CN115831428A - Nuclear power supply - Google Patents

Nuclear power supply Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CN115831428A
CN115831428A CN202211675847.0A CN202211675847A CN115831428A CN 115831428 A CN115831428 A CN 115831428A CN 202211675847 A CN202211675847 A CN 202211675847A CN 115831428 A CN115831428 A CN 115831428A
Authority
CN
China
Prior art keywords
core
heat
thermionic conversion
heat pipe
nuclear power
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
CN202211675847.0A
Other languages
Chinese (zh)
Inventor
安伟健
赵守智
胡古
郭键
葛攀和
李敏
姜�硕
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
China Institute of Atomic of Energy
Original Assignee
China Institute of Atomic of Energy
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by China Institute of Atomic of Energy filed Critical China Institute of Atomic of Energy
Priority to CN202211675847.0A priority Critical patent/CN115831428A/en
Publication of CN115831428A publication Critical patent/CN115831428A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
    • Y02E30/30—Nuclear fission reactors

Landscapes

  • Structure Of Emergency Protection For Nuclear Reactors (AREA)

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a nuclear power supply. The nuclear power supply includes: a core for providing heat; the evaporation section of each heat pipe is inserted into the reactor core, and the condensation section of each heat pipe extends out of the reactor core; the thermionic conversion module is arranged outside the reactor core and comprises: the heat pipe comprises a core, a plurality of first thermionic conversion elements and a plurality of second thermionic conversion elements, wherein the condensation section of each heat pipe penetrates through one first thermionic conversion element and one second thermionic conversion element after coming out of the core, so that the heat of the core is transferred to the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element. The nuclear power supply provided by the embodiment of the application sets up the thermionic conversion module outside the reactor core to transmit the heat of the reactor core to the thermionic conversion module through the heat pipe, simplify the reactor core structure, reduce the development difficulty and the cost of the reactor core. In addition, the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element can operate independently, increasing the reliability of the nuclear power supply.

Description

Nuclear power supply
Technical Field
The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of nuclear reactors, in particular to a nuclear power supply.
Background
The nuclear power supply can be applied to the field of aerospace, and the nuclear power supply generates heat energy through a reactor core of a nuclear reactor and converts the heat energy into electric energy to supply energy to the spacecraft, so that the spacecraft can get rid of energy dependence on the sun.
In a nuclear power supply, thermal energy may be converted to electrical energy by a thermionic conversion module. The thermionic conversion module requires a relatively high temperature when in operation. In the related art, in order to meet the temperature requirements of the thermionic conversion module, the thermionic conversion module is typically disposed within the fuel elements within the core.
Disclosure of Invention
In the related art, when the thermionic conversion module is disposed in a fuel element in the core, the emitter of the thermionic conversion module generally serves as a cladding for the fuel element.
The inventor of the present application found in research that the fuel element may suffer from radiation swelling under the radiation, i.e., the volume of the fuel element becomes large. The increased volume of the fuel element may cause the emitter of the cladding, which is the fuel element, to deform, which in turn may cause the emitter of the thermionic conversion module to contact the receiver electrode to form a short circuit, rendering the thermionic conversion module ineffective.
Further, the fuel elements may also generate fission products during operation of the reactor, and when the thermionic conversion module is disposed in the fuel elements in the core, the fission products may easily enter the gap between the emitter and the receiver of the thermionic conversion module, affecting the power generation performance of the thermionic conversion module.
In addition, the thermionic conversion module is disposed in the fuel elements in the core, which results in a complex structure of the fuel elements, and thus a complex structure of the reactor vessel for accommodating the fuel elements, and increases difficulty and cost in developing the core.
In view of the above, embodiments of the present application provide a nuclear power supply. The nuclear power supply includes: a core for providing heat; the evaporation section of each heat pipe is inserted into the reactor core, and the condensation section of each heat pipe extends out of the reactor core; the thermionic conversion module is arranged outside the reactor core and comprises: the heat pipe comprises a core, a plurality of first thermionic conversion elements and a plurality of second thermionic conversion elements, wherein the condensation section of each heat pipe penetrates through one first thermionic conversion element and one second thermionic conversion element after coming out of the core, so that the heat of the core is transferred to the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element.
The nuclear power supply provided by the embodiment of the application, set up thermionic conversion module outside the reactor core, and transmit the heat of reactor core to thermionic conversion module through the heat pipe, make thermionic conversion module can produce the electric energy, thereby can avoid because the thermionic conversion module that fuel element's irradiation swelling leads to is out of order, can also avoid fission product to get into the emitting electrode of thermionic conversion module and the negative impact that produces in the clearance between the receiving electrode, can also simplify the reactor core structure, reduce the development degree of difficulty and the cost of reactor core. In addition, the thermionic conversion module comprises a first thermionic conversion element and a second thermionic conversion element, the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element can work independently, and when one group of thermionic conversion elements cannot work normally, the other group of thermionic conversion elements can still work normally, so that the nuclear power supply has the characteristic of single-point failure resistance, and the reliability of the nuclear power supply is improved.
Drawings
The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an angle at which a nuclear power supply of an embodiment of the present application is disposed in a moon pool;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the nuclear power supply of the present application at an angle when disposed in a moon pool;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a heat pipe and fuel element assembly of a nuclear power supply according to an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first cooling vessel and a second cooling vessel of a nuclear power supply according to an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first cooling vessel of a nuclear power supply of an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a core of a nuclear power source of an embodiment of the present application assembled with a first cooling vessel and a second cooling vessel;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a core of a nuclear power source according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a heat sink of a nuclear power supply according to an embodiment of the present application.
It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and are shown in a schematic manner that does not detract from the understanding of those skilled in the art.
Description of reference numerals:
10. a core; 11. a fuel element; 12. a control drum; 13. a filler; 14. an axial reflective layer; 15. a radially reflective layer;
20. a heat pipe; 21. an evaporation section; 22. a condensing section;
30. a thermionic conversion module; 31. a first cooling vessel; 310. a first cooling chamber; 311. a first end plate; 312. a second end plate; 313. a first circumferential side plate; 314. a first coolant inlet; 315. a first coolant outlet; 32. a second cooling vessel; 320. a second cooling chamber; 321. a third end plate; 322. a fourth end plate; 323. a second circumferential side plate; 324. a second coolant inlet;
41. a first thermionic conversion element; 42. a second thermionic conversion element; 50. a shield;
51. a control drum drive mechanism;
61. a first heat sink; 62. a second heat sink; 63. a U-shaped pipeline; 631. a first horizontal segment; 632. a second horizontal segment; 633. a vertical section; 64. a heat-dissipating heat pipe; 65. a heat sink;
71. a first pump; 72. a second pump;
81. a first volume compensator; 82. a second volume compensator;
100. a moon pit; 101. the lunar surface; 102. lunar soil.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application. For the embodiments of the present application, it should also be noted that, in a case of no conflict, the embodiments of the present application and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other to obtain a new embodiment.
The embodiment of the application provides a nuclear power supply. The nuclear power source in this embodiment may be disposed on the lunar surface to supply power to other devices on the lunar surface, and such nuclear power source may be referred to as a lunar nuclear power source.
Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a nuclear power supply of an embodiment of the present application may include a core 10, heat pipes 20, and a thermionic conversion module 30.
The core 10 is used to provide heat. Referring to fig. 7, a plurality of fuel elements 11 may be disposed in the core 10, and the fuel elements 11 generate heat by fission reaction, so that the core 10 may provide heat. The heat generated by the fuel element 11 may be converted to electrical energy by the thermionic conversion module 30. In some embodiments, fuel element 11 may be made of tungsten-based cermet (W-UO) 2 ) Made to provide higher temperatures.
The heat pipes 20 are used to transfer heat provided by the core 10 to the thermionic conversion module 30. The number of heat pipes 20 may be plural. As shown in fig. 3, each heat pipe 20 may include an evaporator section 21 and a condenser section 22. The heat pipe 20 contains a working medium, the working medium can absorb heat and evaporate in the evaporation section 21, the evaporated working medium moves to the condensation section 22, the heat is released and condensed in the condensation section 22, and therefore heat transmission is completed, and the working medium condensed in the condensation section 22 can return to the evaporation section 21 again, and therefore circulation of the working medium is completed. In some embodiments, the shell of the heat pipe 20 may be made of tungsten-rhenium alloy (W-26 Re), and the working medium within the heat pipe 20 may be lithium.
In this embodiment, the evaporator section 21 of each heat pipe 20 is inserted into the core 10 for absorbing heat from the core 10. The condenser section 22 of each heat pipe 20 extends outwardly of the core 10 for transferring heat from the core 10 to the outside of the core 10.
The thermionic conversion module 30 is configured to convert heat transferred by the heat pipe 20 into electrical energy. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the thermionic conversion module 30 is disposed outside the core 10 and connected to the condenser section 22 of the heat pipe 20 extending outward from the core 10, so that heat of the condenser section 22 can be transferred to the thermionic conversion module 30 and converted into electric energy by the thermionic conversion module 30.
The thermionic conversion module 30 needs to operate at a temperature exceeding 1600 ℃, whereas the nuclear power supply of the related art can only provide a temperature exceeding 1600 ℃ in the core 10, and therefore, the thermionic conversion module 30 is usually disposed in the core 10 to meet the operating temperature requirement of the thermionic conversion module 30 in the related art.
The inventor of the present application has found that the operating temperature of the fuel element 11 made of tungsten-based cermet may exceed 2000K, and the heat pipe 20 made of tungsten-rhenium alloy can operate at 1875K, so that the temperature of the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20 may reach 1600 ℃ or higher, and the operating temperature requirement of the thermionic conversion module 30 can be met, so that the thermionic conversion module 30 can be used outside the reactor core 10 by using the heat pipe 20 to transfer heat.
In this embodiment, the thermionic conversion module 30 may include a plurality of first thermionic conversion elements 41 and a plurality of second thermionic conversion elements 42, wherein the condenser 22 of each heat pipe 20 is sequentially inserted into one first thermionic conversion element 41 and one second thermionic conversion element 42 after exiting from the core 10, so as to transfer heat of the core 10 to the first thermionic conversion element 41 and the second thermionic conversion element 42. That is, the condensation section 22 of the same heat pipe 20 may be simultaneously provided with the first thermionic conversion element 41 and the second thermionic conversion element 42, the first thermionic conversion element 41 and the second thermionic conversion element 42 may operate independently of each other, and when one of the thermionic conversion elements is damaged, the other thermionic conversion element provided on the same heat pipe 20 may continue to operate, thereby increasing the reliability of the nuclear power supply.
The nuclear power supply provided by the embodiment of the application, set up thermionic conversion module 30 outside reactor core 10, and transmit the heat of reactor core 10 to thermionic conversion module 30 through heat pipe 20, make thermionic conversion module 30 can produce the electric energy, thereby can avoid because thermionic conversion module 30 that fuel element 11's irradiation swelling leads to is out of order, can also avoid fission product to get into the harmful effects that the clearance between emitter and the receiving pole of thermionic conversion module 30 and produce, can also simplify reactor core 10 structure, reduce the development degree of difficulty and the cost of reactor core 10.
In addition, the thermionic conversion module 30 includes a first thermionic conversion element 41 and a second thermionic conversion element 42, the first thermionic conversion element 41 and the second thermionic conversion element 42 can work independently, and when one group of thermionic conversion elements cannot work normally, the other group of thermionic conversion elements can still work normally, so that the nuclear power supply has the characteristic of single-point failure resistance, and the reliability of the nuclear power supply is improved.
As shown in fig. 4 and 6, in some embodiments, the thermionic conversion module 30 further includes a first cooling vessel 31 and a second cooling vessel 32.
The first cooling vessel 31 is disposed outside the core 10 and spaced apart from the core 10, that is, the first cooling vessel 31 is spaced apart from the core 10 by a predetermined distance. The first cooling container 31 defines a first cooling chamber 310 for flowing a coolant, and a plurality of first thermionic conversion elements 41 are located within the first cooling chamber 310. The second cooling vessel 32 is disposed outside the core 10 on a side of the first cooling vessel 31 away from the core 10, the second cooling vessel 32 defining a second cooling cavity 320 for flowing a coolant, and the plurality of second thermionic conversion elements 42 being located in the second cooling cavity 320. The heat pipe 20 passes through the first cooling chamber 310 and enters the second cooling chamber 320. In this embodiment, the coolant may be a sodium-potassium alloy.
It is understood that the heat transferred from the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20 to the thermionic conversion element (the first thermionic conversion element 41 or the second thermionic conversion element 42) is not fully utilized by the thermionic conversion element, and a portion of the heat remains and accumulates, resulting in a continuous increase in the temperature of the thermionic conversion element and the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20. In order to prevent the accumulation of heat, in the present embodiment, a cooling container is provided outside the plurality of thermionic conversion elements and the plurality of heat pipes 20, and by flowing a coolant through the cooling container, heat accumulated around the thermionic conversion elements and the condensation sections 22 of the heat pipes 20 can be taken away, so that the thermionic conversion elements and the condensation sections 22 of the heat pipes 20 can be continuously operated.
Meanwhile, in the related art, each thermionic conversion element is provided with a respective coolant passage at the outermost side thereof, the coolant passages are generally small due to space limitations, resulting in difficulty in flow distribution of coolant and high requirements for manufacturing accuracy of the coolant passages, which may not obtain sufficient coolant flow once a certain coolant passage is smaller than other passages. In this embodiment, all the first thermionic conversion elements 41 and all the second thermionic conversion elements 42 may share one first cooling chamber 310 and one second cooling chamber 320, respectively, and thus there is no problem of difficulty in flow distribution.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the first cooling chamber 310 is used to cool all of the first thermionic conversion elements 41, and the second cooling chamber 320 is used to cool all of the second thermionic conversion elements 42. The coolant in the first cooling cavity 310 can flow independently of the coolant in the second cooling cavity 320, so that the first cooling cavity 310 and the second cooling cavity 320 can work independently, and when one cooling cavity cannot work normally, the other cooling cavity can still work normally, so that the nuclear power supply has the characteristic of resisting single-point failure, and the reliability of the nuclear power supply is improved.
As shown in fig. 4, in some embodiments, the first cooling container 31 includes a first end plate 311 and a second end plate 312 which are opposite to each other, and a first circumferential side plate 313 connected between the first end plate 311 and the second end plate 312, wherein the first end plate 311 faces the core 10, the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20 passes through the first end plate 311, enters the second cooling cavity 320, and then passes out through the second end plate 312, and both axial ends of the first thermionic conversion element 41 are connected to the first end plate 311 and the second end plate 312, respectively. The second cooling container 32 includes a third end plate 321 and a fourth end plate 322 which are opposite to each other, and a second circumferential side plate 323 connected between the third end plate 321 and the fourth end plate 322, wherein the third end plate 321 faces the first cooling container 31, and the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20 passes through the third end plate 321, enters the second cooling chamber 320, and is connected with the fourth end plate 322; both axial ends of the second thermionic conversion element 42 are connected to a third end plate 321 and a fourth end plate 322, respectively.
In this embodiment, the condensation section 22 of the heat pipe 20 passes through the first end plate 311, the second end plate 312, the third end plate 321, and finally reaches the fourth end plate 322 and is connected to the fourth end plate 322. The condenser end 22 of the heat pipe 20 passes through a plurality of end plates, which can increase the connection strength of the heat pipe 20, thereby increasing the stability of the heat pipe 20; in addition, the condensation sections 22 of different heat pipes 20 may exchange heat through the first, second, third, and fourth end plates 311, 312, 321, 322, thereby facilitating temperature uniformity among the respective heat pipes 20.
As shown in fig. 4 and 6, in some embodiments, the first cooling container 31 has a first coolant inlet 314 and a first coolant outlet 315 communicating with the first cooling cavity 310, which are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the first circumferential side plate 313, the first coolant inlet 314 being disposed on the first circumferential side plate 313 adjacent to the first end plate 311, and the first coolant outlet 315 being disposed on the first circumferential side plate 313 adjacent to the second end plate 312; the second cooling container 32 has a second coolant inlet 324 and a second coolant outlet (not shown) communicating with the second cooling chamber 320, respectively provided on opposite sides of the second circumferential side plate 323, the second coolant inlet 324 being provided on the second circumferential side plate 323 adjacent to the third end plate 321, and the second coolant outlet being provided on the second circumferential side plate 323 adjacent to the fourth end plate 322.
In the present embodiment, the coolant inlet (the first coolant inlet 314 or the second coolant inlet 324) and the coolant outlet (the first coolant outlet 315 or the second coolant outlet) are disposed away from the core 10, which can reduce the influence of radiation from the core 10 on the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet. Meanwhile, the coolant inlet port is close to the first end plate 311 (or the third end plate 321) on the circumferential side plate (the first circumferential side plate 313 or the second circumferential side plate 323), and the coolant outlet port is close to the second end plate 312 (or the fourth end plate 322) on the circumferential side plate, so that the coolant can flow through the entire cooling chamber, thereby achieving a better cooling effect.
In the present embodiment, the first coolant inlet 314 and the first coolant outlet 315 are circumferentially offset from the second coolant inlet 324 and the second coolant outlet. By the arrangement mode, impact force on the nuclear power supply caused by the fact that the coolant in the first cooling cavity 310 and the coolant in the second cooling cavity 320 flow into the same direction and flow out of the same direction can be avoided, and the influence of the flow of the coolant on the overall stability of the nuclear power supply is reduced.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the nuclear power supply further includes a shield 50, a first heat sink 61, a first pump 71, a second heat sink 62, and a second pump 72.
The shield 50 is disposed on a side of the thermionic conversion module 30 away from the core 10 for shielding radioactive emissions from the core 10.
The cavity inside the heat pipe 20 does not have the function of blocking the irradiated radiation with respect to other kinds of power generating elements (such as a thermoelectric power generating device, a stirling generator, etc.), which results in an increased irradiation dose through the shielding body 50, and thus requires additional arrangement of more shielding material. In the embodiment of the present application, the thermionic conversion element has good radiation resistance, and can be disposed on the same side of the shield 50 with the core 10, so that the heat pipe 20 does not need to penetrate through the shield 50, which simplifies the structure of the shield 50, reduces the weight of the shield 50, and reduces the development difficulty and emission cost. In addition, since the heat pipe 20 is directly connected to the thermionic conversion element in a heat conducting manner without penetrating through the shield 50, the length of the heat pipe 20 is shorter, and the heat pipe 20 can be a straight pipe shape with a single axis, which is beneficial to increase the heat conducting efficiency of the heat pipe 20.
The first radiator 61 is configured to radiate heat from the coolant in the first cooling chamber 310, and the first pump 71 is configured to circulate the radiated coolant back to the first cooling chamber 310; the second radiator 62 is configured to radiate heat from the coolant in the second cooling chamber 320, and the second pump 72 is configured to circulate the radiated coolant back to the second cooling chamber 320. In this embodiment, the first radiator 61 and the first pump 71 can operate independently of the second radiator 62 and the second pump 72, so that when one radiator or one pump cannot operate normally, the other radiator or the other pump can still operate normally, thereby enabling the nuclear power supply to have the characteristic of resisting single-point failure and increasing the reliability of the nuclear power supply. The first pump 71 and the second pump 72 may be electromagnetic pumps.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, when the nuclear power is provided on the lunar surface 101, a moon pit 100 for accommodating the nuclear power may be dug in advance on the lunar surface 101, the thermionic conversion module 30 and the core 10 may be disposed in the moon pit 100, and the first radiator 61, the first pump 71, the second radiator 62 and the second pump 72 may be disposed above the shield 50 outside the moon pit 100. The thermionic conversion module 30 has strong radiation resistance, and the stability of the nuclear power supply can be improved by arranging the thermionic conversion module 30 and the reactor core 10 in the moon pit 100; the first radiator 61, the first pump 71, the second radiator 62, and the second pump 72 have poor radiation resistance, and are therefore disposed above the shield 50 outside the moon pool 100 to prevent these components from being damaged by radiation from the core 10.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the reactor core 10 of the nuclear power supply, the heat pipe 20, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 are disposed in the moon pool 100, and the lunar soil 102 can provide a good circumferential shielding effect, so that the reactor core 10 has a small radiation influence on the first radiator 61, the first pump 71, the second radiator 62, the second pump 72, the control drum driving mechanism 51, and the like.
The shield 50 is disposed to close the moon pool 100, and the shield 50 forms a closed radiation-proof container with the lunar soil around the moon pool 100, thereby preventing the radioactive radiation generated from the core 10 from leaking to the outside of the moon pool 100.
In some embodiments, the nuclear power source may also be separately provided with a vessel having a top opening, the core 10, the heat pipes 20, and the thermionic conversion module 30 being disposed in the vessel, and the shield 50 being embedded in the top opening of the vessel. The container may be installed in the moon pool 100 to prevent lunar soil in the moon pool 100 from falling into the core 10 or attaching to the heat pipe 20, which may affect the safety of the reactor and reduce the heat conduction efficiency of the heat pipe 20.
In some embodiments, the core 10, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 are coaxially disposed, with the first and second heat sinks 61 and 62 being located above the shield 50 and symmetrically on either side of the shield 50, respectively.
In this embodiment, the core 10, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 have a large weight, and the core 10, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 are coaxially disposed, so that the center of gravity of the nuclear power supply can be closer to the geometric center of the nuclear power supply, and the stability of the nuclear power supply can be improved. The first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 are respectively positioned above the shielding body 50 and symmetrically positioned at two sides of the shielding body 50, so that when the nuclear power supply is arranged in the moon pit 100, the weight distribution is more uniform, and the stability of the nuclear power supply is improved; meanwhile, the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 are disposed on both sides of the shield 50, so that the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 are not positioned directly above the core 10, thereby further reducing radiation of the core 10 received by the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62.
In some embodiments, the first heat sink 61 and the second heat sink 62 are in the same vertical plane to increase stability of the nuclear power supply. As shown in fig. 8, the first and second radiators 61 and 62 may include U-shaped pipes 63, heat-dissipating heat pipes 64, and heat-dissipating fins 65, respectively.
The U-shaped pipe 63 is used for flowing the coolant, and by arranging the pipe in a U-shape, the pipe can have a longer length in a limited space, so that more heat dissipation heat pipes 64 can be arranged to increase the heat dissipation performance.
The number of the heat dissipation heat pipes 64 may be plural to obtain better heat dissipation performance. A plurality of heat sink heat pipes 64 are thermally connected to the U-shaped pipe 63. The heat dissipating heat pipe 64 may transfer heat in the coolant to the heat dissipating fin 65 so that the heat is dissipated by the heat dissipating fin 65.
The number of the heat radiation fins 65 may be plural, and for example, may correspond to the number of the heat radiation heat pipes 64. Each heat sink 65 may be welded to one heat sink heat pipe 64 for dissipating heat from the heat sink heat pipe 64. The heat dissipation fins 65 can increase the heat dissipation area and improve the heat dissipation effect.
The U-shaped pipe 63 of the first radiator 61 is opposed to the opening of the U-shaped pipe 63 of the second radiator 62. Through the arrangement mode, the coolant can quickly enter the U-shaped pipeline 63 after being led out from the cooling cavity, so that the pipeline is more reasonably arranged.
In some embodiments, a first volume compensator 81 and a second volume compensator 82 may also be provided on the two U-shaped pipes 63 of the nuclear power supply, respectively. The first volume compensator 81 is used to compensate the volume of the coolant flowing in the first radiator 61, and the second volume compensator 82 is used to compensate the volume of the coolant flowing in the second radiator 62.
As shown in fig. 8, in some embodiments, the U-shaped pipeline 63 includes a first horizontal section 631 and a second horizontal section 632 that are parallel to each other, and a vertical section 633 that connects the first horizontal section 631 and the second horizontal section 632, wherein the first horizontal section 631 is closer to the shield 50 in the axial direction of the core 10 than the second horizontal section 632, and one end of each heat dissipation heat pipe 64 is thermally connected to the first horizontal section 631 or the second horizontal section 632, and the other end extends in a direction away from the core 10 along the axis of the core 10. By this arrangement, the heat-dissipating heat pipe 64 can be made perpendicular to the direction of gravity, thereby making the heat conduction efficiency of the heat pipe 20 better.
In the embodiment of the present invention, the core 10, the heat pipe 20, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 are disposed in the moon pool 100, and the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 are disposed on both sides of the shield 50, which is beneficial to the overall stability of the nuclear power supply, and reduces the possibility that the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 are simultaneously damaged when the nuclear power supply is inclined due to some reasons.
In some embodiments, the heat pipe 20 is a straight pipe having a unique axis. In the present embodiment, by providing the heat pipe 20 as a straight pipe having a unique axis, it is possible to provide the heat pipe 20 with better heat conduction efficiency. Meanwhile, because the tube cavities of the heat pipes 20 do not have the function of shielding radiation, the thermionic conversion element can be sleeved on the radial outer side of the condensation section 22 of each heat pipe 20 through the arrangement mode, so that the radiation of the reactor core 10 cannot reach the thermionic conversion element, and the service life of the thermionic conversion element is prolonged.
As shown in fig. 7, in some embodiments, the core 10 includes fuel elements 11, a radially reflective layer 15, a control drum 12, and an axially reflective layer 14.
The number of the fuel elements 11 may be plural, and the evaporation section 21 of each heat pipe 20 is inserted into the middle of one fuel element 11. The cross-sectional shape of the fuel element 11 may be a regular hexagon, and each heat pipe 20 may be disposed coaxially with the corresponding fuel element 11.
The radially reflecting layer 15 is provided radially outside the plurality of fuel elements 11. The radial reflection layer 15 serves to prevent radiation and heat generated from the fuel elements 11 from leaking in the radial direction of the core 10. The radially reflective layer 15 may be beryllium oxide.
The number of the control drums 12 may be plural, and plural control drums 12 are provided in the radial reflection layer 15. The control drum 12 is used to regulate the nuclear fission reaction rate of the fuel elements 11 to achieve control of the reactor power. The body material of the control drum 12 may be beryllium oxide and the absorber material of the control drum 12 is boron carbide. In some embodiments, the nuclear power supply further includes a plurality of control drum drive mechanisms 51, the control drum drive mechanisms 51 being disposed on the shield 50 in driving communication with the control drum 12 for driving rotation of the control drum 12.
The number of the axial reflection layers 14 may be two, and the two axial reflection layers 14 are respectively disposed at both axial ends of the plurality of fuel elements 11. The axial reflection layer 14 serves to prevent radiation and heat generated from the fuel elements 11 from leaking in the axial direction of the core 10. The axially reflective layer 14 may be beryllium oxide.
The evaporation section 21 of the heat pipe 20 may be inserted into the fuel element 11 through one of the axial reflection layers 14, and the axial reflection layer 14 through which the evaporation section 21 of the heat pipe 20 passes may be disposed between the fuel element 11 and the thermionic conversion element to prevent the thermionic conversion element from being damaged by irradiation. The evaporator end 21 of the heat pipe 20 may be in thermal contact with, but not plugged into, the other axial reflector layer 14 to make the temperature more uniform between different heat pipes 20.
In some embodiments, to fill the gap between the fuel element 11 and the radially reflective layer 15 to better secure the fuel element 11, the nuclear power supply further includes a filler 13, the filler 13 filling the gap between the fuel element 11 and the radially reflective layer 15. The material of the filler 13 may be tungsten-rhenium alloy.
After the nuclear power is successfully transmitted to the lunar surface 101, the core 10, the heat pipe 20, the thermionic conversion module 30, and the shield 50 are installed in the moon pool 100 by an astronaut or a robot. Then, the core 10 is slowly turned away from the fuel elements 11 by the control drum driving mechanism 51 until the core 10 reaches a rated power steady operation state.
When the reactor core 10 operates, the fuel element 11 generates heat which is taken out by the heat pipe 20, the operating temperature of the heat pipe 20 is about 1800K, the heat pipe 20 transfers the heat to the thermionic conversion element in the thermionic conversion module, the thermionic conversion element generates electric energy, the outer side of the thermionic conversion element is cooled by sodium-potassium alloy, the sodium-potassium alloy transmits waste heat to the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 on the lunar surface 101 under the driving of the electromagnetic pump, and the first radiator 61 and the second radiator 62 perform radiation emission.
Compared with the existing space nuclear power supply adopting Stirling power generation, the space nuclear power supply adopting Stirling power generation has the advantages that the efficiency of thermionic conversion is far lower than that of Stirling conversion, but the waste heat discharge temperature of thermionic conversion is much higher than that of Stirling conversion, so that the area of a radiator required by thermionic conversion is still far smaller than that of a scheme adopting Stirling conversion, the weight of the system is favorably reduced, and the emission cost and the arrangement difficulty are reduced. Specifically, assuming that the electric power is 40kWe and the efficiency of the thermionic conversion system is 5%, the required core thermal power is 800kWt, the required exhaust heat is 760kWt, the exhaust temperature of the thermionic conversion exhaust heat is up to about 800K, the temperature of the lunar highest cold trap is about 320K, and assuming that the surface emissivity of the radiator is 0.9, the required effective radiation area is about 37.4m 2 . For Stirling conversion, the system efficiency is 20%, so that the required core thermal power is 200kWt, the required waste heat emission is only 160kWt, and the waste heat emission temperature of the Stirling conversion is about 453K, monthThe parameters of the highest cold trap temperature and the surface emissivity of the radiator are the same as those of the thermionic scheme, so that the required effective radiation area is about 99.2m calculated by a radiation heat dissipation formula 2 Much larger than the radiation area required for thermionic conversion.
The above embodiments are merely examples, and not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all modifications, equivalents, and flow charts using the contents of the specification and drawings of the present application, or those directly or indirectly applied to other related arts, are included in the scope of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A nuclear power supply, comprising:
a core for providing heat;
the evaporation section of each heat pipe is inserted into the reactor core, and the condensation section of each heat pipe extends out of the reactor core;
a thermionic conversion module disposed outside the core, the thermionic conversion module comprising: a plurality of first thermionic conversion elements and a plurality of second thermionic conversion elements,
the condensation section of each heat pipe penetrates through the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element in sequence after coming out of the reactor core, so that the heat of the reactor core is transferred to the first thermionic conversion element and the second thermionic conversion element.
2. The nuclear power supply of claim 1 wherein the thermionic conversion module further comprises:
a first cooling vessel disposed outside the core and spaced apart from the core, the first cooling vessel defining a first cooling cavity for coolant flow, the plurality of first thermionic conversion elements being located within the first cooling cavity; and
a second cooling vessel disposed outside the core on a side of the first cooling vessel away from the core, the second cooling vessel defining a second cooling cavity for a coolant to flow, the plurality of second thermionic conversion elements being located within the second cooling cavity,
and the heat pipe penetrates through the first cooling cavity and then enters the second cooling cavity.
3. The nuclear power supply of claim 2 wherein the first cooling vessel includes first and second opposing end plates and a first circumferential side plate connected between the first and second end plates,
the first end plate faces the reactor core, a condensation section of the heat pipe penetrates through the first end plate, enters the second cooling cavity and then penetrates out of the second cooling cavity through the second end plate, and two axial ends of the first thermionic conversion element are respectively connected with the first end plate and the second end plate;
the second cooling container includes opposing third and fourth end panels, and a second circumferential side panel connected between the third and fourth end panels,
the third end plate faces the first cooling container, and a condensation section of the heat pipe penetrates through the third end plate, enters the second cooling cavity and is connected with the fourth end plate; and the two axial ends of the second thermionic conversion element are respectively connected with the third end plate and the fourth end plate.
4. The nuclear power supply of claim 3 wherein the first cooling container has a first coolant inlet and a first coolant outlet in communication with the first cooling cavity, each disposed on opposite sides of the first circumferential side plate, the first coolant inlet disposed on the first circumferential side plate proximate the first end plate, the first coolant outlet disposed on the first circumferential side plate proximate the second end plate;
the second cooling container is provided with a second coolant inlet and a second coolant outlet which are communicated with the second cooling cavity and are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the second circumferential side plate, the second coolant inlet is arranged on the second circumferential side plate close to the third end plate, and the second coolant outlet is arranged on the second circumferential side plate close to the fourth end plate;
the first coolant inlet and the first coolant outlet are circumferentially offset from the second coolant inlet and the second coolant outlet.
5. The nuclear power supply of claim 2 further comprising:
a shield disposed on a side of the thermionic conversion module remote from the core for shielding radioactive emissions from the core;
a first radiator for radiating the coolant from the first cooling chamber;
a first pump for circulating the heat-dissipated coolant back to the first cooling chamber;
a second radiator for radiating the coolant from the second cooling chamber; and
a second pump for circulating the heat-dissipated coolant back to the second cooling chamber,
wherein the thermionic conversion module and the core are configured to be disposed in a moon pool of a moon, the shield is configured to close the moon pool, and the first radiator, the first pump, the second radiator, and the second pump are configured to be disposed above the shield outside the moon pool.
6. The nuclear power supply of claim 5 wherein said core, said thermionic conversion module, and said shield are coaxially disposed,
the first radiator and the second radiator are respectively positioned above the shielding body and symmetrically positioned at two sides of the shielding body.
7. The nuclear power supply of claim 6 wherein the first and second heat sinks are in a same vertical plane, the first and second heat sinks each comprising:
a U-shaped pipeline for flowing the coolant;
a plurality of heat-dissipating heat pipes thermally connected to the U-shaped pipeline; and
each radiating fin is welded to one radiating heat pipe and used for radiating heat of the radiating heat pipe;
the U-shaped pipeline of the first radiator is opposite to the opening of the U-shaped pipeline of the second radiator.
8. The nuclear power supply of claim 7 wherein the U-shaped conduit includes first and second horizontal segments that are parallel to each other and a vertical segment connecting the first and second horizontal segments,
wherein the first horizontal segment is closer to the shield in an axial direction of the core than the second horizontal segment,
one end of each heat dissipation heat pipe is in heat conduction connection with the first horizontal section or the second horizontal section, and the other end of each heat dissipation heat pipe extends towards the direction far away from the reactor core along the axis of the reactor core.
9. The nuclear power supply of claim 1 wherein said heat pipe is a straight pipe having a unique axis.
10. The nuclear power source of claim 1 wherein the core comprises:
a plurality of fuel elements, wherein the evaporation section of each heat pipe is inserted into the middle part of one fuel element;
a radially reflective layer disposed radially outward of the plurality of fuel elements;
a plurality of control drums disposed in the radially reflective layer; and
two axial reflecting layers respectively arranged at two axial ends of the plurality of fuel elements,
wherein the evaporator end of the heat pipe is inserted into the fuel element through one of the axially reflective layers.
CN202211675847.0A 2022-12-26 2022-12-26 Nuclear power supply Pending CN115831428A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202211675847.0A CN115831428A (en) 2022-12-26 2022-12-26 Nuclear power supply

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202211675847.0A CN115831428A (en) 2022-12-26 2022-12-26 Nuclear power supply

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN115831428A true CN115831428A (en) 2023-03-21

Family

ID=85518302

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CN202211675847.0A Pending CN115831428A (en) 2022-12-26 2022-12-26 Nuclear power supply

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CN (1) CN115831428A (en)

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CN109192329B (en) Heat pipe type dual-mode space nuclear reactor core
CN113314240B (en) Space stack thermal management system and working method
RU2159479C2 (en) Thermionic reactor
JPH04208393A (en) Spaceship heat-dissipating system
CN111951985A (en) Modularized space nuclear reactor power generation unit
US5039475A (en) Thermionic fuel element pressure vessel
CN114423135A (en) Radiation source
JP4538236B2 (en) Apparatus for generating X-rays with heat absorbing elements
CN115831428A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN116780038B (en) Lithium battery protection board and lithium battery device with same
CN112885494A (en) Reactor power supply system based on star-type Stirling engine
CN115862921A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN114121315B (en) Heat management system for cooling reactor by pulsating heat pipe
CN114530267B (en) Heat pipe type space nuclear reactor power supply
CN117514514A (en) Nuclear power supply and heat dissipation assembly thereof
CN212337417U (en) Heat exchange pipe cooling type engine exhaust device
CN117133483A (en) Nuclear power supply and power generation device thereof
CN116110634A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN116864174A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN116665946A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN210223939U (en) Indirect cooling type easy-to-disassemble and assemble X-ray tube module
CN116825414A (en) Nuclear power supply
CN111457770B (en) Hot electron enhanced heat exchange device, heat exchange system and heat exchange method
CN116884660A (en) Nuclear power supply and power generation device thereof
US3590286A (en) Thermionic converter cells for nuclear reactor

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PB01 Publication
PB01 Publication
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination
SE01 Entry into force of request for substantive examination