抄録
The mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy is to advance nuclear power in order to meet the nation’s energy, environmental, and energy security needs. Advanced high temperature reactor systems such as sodium fast reactors and high and very high temperature gascooled reactors will required compact heat exchangers (CHX) for the next generation of nuclear reactor plant designs (Reference 1). To support this objective, the U.S. Department of Energy is sponsoring research to support the development of the CHX for use in high temperature advanced reactors. The project is being executed by an Integrated Research Project (IRP) and includes team members from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Michigan, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Idaho, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, Electric Power Research Institute, MPR Associates, and heat exchanger manufacturers CompRex and Vacuum Process Engineering (References 2 & 3). The objective of the research is to enable the use of compact heat exchanger designs in high temperature advanced reactor service in order to improve plant efficiency and economics. A necessary step for achieving this objective is to ensure that the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III has rules for the construction of CHXs for nuclear service. The IRP is conducting the research to support a Code Case that provides those rules. This paper identifies the major technology and research gaps impeding the development of a Code Case for compact heat exchangers for high temperature reactor service constructed in accordance with the ASME Code Section III, Division 5, Class A. The paper will also outline how the ASME Committees can use the basic research to support a Code Case. The major technology gaps include material properties, failure modes and effects, analysis methods, and examination methods. The IRP will study basic material properties of diffusion bonded plate, creep and fatigue models, development of NDE methodology and development of advanced analytical approaches to design.
