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Development of Compact Heat Exchangers for Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

Mylavarapu, Sai K.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228150070

Abstract Details

2008, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Nuclear Engineering.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Generation IV Program has generated considerable interest for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGR), in particular, the Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR). VHTR is one of the six reactor concepts selected by the Generation IV International Forum and is anticipated to be reactor type for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The VHTR concept, with a projected plant design service life of 60 years, is being actively researched not only due to its near-term deployment potential but also because it offers a broad range of process heat applications ranging from electricity generation to hydrogen co-generation. To efficiently and reliably transfer the thermal output from the reactor core, VHTRs require high temperature (900-950 °C) and high integrity heat exchangers with high effectiveness during normal and off-normal conditions. A class of compact plate-type heat exchangers, namely, Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHEs), made of high-temperature materials and found to have these above characteristics are being increasingly pursued for heavy duty applications. The current thesis work is a part of a larger research project aimed at investigating the design, fabrication, testing, modeling, and optimization of PCHEs at operating temperatures proposed to be realized in VHTRs. In the present work, two PCHEs were designed and fabricated. In addition, a detailed design of a high-temperature helium test facility to test the thermal-hydraulic performance of these PCHEs was completed. Owing to the high operating temperatures and pressures, a detailed investigation on various high-temperature materials was carried out to aid in the design of the test facility and the heat exchangers. The study showed that Alloys 617 and 230 are the leading candidate materials for high-temperature applications. However, economics and material availability in the required form dictated the final design operating conditions. The helium test facility is of Alloy 800HT construction and is currently being constructed at The Ohio State University. It is intended to facilitate experiments at operating temperatures and pressures up to 900 °C and 3 MPa, respectively. Two PCHEs, each having 10 hot and 10 cold plates with 12 channels in each plate, were fabricated using Alloy 617 plates. In addition, the processes related to the fabrication of PCHEs, namely photochemical machining and diffusion bonding techniques were investigated and successfully established for Alloy 617 plates. The PCHEs will be tested in the helium test facility for their heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics at various operating temperatures and pressures. The experimental database generated from the test facility will then be used for model development and computer code validation. In summary, the current thesis focuses on the study of the high-temperature materials, design of the helium test facility, design, development, and fabrication of the high-temperature PCHEs.
Xiaodong Sun, PhD (Advisor)
Richard Christensen, PhD (Other)
122 p.
Mechanical Engineering
PCHE; Compact Heat Exchanger; Diffusion bonded heat exchanger; Photochemical machining

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mylavarapu, S. K. (2008). Development of Compact Heat Exchangers for Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228150070

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mylavarapu, Sai. Development of Compact Heat Exchangers for Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors. 2008. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228150070.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mylavarapu, Sai. "Development of Compact Heat Exchangers for Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228150070

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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