热管冷却反应堆的兴起和发展

Initiation and Development of Heat Pipe Cooled Reactor

热管冷却反应堆采用固态反应堆设计理念,通过热管非能动方式导出堆芯热量。本文总结了热管冷却反应堆的概念初创、积极探索、重大突破的发展历程;分析了热管冷却反应堆的技术特点,包括固态属性、固有安全性高、运行特性简单、易于模块化与易扩展和运输特性良好等核心优势;归纳了热管冷却反应堆中热管性能、材料工艺、能量转换等技术现状,并提出热管冷却反应堆进一步发展将面临的材料、制造工艺、运行可维护性等挑战,从而明确了热管冷却反应堆未来的发展趋势,为革新型热管冷却反应堆技术的发展与应用提供良好的方向指引。总体而言,热管冷却反应堆在深空探测与推进、陆基核电源、深海潜航探索等场景中具有广阔的应用前景,有可能成为改变未来核动力格局的颠覆性技术之一。

The heat pipe cooled reactor adopts the solid-state reactor design concept and passively transfer the heat out of the core through heat pipes. This paper summarizes the development history of the heat pipe cooled reactor, from the conceptual initiation, the active exploration and to the breakthrough. The technical characteristics of heat pipe cooled reactors are analyzed, including the key advantages, such as solid properties, inherent safety, simple operation, easy modularization and expansion, and transportability. In addition, this paper summarizes the technical status of heat pipe performance, material technology and energy conversion in heat pipe cooled reactors. The challenges in the further development of heat pipe cooled reactors are put forward, such as material technique, manufacturing, and operation maintainability. The future development trend of heat pipe cooled reactors is clarified, which provides a direction for the development and application of the innovative heat pipe cooled reactor technology. Overall, the heat pipe cooled reactor has broad application prospects in deep space exploration and propulsion, land-based nuclear power supply, sea exploration and other scenarios, which may become one of the most creative technologies to change the future nuclear power patterns.