<p>Very-high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) has good inherent safety and is one of the six reactor types for next-generation nuclear energy systems. The ultra-high core outlet temperature makes VHTR suitable for process heat applications such as hydrogen production. Intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) is the key equipment for energy transfer between VHTR and the process heat application system. To verify the high-temperature performance of the IHX, Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) of Tsinghua University is building a high-temperature helium experimental system. In this experimental system, a water cooler needs to be designed to cool down the high-temperature helium in the experimental loop to ensure the safety of the experimental system. In the present study, the cooling performance of the water cooler is numerically investigated. The effects of cooling water flow rate and cooling water injection position on the tube sheet temperature are analyzed. In addition, different heat exchanger tube materials are compared. The results show that a large cooling water flow rate and a close cooling water injection position both benefit the cooling performance of the water cooler. Compared with metal heat exchange tubes, ceramic heat exchanger tubes significantly reduce the temperature of the tube sheet. Subsequent research and optimization on structure parameters of the water cooler are expected to further improve the cooling performance.</p>

Study on Water Cooler Performance for High Temperature Helium Experimental System

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ICONE/ICONE28/volume/85246

2021 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE28)

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