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THERMOELECTRIC SOURCES OF CURRENT
INVENTION
Patent of the Russian Federation RU2102813

MULTI-ELEMENT ELECTRIC GENERATING CHANNEL

MULTI-ELEMENT ELECTRIC GENERATING CHANNEL

The name of the inventor: Nikolaev Yu.V . ; Lapochkin N.V.
The name of the patent holder: Branch Scientific and Technical Center "Sources of Current" of the Research Institute of the Scientific and Production Association "Luch"
Address for correspondence:
Date of commencement of the patent: 1993.12.30

Purpose: The invention relates to the field of direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy, and more specifically, to the construction of an electro-generating channel (EGC) of a thermoemission reactor-converter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: EGC comprises series-connected electrogenerating elements with internal fuel arrangement enclosed in a hermetic enclosure, commutation adapters connecting emitters with collectors of neighboring electrogenerating elements, channels connecting the cavities of the interelectrode gap and the fuel element are made inside the commutation adapters, and between the adjacent manifolds, Node (MKU), one of whose cuffs is connected to the collector, and the other - to the switching adapter, in the latter an additional channel connecting the channels in the collectors is made. The ECG comprises electrical insulation on the inner and outer surfaces of the hermetic shell, end neutron reflectors and located at least at one end of the MKU electrogenerating channel, the MKU insulator located at the end of the power generating channel and the end reflector interfaced with each other so that Their mating surfaces are located inside the end reflector and are tightly connected to each other, and coaxially located openings form a passage for cesium vapor. This design allows you to increase reliability and performance without increasing its overall dimensions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy, and more particularly to the design of an electrogenerating channel (EGC) of a thermionic reactor-converter.

The design of the EGC is characterized by: geometric configuration, the use of various materials as a cathode or anode, the use of structural components, the values ​​of interelectrode gaps, the presence or absence of emitter insulation, the operation of collector insulation in vapors or outside cesium vapors, . The design schemes of the EGC, as well as the corresponding choice of materials for its fabrication, are largely determined by the type of reactor in which they will be used. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates a multi-element EGC with cylindrical emitters and with an internal arrangement of nuclear fuel, the power generating elements are connected to successive circuits.

An electrogenerating channel is known, consisting of series-connected cylindrical electrogenerating elements in which the emitters located along the axis are connected to the collectors of adjacent elements, and the emitters are isolated from each other. The current collector is realized from the cathode of one and the anode of the other, the extreme assembly element. Emitter assemblies include cylindrical cores made of high-temperature nuclear fuel, placed in a shell of structural material, which is simultaneously an emitter. The collector assembly operating at 325-1025 ° C is a set of metal tubes separated from each other by insulators and located with a cavity with emitters through a gap filled with cesium vapor. To avoid closing the collectors through the coolant, a thin layer of electrical insulation is applied to their outer surface. The entire channel is placed in a metal shell directly in contact with the coolant [1]

Such a design, consisting of several elementary anodes, cathodes and insulators, is short-lived, brittle and requires careful handling, especially when assembling.

A multi-element electrogenerating channel is known in which the electrogenerating elements are connected in series, consist of tubular concentrically arranged emitters and collectors separated by a cesium interelectrode gap. The electrogenerating elements are separated from each other by hermetic seals, which ensure their mechanical and electrical separation. Inside the emitter there is a nuclear fuel, which has an internal cavity for the escape of gaseous fission products (GPD). The interelectrode gap filled with cesium vapor determines the distance between the emitter and the collector. This gap is provided with a vacuum-tight metal-ceramic unit. The emitter is fixed in both axial and radial directions. In order to maintain in the interelectrode gap all the electrogenerating elements of constant and equal pressure of cesium vapor, channels are interconnected [2]

The drawbacks of this design include: the swelling of the fuel, leading to the short-circuiting of the EGC, the probability of breakdown of inter-element isolation in cesium vapor.

A multi-element electrogenerating channel is also known, comprising in series connected electric generating elements with an internal arrangement of fuel elements enclosed in a sealed enclosure.

Construction of power generating element is typical and consists of a cylindrical emitter with nuclear fuel inside the cylinder and manifold. Cesium vapor is located in the gap under low pressure. The emitter material is W, Re, Ni. The collector is made of molybdenum, tantalum, zirconium. Each element is electrically isolated from the adjacent element by means of a commutation adapter made of Al 2 O 3 or high purity BeO, ThO, Y 2 O 3 . The ends of the channel are equipped with end reflectors and a cermet inlet of cesium vapor and an outlet of gaseous fission products [3]

The disadvantage of this EGC is its reduced reliability in terms of the stability of the output energy characteristics, due to the fact that the fuel coming out of the fuel element or individual components of complex fuel compositions, as well as some fission products, falling into the IES, can have a significant effect on the surface properties of the electrodes , For example, the work function, the degree of blackness, and also form a layer on the collector with an increased electrical resistance.

The task of the authors is to create EGCs with increased reliability and performance without increasing its overall dimensions. For this purpose, the authors propose the construction of a multi-element power generating channel.

The channel contains in series connected electrogenerating elements (EGE) with internal arrangement of fuel, enclosed in a hermetic shell, commutation adapters connecting emitters with collectors of neighboring electrogenerating elements, electrical insulation on the inner and outer surface of the hermetic shell, end neutron reflectors, and located, at least , From one end of the EGC metal-ceramic unit (MKU) of cesium vapor injection. The difference in the design is that inside the switching adapters and associated collectors of the electrogenerating elements channels are made connecting the cavities of the interelectrode gap and the fuel element, and between the adjacent collectors there is a cermet assembly one of whose cuffs is connected to the collector and the other to the commutation adapter, The latter is provided with an additional channel connecting the channels in the manifolds, the insulator of the cermet assembly located at the end of the EGC and the end reflector being conjugated to each other such that their interfacing surfaces are located inside the end reflector and are tightly connected to one another and the coaxially located openings form A passage for cesium vapor. The metal-ceramic assemblies located between the adjacent collectors are made in the form of axial seals. The insulator of the metal-ceramic unit and the neutron reflectors are made of Al 2 O 3 and / or BeO.

The implementation of the channels connecting the cavities of the MEZ and the fuel element within the switching adapters and collectors contributes to the increase of the reliability of the EGC with respect to the stability parameter of the output energy characteristics due to the limitation of the removal in the MEZ from the fuel rod cavity and other components that significantly affect the surface properties of the electrodes. The introduction of the MKU installed between neighboring collectors, one of whose cuffs is connected to the collector, and the other to the switching adapter, in which an additional channel connecting the tracts in the collectors is made, and helps to limit the removal of fuel components and pressure products from the fuel chamber cavity from the fuel chamber cavity Saturated vapor pressure at a collector temperature of 700 ° C to a level that does not significantly affect the stability of the EGC characteristics. A single fission output path formed in the collector paths communicates with the IES cavity through the end sections of the EHG, having a temperature much lower than the characteristic collector temperature (700 ° C), which allows efficient deposition of volatile fuel components and fission products. The execution of the end parts of the insulator and the nearest reflector conjugated with each other in such a way that their interfacing surfaces are tightly interconnected and the holes are coaxial with the formation of a single cesium vapor passage increases the operational reliability and efficiency of the EGC by significantly increasing the cesium discharge gap in the insulation MKU input of cesium vapor without changing the overall dimensions of the EGC.

The essence of the proposed technical solution is illustrated by drawings, where

MULTI-ELEMENT ELECTRIC GENERATING CHANNEL MULTI-ELEMENT ELECTRIC GENERATING CHANNEL

1 and 2, the beginning and the continuation of the general view, in FIG. 3, on a larger scale, a cut along the end portion of the EGC with the display of the cermet seal between the adjacent manifolds to form a single output path of the VAP; FIG. 4 is an embodiment of an insulator of a MKU and a reflector of one ceramic material; FIG. 5 is an embodiment of an insulator and a reflector of different ceramic materials.

This EGC is an assembly with series-connected electric generating elements. It consists of a three-layer collector package 1, two cermet layers of which (layer from the collectors EGC 2 and security 3 are electrically insulated from each other by two ceramic layers) insulation layer 4 and insulation layer 5 and several, located inside the collector package with the interelectrode gap of emitters 6 with prisoners Inside them with fuel elements 7. Switching adapters 8 connect emitters with collectors of neighboring EGE.

the free end of the emitters 6 Spacing carried distantsionatorami 9. ends EGC located cold ends 10, 11 placed inside them end reflectors and metal units 12, 13, 14, forming a cavity working EGC body. Through the cermet assembly 13, which is connected to the common or individual source of the working fluid, the vapor of the working substance (cesium) enters the EGC. Inside the commutation adapters and collectors, channels A, B of the VFD outlet are made from the cavity of the fuel element. Between the adjacent manifolds, metal-ceramic assemblies 15 are provided, for example in the form of coaxial seal guides. One of the cuffs of the MKU 16 is connected to the collector, and the other 17 to the switching adapter 8. In the latter, an additional channel B is connected, which connects the paths in the collectors. With the help of metal-ceramic assemblies and channels in the commutation adapters, the channels B in the collectors form a single path communicating with the cavity of the interelectrode gap at the end sections of the EGC. The end reflector 18 in the present embodiment is conjugated to a cermet assembly 12 consisting of an insulator in the form of a ceramic rod 19 with a through axial bore and two hermetically sealed metal cuffs 20, 21 and are made, for example, from a single ceramic material. The metal-ceramic layers 2, 3 of the collector bag are made of a niobium alloy, ceramic layers 4, 5 of aluminum oxide or yttrium oxide, emitters 6 of tungsten or its alloys, fuel element 7 of fuel compositions based on uranium. The commutator adapters 8 and the current leads 10, 11 are made of niobium or molybdenum, 9 of scandium oxide spacers, insulators of metal-ceramic units of aluminum oxide, their cuffs made of niobium. Connections in the EHC are electron-beam welding or high-temperature soldering.

The work of EGC is as follows. In the course of nuclear reactions, heat energy is released in the fuel elements, part of which is converted into electrical energy according to the known laws of thermionic emission, while the other part is removed from the collector package by the heat carrier. Electrode gap EGC full working medium pairs (cesium) coming through a sinter metal assembly. During operation, volatile fuel components and fission products are discharged from the fuel elements through the channels A in the commutation adapters into a single path formed by the channels in the collectors B, the cermet assemblies 15 and the additional channels B in the commutation adapters. A single path is communicated with the cavity of the IES at the end sections of the EGC. Since all the areas are at a temperature lower than the temperature of the collector, they effectively trap the volatile components of fuel and fission products which have not been deposited in the path at a higher temperature. The introduction of cesium vapors into the internal cavity of the EGC from the common cesium collector of the reactor through through axial apertures in the insulator of the seal and the reflector has made it possible to substantially increase the cesium discharge gap in the insulation of the cermium inlet of the cesium vapor and, as a result, to increase its electrical strength without changing the overall dimensions of the EHC. As a result of this, the probability of occurrence of electrical discharges in the seal is significantly reduced and the operational reliability and efficiency of the EGC is increased. EHCs of similar construction were manufactured and tested. The tests demonstrated the stability of the output characteristics of the EGC.

CLAIM

1. A multi-element electrogenerating channel comprising in series connected electric generating elements with an internal arrangement of fuel elements enclosed in a hermetic shell, commutation adapters connecting emitters with collectors of neighboring electrogenerating elements, electrical insulation on the inner and outer surfaces of the hermetic shell, end neutron reflectors, At least one end of the power generating channel, a cermet vapors cesium inlet unit, characterized in that the channels connecting the cavities of the interelectrode gap and the fuel element are made inside the switching adapters and associated collectors of the power generating elements, and between the adjacent manifolds there is installed a cermet assembly, one of whose cuffs Connected to the collector, and the other to the switching adapter; in the latter, an additional channel is provided connecting the channels in the manifolds, the insulator of the cermet assembly located at the end of the power generating channel and the end reflector being conjugated to each other such that their mating surfaces are located inside the end reflector And tightly connected to each other, and coaxially located holes form a passage for cesium vapor.

2. A channel according to claim 1, characterized in that the cermet assemblies located between the adjacent manifolds are in the form of coaxial seal guides.

3. Channel according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the insulator of the cermet assembly and the neutron reflectors are made of Al 2 O 3 and / or BeO.

print version
Published on February 13, 2007