Solid-Particle Heat Exchange Medium for High-Flux Nuclear Reactors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchange systems for nuclear reactors face challenges in effectively managing high-temperature and high-heat-density environments, requiring improved heat exchange efficiency and structural material reduction in high flux conditions.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange medium comprising solid particles and a fluid, where the solid particles have a diameter of 10 μm to 10 mm and are made of materials like beryllium or silicon carbide, forming a gas-solid or liquid-solid two-phase flow, which enhances heat transfer through mixing, separation, and circulation in a system with multiple heat exchangers and conveying devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional single-phase heat exchange media (water, gas, liquid metal) are used, then the system structure is simple, but the heat exchange efficiency is insufficient for high-temperature and high-heat-density environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the heat exchange medium by introducing solid particles into the fluid phase, creating a two-phase flow system. This parameter change enables significantly higher heat exchange efficiency for high-temperature and high-heat-density environments while maintaining manageable system complexity through the use of standard components configured for two-phase flow operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite heat exchange medium by combining solid particles (such as metal oxides or ceramic particles) with a fluid carrier (gas or liquid). This composite structure allows the system to leverage both the high heat capacity of the fluid phase and the high surface area-to-volume ratio of the solid particles, achieving superior heat exchange performance in high-power-density applications
2Productivity
If high-pressure systems are used to improve heat exchange at high power density, then heat exchange efficiency improves, but safety requirements and structural material requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating pressure parameter by using a two-phase flow system that achieves high heat exchange efficiency at low pressure. The solid particles enhance heat transfer through increased surface area and turbulent mixing, allowing the system to maintain high productivity without requiring high-pressure containment structures, thereby improving safety and reducing material requirements
3Productivity
If high heat flux is managed with conventional media, then heat removal is achieved, but structural material requirements increase due to high pressure and temperature demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the heat transfer mechanism by introducing solid particles that provide numerous heat transfer surfaces and enhance turbulent mixing. This allows high heat flux to be removed efficiently at low pressure, eliminating the need for heavy structural materials that would be required to contain high-pressure systems, thus reducing the weight of stationary structural components
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
The system achieves improved heat exchange efficiency, safety, and reliability at high power densities, reducing pressure requirements and allowing for safe operation with low-pressure systems, non-corrosive properties, and offline processing, suitable for fission reactors with fast or ultra-fast neutron spectra.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchange medium is configured to form a gas-solid two-phase flow or a liquid-solid two-phase flow
Implementation Method 2
a mixing device disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger and configured to mix the solid particles and the fluid of the heat exchange medium
Implementation Method 3
a separating device disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and configured to separate the solid particles from the fluid in the heat exchange medium discharged by the first heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
a first heat exchanger disposed in the loop, a second heat exchanger disposed in the hoop
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a heat exchange medium comprising solid particles and a fluid. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a heat exchange system comprising the abovementioned heat exchange medium, a first heat exchanger, a mixing device disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger and configured to mix the solid particles and the fluid of the heat exchange medium and convey the mixed heat exchange medium to the first heat exchanger, a separating device disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and configured to separate the solid particles from the fluid in the mixed heat exchange medium discharged by the first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a first conveying device configured to convey the solid particles separated by the separating device to the mixing device after having passed the separated solid particles through the second heat exchanger. In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide a nuclear reactor system comprising the abovementioned heat exchange system. The gas-solid or liquid-solid two-phase flow according to embodiments of the present invention has the following advantages. For example, it has a large thermal capacity, can be used with a low-pressure system, is non-corrosive, and can be processed off-line. The fission reactor according to embodiments of the present invention can be operated safely and reliably at a high power density or at an extremely high power density.