Study on the start-up characteristics of a 100kWe-level nuclear silent heat pipe cooled reactor based on cascaded control

Zeqin Zhang, Haocheng Zhao, Chenglong Wang, Kailun Guo, Guanghui Su, Wenxi Tian and Suizheng Qiu

Energy, 2025, vol. 314, issue C

Abstract: Heat pipe cooled reactors are a recent hotspot of research in energy systems due to their high energy density, simple structure, and inherent safety. These reactors, operating at near 1000K, require high-temperature heat pipes with alkali metals, which freeze under cold conditions, posing start-up challenges. This work proposes a cascaded control method for heat pipe cooled reactors, integrating neutron physics and thermal-hydraulic models into a coupled control framework. The heat pipe model was improved with a wick structure flow model, achieving a relative error below 9.76 %. The framework was used to analyze the start-up characteristics of a 100kWe-level reactor. Simulations indicate that the start-up process involves two power peaks and depends heavily on the heat pipes. Activating the energy conversion system quickly is crucial, overcoming an initial control dead zone. A constant start-up rate of 0.01 % FP/s extends the start-up time to 12,000 s. However, a variable rate strategy, shifting from 0.01 % to 0.05 % FP/s, reduces this to 5500 s. The steady-state velocity in the central heat pipe wick is approximately 0.0155 m/s with a pressure drop of about 9140 Pa, displaying a trapezoidal velocity profile.

Keywords: Heat pipe cooled reactor; Reactor start-up; Cascaded control; Heat pipe wick (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224040386

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134260

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