prevent blockage and facilitate the disassembly and cleaning of the purification component 10. This improves the ease of use of the purification device 1 and extends its service life.

[0030] The embodiments of this application use inlet 22 and outlet 23 to sample and test lead-bismuth alloy, which can monitor the purification status of impurities in a timely manner, prevent incomplete purification or waste of purification resources, thereby improving the purification efficiency.

[0031] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple deep purification components 12 are configured such that the flow channels formed inside them are connected to the purification pipes 21 of the liquid passage assembly 20.

[0032] The embodiments of this application connect the flow channels of multiple deep purification components 12 to the purification pipes 21 of the liquid passage assembly 20, so that the lead-bismuth alloy purified by the purification component 10 is collected in the purification pipes 21 of the liquid passage assembly 20 and then discharged, which facilitates the collection of lead-bismuth alloy and connection with the reactor loop, thereby improving the ease of use of the purification device 1.

[0033] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the support assembly 50 includes a first inner support member 51, a second inner support member 52, and an outer support member 53; the first inner support member 51 is configured to detachably fix the preliminary purification member 11 and multiple deep purification members 12 of the purification assembly 10 to the receiving member 40; the second inner support member 52 is configured to fix the purification pipe 21 of the liquid passage assembly 20 to the receiving member 40; the outer support member 53 is configured to fix and support the receiving member 40.

[0034] In such an embodiment, specifically, the outer support 53 can be an ear-type support that can secure the housing 40 to the steel platform of the reactor.

[0035] The embodiments of this application, by setting the various components of the support component 50, assemble and fix the purification component 10, the liquid passage component 20 and the receiving component 40, ensure the sealing of the gas and liquid pipelines during purification, prevent lead-bismuth alloy leakage and the introduction of additional impurities, thereby improving the reliability of purification.

[0036] To address the aforementioned technical problems, another aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy within a reactor. This method employs the aforementioned purification device 1 and includes the following steps: S10: Assembling the purification device 1 within the reactor; S20: Purifying the lead-bismuth alloy before it enters the reactor using the purification components 10 of the purification device 1; S30: Detecting the purification effect of the lead-bismuth alloy using sampling ports on the inlet 22 and outlet 23 of the liquid passage component 20 of the purification device 1. If the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, step S30 is repeated; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the reactor requirements, purification is stopped.

[0037] In some embodiments, the method for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloy in a reactor specifically includes step S10: S11: fixing the housing 40 of the purification device 1 in the reactor loop using the outer support 53 of the support assembly 50 of the purification device 1; S12: connecting the reactor loop with the inlet 22 and outlet 23 of the liquid passage assembly 20 of the purification device 1.

[0038] In the embodiments of this application, the outer support member 53 of the support component 50 of the purification device 1 is used to fix the receiving member 40 of the purification device 1 in the circuit of the reactor. The environment inside the reactor can provide the purification device 1 with sealing and vacuum conditions, eliminating the need for additional vacuuming and inert gas filling, thus saving purification steps.

[0039] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application also provide a method for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloys outside a reactor. This method employs the aforementioned purification device 1 and includes the following steps: S10: Assemble the purification device 1 outside the reactor; S20: Use the purification component 10 of the purification device 1 to purify the lead-bismuth alloy before it enters the reactor; S30: Use the sampling ports on the inlet 22 and outlet 23 of the liquid passage component 20 of the purification device 1 to detect the purification effect of the lead-bismuth alloy. If the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, repeat step S30; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the reactor requirements, stop the purification process.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloy outside the reactor includes step S10, which specifically includes: S11: connecting the reactor loop to the inlet 22 and outlet 23 of the liquid passage assembly 20 of the purification device 1; S12: preheating the purification device 1; S13: evacuating and filling the containment 40 of the purification device 1 with argon gas using the gas passage assembly 30 of the purification device 1.

[0041] The embodiments of this application purify the lead-bismuth alloy by assembling a purification device 1 outside the reactor, which can also ensure the sealing, vacuum, temperature and other conditions required for the purification of the lead-bismuth alloy, and reduce the harmful effects of reactor radiation on the purification operation.

[0042] 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.

[0043] The above are merely specific embodiments 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 purification device suitable for removing impurities from lead-bismuth alloys, characterized in that, It includes: Purification components, liquid passage components, gas passage components, containment components, and support components; The purification component is configured to remove impurities from the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage component and prevent the liquid passage component from becoming clogged. The purification component, the liquid passage component, and the gas passage component are disposed in the receiving member; The gas passage component is configured to provide an inert gas atmosphere to the containment component; The support component is configured to support the purification component, the liquid passage component, and the container.

2. The purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The purification components include: a preliminary purification component, multiple deep purification components, and multiple barrier components; The preliminary purification element is configured to filter impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy within the liquid passage assembly, and the plurality of deep purification elements are configured to further capture impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy. The plurality of the aforementioned blocking elements are configured to intercept impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy captured by the deep purification element in order to prevent the liquid passage assembly from becoming clogged. Multiple blocking elements are correspondingly disposed on multiple deep purification elements; The plurality of deep purification components and the preliminary purification components are configured to be fixedly mounted on the receiving component by the support assembly.

3. The purification device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plurality of the deep purification elements are configured such that their pore diameter is smaller than that of the preliminary purification element.

4. The purification device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple deep purification components are arranged in layers, forming flow channels inside, and are configured such that, except for the deep purification component closest to the primary purification component, each of the multiple deep purification components in the remaining layers has an opening, and the openings of the upper layer are staggered with the openings of the lower layer. Multiple of the aforementioned blocking elements are disposed in the opposite direction to the opening.

5. The purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid passage assembly includes a purification pipeline, an inlet component, and an outlet component; The purification pipeline is configured to allow the lead-bismuth alloy, which is introduced through the inlet, to flow through, where the purification assembly removes impurities and the lead-bismuth alloy is discharged through the outlet. The purification pipeline is configured to be fixedly mounted on the receiving member via the support component.

6. The purification device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The multiple deep purification components are configured such that the flow channels formed inside them are connected to the purification pipeline of the liquid passage assembly.

7. The purification device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The support assembly includes a first inner support member, a second inner support member, and an outer support member; The first inner support is configured to detachably fix the preliminary purification component and multiple deep purification components of the purification assembly to the receiving component, and the second inner support is configured to fix the purification pipeline of the liquid passage assembly to the receiving component. The external support is configured to provide fixed support for the receiving component.

8. A method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy within a reactor, characterized in that, It employs the purification device according to any one of claims 1-7, and includes the following steps: S10: Assemble the purification device inside the reactor; S20: The lead-bismuth alloy before entering the reactor is purified using the purification components of the purification device; S30: Using the sampling ports on the inlet and outlet of the liquid passage component of the purification device, the purification effect of the lead-bismuth alloy is detected. If the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, step S30 is repeated; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the requirements of the reactor, purification is stopped.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, in, Step S10 specifically includes: S11: The receiving part of the purification device is fixedly installed in the circuit of the reactor by the external support of the support assembly of the purification device. S12: The inlet and outlet of the circuit connecting the reactor to the liquid passage assembly of the purification device.

10. A method for removing impurities from a lead-bismuth alloy outside a reactor, characterized in that, It employs the purification device according to any one of claims 1-7, and includes the following steps: S10: Assemble the purification device outside the reactor; S20: The lead-bismuth alloy before entering the reactor is purified using the purification components of the purification device; S30: Using the sampling ports on the inlet and outlet of the liquid passage component of the purification device, the purification effect of the lead-bismuth alloy is detected. If the impurities in the lead-bismuth alloy exceed the standard, step S30 is repeated; if the impurity content of the lead-bismuth alloy meets the requirements of the reactor, purification is stopped.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, in, Step S10 specifically includes: S11: The inlet and outlet components of the circuit connecting the reactor to the liquid passage assembly of the purification device; S12: Preheat the purification device; S13: Vacuum the container of the purification device and fill it with argon gas using the gas passage component of the purification device.

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