Nuclear reactor prim. coolant is powdered material - esp. nuclear fuel opt. with gas filling voids

摘要

Amethod of transporting heat from a source to a sink is intended esp. for transporting heat from a nuclear reactor core to a steam generator in a power plant, i.e. for use in the prim. coolant circuit. The energy carrier is a solid, particulate material. More specifically, the material has the following properties; that of a "liq. powder"; m.pt. above the max. operating temp. negligible vapour pressure; high density in conjunction with sufficient specific heat and thermal conductivity; chemical inertness to the material of the cooling circuit. The material may be powdered by crushing to produce microspheres of approx. uniform dia. Esp. the size of its individual particles lies as close as possible to the boundary particle size where there is equilibrium between further crushing and agglomeration. The cavities between the particles are pref. evacuated or gas-filled. More specifically, a noble gas such as belium is used. Gives improved thermal efficiency and operating safety.