Passive Buoyancy Cooling Loop for Pump-Free Molten Salt Reactors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional molten salt reactors (MSRs) require pumps to circulate coolant, which are prone to failure at high temperatures and can lead to system failure during power outages, limiting their efficiency and safety.
Innovation Solution
A passive buoyancy driven fluid system that utilizes natural convection to circulate coolant through a primary loop by positioning heat exchangers above the reactor core, creating a buoyancy force sufficient to drive fluid circulation without the need for pumps, while optimizing reactor parameters to maintain a compact size and minimize frictional forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pumps are used to circulate coolant in MSR systems, then coolant circulation can be maintained, but the system reliability deteriorates due to pump failure at high temperatures and during power outages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pump component from the MSR coolant circulation system entirely, replacing active pumping with passive natural convection. This extraction of the unreliable pump component eliminates the failure points while maintaining coolant circulation through buoyancy-driven flow between the core and heat exchangers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes natural convection where heated coolant automatically rises from the core to the heat exchangers and cooled coolant naturally returns to the core, creating a self-sustaining circulation loop without external mechanical assistance. The temperature difference itself drives the circulation.
2Force
If heat exchangers are positioned at greater elevation above the reactor core, then buoyancy force increases to drive natural convection, but the reactor system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the elevation distance and thermal power parameters to achieve sufficient buoyancy force within a compact height. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves natural convection with a moderate elevation difference that fits within transportable dimensions while maintaining adequate driving force for coolant circulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous heat removal even during power outages and eliminates potential failure points, ensuring safe and efficient coolant circulation in MSRs, allowing for compact reactor designs that can be transported and deployed via semi-trailer trucks.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one heat exchanger is positioned above the reactor core at an elevation sufficient to create a buoyancy force between the first thermal center and the second thermal center operable to drive natural convection of the carrier fluid through the primary fluid loop
Implementation Method 2
Free convection, sometimes referred to as natural convection, passive circulation, or natural circulation, is caused by a change in density of a fluid due to a temperature change or gradient. Usually, the density decreases due to an increase in temperature and causes the fluid to rise. This motion is caused by the buoyancy force.
Data Source
AI summary
A buoyancy driven fluid system coupled to a reactor system configured to achieve free convection operable to cool the reactor system is disclosed. The buoyancy driven fluid system of the present disclosure generates natural circulation by designing the reactor system to have a large vertical offset between the heat exchanger and the reactor core thereby generating a large buoyancy force between a thermal center of the reactor core and a thermal center of the heat exchanger. By ensuring that the sum pressure drop of the components connected to the primary fluid loop is no greater than the buoyancy force of the system, the fluid may circulate throughout the reactor system without the aid of pumps or other forced flow mechanism. The reactor system may be designed within certain size constraints to maintain a compact form while still providing free convection.