US-12620502-B2 - Nuclear reactor comprising a reactor vessel containing a reactor core and an alkali metal thermoelectric converter

Abstract

A nuclear reactor includes a reactor vessel containing an alkali metal thermoelectric converter. The bottom part of the vessel contains liquid alkali metal. A reactor core is arranged in the vessel and includes fuel rods. The surface of each fuel rod is provided with a first liquid absorption core. The bottom part of the reactor core is provided with second liquid absorption cores which are connected to the first liquid absorption cores. The cores are together configured to use capillary action to pump liquid alkali metal to an upper portion of an outer surface of the fuel rods, where the liquid alkali metal is vaporized into alkali metal vapor. The converter divides the inside of the reactor vessel into a high-pressure vapor chamber and a low-pressure vapor chamber. The converter is configured to receive alkali metal vapor from the high-pressure vapor chamber for use in electric power generation.

Inventors

• Qichang Chen
• Jinming LI
• Wei Wang
• Cheng Ye
• Chuntao TANG
• Xujia Wang
• Qian Lin
• Jinkun ZHAO
• Weizhong Zhang
• Chuntian YUAN
• Yalan QIAN

Assignees

• SHANGHAI NUCLEAR ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN INSTITUTE CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20211207

Priority Date

20201208

Claims (7)

1. 1 . A nuclear reactor comprising a reactor vessel containing a reactor core and an alkali metal thermoelectric converter, wherein the reactor vessel has a bottom portion, the bottom portion containing liquid alkali metal; wherein the reactor core is arranged in the reactor vessel, wherein the reactor core comprises a plurality of fuel rods, and a radial reflective layer arranged at periphery of the plurality of fuel rods, wherein a surface of each fuel rod of the plurality of fuel rods is provided with first liquid-absorption cores, and bottom of the reactor core is provided with second liquid-absorption cores arranged to cover the bottom of the reactor core, to connect to the first liquid-absorption cores, and to contact with the liquid alkali metal; wherein the alkali metal thermoelectric converter is arranged along a circumferential direction of the radial reflective layer, between the outside of the radial reflective layer and an inner wall of the re actor vessel, and which divides the inside of the reactor vessel into a high-pressure vapor chamber located above the alkali metal thermoelectric converter and a low-pressure vapor chamber located below the alkali metal thermoelectric converter; and wherein the alkali metal thermoelectric converter is configured to directly convert heat into electric power; wherein the first and second liquid-absorption cores are together configured to pump liquid alkali metal from the bottom portion of the reactor vessel to an upper portion of an outer surface of the plurality of fuel rods where the liquid alkali metal is vaporized into alkali metal vapor; wherein the alkali metal thermoelectric converter is configured to receive alkali metal vapor from the high-pressure vapor chamber for use in electric power generation; and wherein the alkali metal thermoelectric converter is configured to release alkali metal vapor into the low-pressure vapor chamber where the alkali metal vapor can condense into a liquid state.
2. 2 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein a condenser is arranged in the low-pressure vapor chamber.
3. 3 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal thermoelectric converter comprises an anode, a cathode, and a BASE tube arranged between the anode and the cathode, and alkali metal vapor in the high-pressure vapor chamber passes through the anode, the BASE tube and the cathode in sequence, so as to generate a potential difference between the anode and the cathode.
4. 4 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein an interior of the reactor vessel is configured to be in a negative pressure state before the nuclear reactor is activated.
5. 5 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel rod comprises a fuel pellet and a cladding covering the fuel pellet, and the first liquid-absorption cores are arranged on an outer surface of the cladding, grooves being provided on the outer surface of the cladding.
6. 6 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein a control rod is arranged inside of the reactor core for controlling the reactor.
7. 7 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein several control drums are arranged in the radial reflective layer for controlling a reactor power.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a national stage entry of International Application No. PCT/CN2021/135991 filed on Dec. 7, 2021, which claims the benefit of priority to Chinese Application No. 202011422901.1, filed Dec. 8, 2020, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the technical field of nuclear reactor power generation, and more particularly to an alkali metal reactor power supply. BACKGROUND A microreactor is a unique small reactor system, typically with thermal power of less than 20 MW and electrical power of less than 10 MW, and it is mainly used to meet the electric power or power requirements of special application scenarios such as astrospace, ocean, and land bases etc. Compared with traditional reactors, microreactors are significantly reduced in terms of power, size, and weight, and have features mainly including: factory prefabrication, devices being transportable, and self-adjusting operation. A microreactor greatly simplifies system design and can realize rapid installation and deployment in different application environments, so that it can be widely applied for energy security in various remote areas. At present, specific applications of microreactors include astrospace reactor power supplies, deep-sea nuclear power supplies, vehicle-mounted reactor power supplies, and the like. Alkali metal thermoelectric conversion (AMTEC) is a high-efficiency static thermoelectric conversion technology, which uses gaseous or liquid alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, etc.) as working mediums, and uses the β″-Al2O3 solid electrolyte (BASE) as a selective ion permeable membrane. Migration process of alkali metal ions in the BASE realizes the conversion of heat energy to electrical energy, theoretically, the thermoelectric conversion efficiency can reach more than 30%. The AMTEC is a closed loop system filled with alkali metal, the system is divided by the BASE into two parts with different pressures, wherein the alkali metal on the high-pressure side absorbs heat through a heat source, and the alkali metal vapor on the low-pressure side condenses into a liquid state through a condenser and then returns to the high-pressure side through an electromagnetic pump or a liquid-absorption core. Due to the combination of characteristics of being static and having high thermoelectric conversion efficiency, the alkali metal thermoelectric conversion technology can be applied to various fields such as nuclear energy, and has application potential in outer space and remote areas. SUMMARY The present application provides an alkali metal reactor power supply, which can directly convert heat generated by a reactor into electric power through an alkali metal thermoelectric converter, and provide electric power guarantee for remote areas, underwater submersible devices, spacecrafts and the like. The alkali metal reactor power supply of the present application includes: a reactor vessel, the bottom of which is provided with liquid alkali metal; a reactor core, which is arranged in the reactor vessel and includes a plurality of fuel rods and a radial reflective layer arranged at the periphery of the plurality of fuel rods, wherein a surface of the fuel rod is provided with first liquid-absorption cores, and the bottom of the reactor core is provided with second liquid-absorption cores arranged to cover the bottom of the reactor core, to connect to the first liquid-absorption core, and to contact with the liquid alkali metal; and an alkali metal thermoelectric converter, which is arranged, along a circumferential direction of the radial reflective layer, between the outside of the radial reflective layer and the inner wall of the reactor vessel, and which divides inside of the reactor vessel into a high-pressure vapor chamber located above the alkali metal thermoelectric converter and a low-pressure vapor chamber located below the alkali metal thermoelectric converter. Preferably, a condenser is arranged in the low-pressure vapor chamber. Preferably, the alkali metal thermoelectric converter includes an anode, a cathode, and a BASE tube arranged between the anode and the cathode, and alkali metal vapor in the high-pressure vapor chamber passes through the anode, the BASE tube and the cathode in sequence, so as to generate a potential difference between the anode and the cathode. Preferably, the reactor vessel is vacuumized before the reactor is activated, so that the inside of the reactor vessel is in a negative pressure state. Preferably, the fuel rod includes a fuel pellet and a cladding covering the fuel pellet, and the first liquid-absorption cores are arranged on an outer surface of the cladding, groove being provided on the outer surface of the cladding. Preferably, a control rod is arranged in the middle of the reactor core for controlling the reactor. Preferably, several control drums are arranged