RU2364982C1 - Thermoionic reactor-converter - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics; nuclear.

SUBSTANCE: invention concerns devices of direct transformation of thermal energy using an electric thermionic way. The thermionic reactor-converter (TRC), consists of sections of extended, electrogenerating elements (EGE) of cylindrical shape with high target energetic characteristics. The sections are executed on monolithic plates. The EGE have no collector isolation and allow gaining high voltage on TRC output terminals, without use of multilayered collector packages. The heat, released on the EGE collectors, is taken away by thermal pipes.

EFFECT: possibility to lead refinement of elements and full-scale trial of all design in out-of-pile experiments with imitation of nuclear fuel by electroheating.

6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to devices for the direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical thermal emission method.

A known design of a thermionic converter reactor (TRP) with high output energy characteristics, consisting of sections of electricity generating elements (EGE) that do not have collector insulation and allow you to gain high voltage at the output terminals of the TRP without resorting to multilayer collector packages; the heat released on the collectors of the EGE is removed using heat pipes; the design allows full-scale testing and testing of both individual elements and the entire TRP in laboratory bench conditions with imitation of nuclear fuel heat by electric heating (patent No. 2299491, registered May 20, 2007, authors: Titkov A.S., Bryukhanov A.N., Sinyavsky VV) TRP, consists of sections of extended EGE, performed on heat pipes that remove heat released on the collectors of EGE; EGEs have emitter shells filled with nuclear fuel and collectors installed with interelectrode gaps filled with cesium vapors and switching conductors made in the form of corrugated tapes with alternating sections for fastening along the shells of emitters and free sections located between corrugations with orthogonal processes for connection with collectors. The EGE sections are rigidly connected to each other by pins located on the sides of the sections, while the processes of the switching conductors with the non-insulated side are pressed against the collectors of the neighboring sections. To form a closed volume filled with cesium vapor, the sections are sealed by perimeter welding using two frames made of metal foil and an insulating layer between them.

The disadvantage of this design of TRP is the unusual and unexplored emitter shell of the EGE channel shape, which leads to the need for more experimental research and technological development and ultimately will require significant material resources and time. Other disadvantages are that in the design of each section there is a significant number of welded and soldered seams, which complicates the manufacture of the section and reduces its reliability.

The aim of the invention is to eliminate problematic and unreliable structural elements, simplify manufacturing and, accordingly, reduce the cost and increase reliability while maintaining all the advantages of the known design.

This goal is achieved in the design of the TRP, which differs from the well-known one in that the sections are made on monolithic boards, inside which cavities are created for the steam channels of collector heat pipes with a cross section in the form of two semicircles facing each other with convex sides and connected by straight lines on each side; between these cavities there are cylindrical cavities resting on dead ends on a septum bounding the cesium volume and ending on open ends on the ends of the boards; emitter shells of a cylindrical shape coaxially with the surfaces of the cavities, which are collectors of the EGE, are soldered tightly through the holes on the upper end of each board; Coaxiality is ensured by an insulating sleeve located on the septum bounding cesium volume and a rod from the bottom of the emitter shell. Cylindrical heat pipes soldered into the environment are soldered into the holes on the lower end; On the side surfaces of the boards opposite the emitter shells, slots are made for outputting the switching conductors and introducing cesium vapor into the interelectrode gaps.

The manufacture of EGE sections on monolithic boards minimizes the number of welds and solders, simplifies the manufacture of sections and increases their reliability, and the use of emitter shells of a cylindrical shape, perfect and well-studied, makes it possible to use a laboratory-bench base and technologies developed to create nuclear power installation "Yenisei", which will lead to a significant reduction in cost and accelerate the creation of an effective and reliable TRP.

The foregoing is illustrated by the graphic material shown in figures 1-5.

Figure 1. Schematic general view of the TRP:

a) top view; b) side view.

Figure 2. View of a separate section of the EGE from the side of the switching conductors.

Figure 3. Section AA of FIG. 1 (a).

Figure 4. Section BB of FIG. 1 (b).

Figure 5. Section CC of FIG. 2.

Designations:

1 - EGE section

2 - nuclear fuel

3 - electrical terminals TRP

4 - insulating layer

5 - pipe for pumping a closed volume and for the inlet of cesium

6 - heat pipe to discharge heat into the environment

7 - the process of the switching conductor

8 - gap

9 - insulating layer

10 - collector heat pipe

11 - insulating sleeve

12 - steam channel of the collector heat pipe

13 - a cylindrical cavity for soldering a heat pipe that discharges heat into the environment

14 - a cylindrical cavity for soldering the emitter shell

15 - collector

16 - emitter

17 - metal foil frame

18 - tightening studs

19 - insulating coating on the switching process.

Preparation for work and the work of the TRP is as follows. After the TRP assembly, electric heaters are inserted into the cavity of the emitter shells and, according to a certain technique, the entire TRP is degassed. After degassing, the closed cavity of the TRP is connected hermetically to the source of cesium vapor, the temperature of the emitters rises to the set values and the working pressure of the cesium vapor is set. TRP begins to generate electrical energy, which can be removed from the terminals TRP. Various practically interesting modes of TRP operation are determined. Then the electric heaters are removed, nuclear fuel is loaded into the cavity of the emitter shells and the fission reaction is started. The heat generated is partially converted into electrical energy, and partially discharged by various processes to the EGE collectors and is removed using collector heat pipes to heat pipes that discharge heat into the environment.

Claims (1)

Thermionic reactor-converter, consisting of sections of extended electric generating elements having emitter shells filled with nuclear fuel; collectors installed with interelectrode gaps filled with cesium vapor; switching conductors made in the form of corrugated tapes with alternating sections for fastening along the shells of emitters and free sections located between corrugations with orthogonal processes for connection with collectors, and a cooling system for collectors on heat pipes; the sections are rigidly connected to each other by means of pins located on the sides of the sections and sealed around the perimeter by welding with the help of two metal frames and an insulating layer between them, forming a closed volume filled with cesium vapor, characterized in that the sections are made on monolithic boards, inside which created the cavity of the vapor channels of the collector heat pipes with a cross-section in the form of two semicircles facing each other with convex sides and connected along the sides by straight lines; between these cavities there are cylindrical cavities resting on dead ends on a septum bounding the cesium volume and ending on open ends on the ends of the boards; emitter shells of a cylindrical shape are sealed into openings on the upper end of each board hermetically through an insulating layer, coaxially with the surfaces of the cavities that are collectors of electric generating elements, and cylindrical heat pipes are soldered into openings on the lower end, which discharge heat into the environment; On the side surfaces of the boards opposite the emitter shells, slots are made for outputting the switching conductors and introducing cesium vapor into the interelectrode gaps.

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