Development and Testing of Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger for Generation IV Reactors

摘要

A high-temperature helium experimental test facility was designed and is being built to experimentally investigate the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) for potential applications in the U.S. Department of Energy's Generation IV reactors, in particular, the very-high temperature gas-cooled reactors (VHTRs). An overview is also given in this summary of the various high temperature materials considered during the design of the helium test facility.Compact PCHEs can help achieve high efficiency in the power conversion and hydrogen production cycles during normal operation and provide enhanced and reliable decay heat removal capability in off-normal conditions.