Passive Buoyancy Cooling Loop for Pump-Free Molten Salt Reactors
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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 pumps, optimizing parameters like elevational offset and heat exchanger geometry to minimize system size and maximize buoyancy force.
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 pump failure occurs at high temperatures and during power outages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pump component from the coolant circulation system entirely, extracting the active mechanical circulation mechanism and replacing it with a passive natural circulation system that relies on density differences and gravity to drive coolant flow through the reactor system
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant circulation system serves itself by utilizing natural convection currents generated by temperature-induced density variations in the coolant, eliminating the need for external power sources or mechanical actuators to maintain flow
2Force
If heat exchangers are positioned higher above the reactor core, then buoyancy force increases to drive natural convection, but system height increases affecting compactness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the elevational offset parameter between the heat exchanger and reactor core to achieve the minimum necessary height difference that generates sufficient buoyancy force for natural convection, balancing thermal performance with system compactness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent explores alternative spatial arrangements and dimensional configurations of the heat exchanger components to achieve the required thermal performance without proportionally increasing the overall system height, potentially through horizontal expansion or compact vertical stacking
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, eliminates pump-related failure points, and allows for a compact reactor design suitable for transportation and deployment via semi-trailer trucks, enhancing safety and reliability.
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.
Implementation Method 3
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.
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.