HEAT TRANSFER FROM A RADIOISOTOPE GENERATOR, USING ORGANIC FLUIDS; Transfert de chaleur a partir d'une source radioisotopique de puissance par fluides caloporteurs organiques

Technical Report · Mon Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 1973

OSTI ID:4603487

Cavoret, J C; Lavigne, P; Teytu, A

An organic fluid is used to transfer heat from the Cobalt 60 source to the converter boiler of a radio-isotope source generator with an output of about 100 W. The turbine converter operates with an organic working fluid. The heat source, consisting of irradiated cobalt plates, is enclosed within a copper container acting as a biological shield. The copper container is immersed in a tank containing the organic liquid. The heat given out vaporizes the primary liquid, which condenses at the bottom of a boiler and heats up the secondary fluid driving the turbines. In view of the possible disastrous consequences of a failure -- due to the presence of a source of 300 000 curies -- a very thorough study has been made of the security of the system. Three emergency cascade cooling arrangements have been provided for the source: one switches in an auxiliary condenser, another exposes the core, and if the latter fails to operate, the third lowers the heat-lagging off the vessel in order to keep the maximum core temperature down to a safe level.

• Research Organization: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Grenoble (France). Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires
• NSA Number: NSA-27-000417
• OSTI ID: 4603487
• Report Number(s): CEA-CONF--2042; CONF-720648--12
• Country of Publication: France
• Language: French

Related Subjects

BOILERS
COBALT 60
COOLING
ENERGY CONVERSION
HEAT TRANSFER
LIQUID FLOW
N42300 --Engineering--Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
N47200* --Isotope & Radiation Source Technology--Isotopic Power Sources
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
NUCLEAR AUXILIARY POWER SYSTEMS/design and safety of 100W cobalt-60-fueled
using organic working fluids
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES
SAFETY ENGINEERING