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US 4,072,183 AGranted
Heat exchanger with intermediate evaporating and condensing fluid
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorArthur P. Fraas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shell and tube-type heat exchanger, such as a liquid sodium-operated steam generator for use in nuclear reactors, comprises a shell containing a primary fluid tube bundle, a secondary fluid tube bundle at higher elevation, and an intermediate fluid vaporizing at the surface of the primary fluid tubes and condensing at the surface of the secondary fluid tubes.
Claims10
A heat exchanger comprising:
- a. a shell defining an interior cavity;
- b. a first tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity for carrying high temperature primary fluid;
- c. A second tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity generally parallel to and at a higher elevation than said first tube bundle, for carrying low temperature secondary fluid;
- d. an intermediate fluid having a boiling point between the temperature of tubes in said first tube bundle and tubes in said second tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity such that during operation of said heat exchanger said intermediate fluid vaporizes at the surfaces of tubes in said first tube bundle and condenses at surfaces of tubes in said second tube bundle;
- e. a liquid-conducting baffle disposed within said interior cavity in a region between said first and second tube bundles and extending in a direction parallel to said bundles for preventing the direct impingement of secondary fluid onto said first tube bundle in the event of a leak in said second tube bundle, said baffle being adapted for conducting condensed intermediate fluid from said second bundle to said first bundle;
- and
- f. a transverse baffle disposed within said housing and extending in a direction perpendicular to said tube bundles substantially to the periphery of said interior cavity for dividing said heat exchanger into regions of different temperature.
4 more elements
A heat exchanger comprising:
- a. a shell defining an interior cavity;
- b. a first tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity for carrying high temperature primary fluid said primary fluid being sodium;
- c. a second tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity generally parallel to and at a higher elevation than said first tube bundle, for carrying low temperature secondary fluid said secondary fluid being water;
- d. an intermediate fluid selected from the group of sodium, lithium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium and mixtures thereof, said intermediate fluid having a boiling point between the temperature of tubes in said first tube bundle and tubes in said second tube bundle disposed within said interior cavity such that during operation of said heat exchanger said intermediate fluid vaporizes at the surfaces of tubes in said first tube bundle and condenses at surfaces of tubes in said second tube bundle;
- e. a liquid-conducting baffle disposed within said interior cavity in a region between said first and second tube bundles and extending in a direction parallel to said bundles for preventing the direct impingement of secondary fluid onto said first tube bundle in the event of a leak in said second tube bundle, said baffle being adapted for conducting condensed intermediate fluid from said second bundle to said first bundle;
- and
- f. means disposed within said interior cavity for detecting hydrogen.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.