AUTHOR=Guo Yuchuan , Su Zilin , Li Zeguang , Wang Kan , Liu Xuanyi 

TITLE=An Improved Model of the Heat Pipe Based on the Network Method Applied on a Heat Pipe Cooled Reactor

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2022.848799

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2022.848799

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=As the unique heat transport equipment in heat pipe cooled reactor, accurate simulation of heat pipe is helpful for understanding the real behavior of the reactor core and the reactor system. Based on the network method, an improved model for heat pipe which considers the heat conductance in wall, the vapor flow in vapor space, and the liquid flow in wick is proposed. Meanwhile, the gravity term is also added into the flow equation. Compared with the experimental results of copper-water heat pipe, the correctness of this model is verified. Then, high-temperature sodium heat pipe with 1.0m length is selected as the study object. Based on the analysis, it can be found that the total temperature difference of heat pipe is 31.7K, and the temperature drop caused by vapor flow is only 2.6K. As for the flow pressure drop in heat pipe, pressure drop is mainly concentrated in wick region, which is 8422.47 Pa, and the pressure drop in vapor space is only 896.68 Pa. In cases of non-uniform heating and cooling, high heat leakage and inclined operation, results indicate that the greater the non-uniformity of heating or cooling, the greater the temperature drop of heat pipe. With the increase of heat leakage, operating temperature of heat pipe decreases significantly, and the total temperature drop increases. Heat pipe can operate at all positive inclination angles, but when the inclination angle exceeds -〖30〗^°, heat pipe will reach the capillary limit and heat pipe may be damaged. All of these results can provide support for the design and simulation of heat pipe cooled reactor.