Heat exchanger configuration for nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor includes a heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy from a primary reactor coolant to a secondary coolant. The heat exchanger is a compact plate heat exchanger and more than one heat exchanger may be spaced about the reactor vessel. A plurality of heat exchangers may be spaced vertically, radially, and/or circumferentially about the reactor vessel. A first heat exchanger may be in fluid communication with a second heat exchanger. Two or more heat exchangers may share a thermal load and therefore share thermal stresses. The heat exchanger may have a third fluid flow path and a third fluid. The third fluid may be used to remove fission products, be used for leak detection, create an oxidation layer to inhibit migration of activation products, and/or provide additional heat transfer.
1 . A plate heat exchanger for a nuclear reactor, comprising:
a plurality of plates encased within an enclosure to inhibit a leak within the heat exchanger from escaping to a location outside the enclosure, the plurality of plates and the enclosure together forming a heat exchanger core having a longitudinal axis;
a first fluid inlet plenum and a first fluid outlet plenum and a first fluid pathway communicating therebetween, the first fluid pathway formed as guide channels in each of the plurality of plates, wherein the first fluid inlet plenum is in fluid communication with each of the guide channels and the first fluid outlet plenum is in fluid communication with each of the guide channels;
a second fluid inlet plenum and a second fluid outlet plenum and a second fluid pathway communicating therebetween, the second fluid pathway formed as second guide channels in each of the plurality of plates and the second fluid inlet plenum and the second fluid outlet plenum are in fluid communication with each of the second guide channels, the second fluid pathway fluidically separated from the first fluid pathway;
a sliding labyrinth seal coupled to the plate exchanger, the sliding labyrinth seal configured to allow the plate heat exchanger to be reduced in length along the longitudinal axis in order to install the plate heat exchanger into a fixed space that is shorter in length than an overall length of the plate heat exchanger when fully expanded;
a first fluid inlet pipe coupled to the first fluid inlet plenum;
a first fluid outlet pipe coupled to the first fluid outlet plenum;
a second fluid inlet pipe coupled to the second fluid inlet plenum; and
a second fluid outlet pipe coupled to the second fluid outlet plenum.
2 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , further comprising a third fluid inlet and a third fluid outlet and a third fluid pathway communicating therebetween, the third fluid pathway fluidically separated from the first fluid pathway and the second fluid pathway, wherein the third fluid pathway is configured for a purpose other than thermal energy transfer.
3 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 2 , wherein third fluid pathway is configured to receive a third fluid, different from a first fluid and a second fluid.
4 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 3 , wherein the third fluid is selected for leak detection of the first fluid, the second fluid, or both.
5 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 3 , wherein the third fluid is selected to create an oxidation layer within the third fluid pathway.
6 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 3 , wherein the third fluid is selected to capture fission products or activation products.
7 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 6 , wherein the third fluid is selected to capture tritium.
8 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 3 , wherein the third fluid is hydrogen, helium, or CO 2 .
9 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , wherein the first fluid inlet plenum and the first fluid outlet plenum are formed on a same side of the plate heat exchanger.
10 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 9 , wherein the first fluid inlet pipe and the first fluid outlet pipe comprise a coaxial conduit coupled to the first fluid inlet plenum and the first fluid outlet plenum, the coaxial conduit defining an inner fluid conduit and an outer fluid conduit, the inner fluid conduit fluidically coupled to one of the first fluid inlet plenum and the first fluid outlet plenum and the outer fluid conduit fluidically coupled to the other of the first fluid inlet plenum and the first fluid outlet plenum.
11 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , further comprising a first fluid in the first fluid pathway and a second fluid in the second fluid pathway, the second fluid different from the first fluid.
12 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 11 , wherein the first fluid is sodium.
13 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 11 , wherein the second fluid is a molten salt.
14 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , wherein the plate heat exchanger is a first plate heat exchanger and further comprising a second plate heat exchanger fluidically coupled to the first plate heat exchanger, each of the first plate heat exchanger first fluid inlet plenum and the second plate heat exchanger first fluid inlet plenum fluidically coupled to a fluid header.
15 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , wherein the plate heat exchanger is a first plate heat exchanger and further comprising a second plate heat exchanger having the first fluid outlet plenum of the first plate heat exchanger in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet plenum of the second plate heat exchanger.
16 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , wherein the plate heat exchanger is a first plate heat exchanger and further comprising a plurality of heat exchangers configured to cooperate to handle a heat load of a nuclear reactor.
17 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 16 , wherein at least some of the plurality of heat exchangers are in fluid communication by a fluid header.
18 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 16 , wherein at least some of the plurality of heat exchangers are plumbed in series.
19 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 16 , wherein at least some of the plurality of heat exchangers are plumbed in parallel.
20 . The plate heat exchanger as in claim 1 , further comprising a thermal sleeve coupled to and surrounding at least a portion of the enclosure, the thermal sleeve configured to allow hot fluid from a hot pool within a reactor vessel in which the plate heat exchanger is submerged, to flow into a space between an interior portion of the thermal sleeve and an outer surface of the enclosure to maintain the hot fluid in thermal contact with the outer surface of the enclosure to attenuate thermal cyclic stresses on the heat exchanger.