Assessment of Screen-Covered Grooved Sodium Heat Pipes for Microreactor Applications

Guillen, Donna Post; Turner, Clayton G.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2021.1977085

Assessment of Screen-Covered Grooved Sodium Heat Pipes for Microreactor Applications

Journal Article · Sat Nov 13 04:00:00 EST 2021 · Nuclear Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1977085· OSTI ID:1908168

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Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

New nuclear reactor designs that incorporate heat pipes are being investigated for possible near-term deployment in terrestrial applications. Here, this study explores the use of screen-covered axially grooved sodium heat pipes and their applicability for providing heat removal for microreactors. A sodium working fluid is appropriate for microreactors operating in the 5 to 20 MW(thermal) range at approximately 650°C. HTPIPE, a legacy software code, was validated for the case of screen-covered grooves and used to perform steady-state analyses to determine the performance limits of a proposed heat pipe design. The performance limits of a sodium heat pipe with a screen-covered square grooved wick structure is compared to that of an equivalent heat pipe with an annular wick. In a horizontal orientation at an operating temperature of 650°C,the performance limits for the heat pipe with an annular wick configuration are 15% higher than for the screen-covered grooved wick. At operating temperatures below 777°C, the annular wick outperforms the screen-covered grooved wick, and at temperatures above 777°C, the screen-covered grooved wick outperforms the annular wick. However, the marginal performance gain at higher temperatures may not justify the use of heat pipes with a screen-covered grooved wick structure due to increased manufacturing costs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

OSTI ID:: 1908168

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-21-62106-Rev000

Journal Information:: Nuclear Technology, Journal Name: Nuclear Technology Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 208; ISSN 0029-5450

Publisher:: Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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