Heat exchanger and nuclear power plant comprising same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10811152-B2
Application number	US-201515513275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2015
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger and provides a heat exchanger and a nuclear power plant comprising same, the heat exchanger comprising: a plate unit having multiple plates overlapping one another; a flow path unit, which forms flow paths having fluids flowing therein by processing at least parts of the respective plates; and a detection flow path formed between the multiple plates so as to allow the fluids leaking from the flow paths to flow thereinto and formed so as to detect the leakage of the fluids from the flow paths.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger comprising:
a plate unit in which a plurality of plates overlap one another;
a flow path unit forming a flow path in which a fluid flows by processing at least a portion of each plate; and
a monitoring flow path formed between the plurality of plates such that a fluid leaked from the flow path flows thereto, and detecting a fluid leaked from the flow path,
wherein the monitoring flow path is formed as a plurality of flow paths, and includes a monitoring flow path header to which the plurality of flow paths gather, in order to detect a change in a state of a fluid within the monitoring flow path, and
wherein the inside of the monitoring flow path is filled with a compressible fluid or incompressible fluid, and
a pressure controller detecting a change in pressure is connected to the monitoring flow path header.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein
the flow path unit includes:
a first flow path in which a fluid having a relatively high temperature flows; and
a second flow path spaced apart from the first flow path and allowing a fluid having a temperature lower than that of the high temperature fluid to heat-exchange with the high temperature fluid.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the monitoring flow path is formed between the first flow path and the second flow path.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 3 , wherein
the monitoring flow path includes a first monitoring flow path and a second monitoring flow path spaced apart from each other,
the first monitoring flow path is formed between the first flow path and the second flow path, and
the second monitoring flow path is formed between the first monitoring flow path and the second flow path.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the plate unit includes:
a first plate in which the first flow path is formed; and
a second plate in which the second flow path is formed, and
the monitoring flow path is formed between the first and second plates.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 5 , further comprising:
a third plate disposed between the first and second plates,
wherein the monitoring flow path is formed in the third plate.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the monitoring flow path is formed to be in contact with the first plate or the second plate.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 6 , further comprising:
a fourth plate spaced apart from the third plate and formed to be in contact with the first plate or the second plate,
wherein the monitoring flow path is formed as a plurality of flow paths and includes a first monitoring flow path formed in the third plate and a second monitoring flow path formed in the fourth plate.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein
the monitoring flow path is formed as an open flow path including:
first passages formed in one direction as a plurality of flow paths are spaced apart from each other; and
a second passage allowing the first passages to communicate with each other.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein
the monitoring flow path further includes a third passage connected to at least one of the first passage and the second passage and formed to penetrate through the plate unit.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein
the monitoring flow path is formed as a fine flow path having a size of a cross-section smaller than those of the first flow path and the second flow path in order to restrain a degradation of performance of heat exchange between the first flow path and the second flow path.

12. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein
at least one of the first and second flow paths is formed across at least two plates.

13. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , further comprising:
a monitoring measurement instrument connected to the pressure controller and detecting a change in an internal state of the pressure controller.

14. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein
the flow path unit exchanges heat through at least one of the first flow path and the second flow path, and
further includes at least one of a third flow path in which a fluid having a high temperature or low temperature, relative to fluids flowing in the first flow path and the second flow path, flows.

15. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein
the second flow path includes a flow resistance part including a bent or curved flow path extending to be longer than a length of a straight line drawn from the inlet to the outlet, in order to increase resistance of a flow path to resolve flow instability due to an introduction of a fluid to an inlet portion through which a fluid is introduced.

16. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein
the second flow path includes:
a plurality of main flow paths spaced apart from each other; and
a sub-flow path formed such that the main flow paths spaced apart from each other communicate with each other.

17. The heat exchanger of claim 15 , wherein
the flow resistance part is formed as an economizer in which a bent form is repeated in a progress direction of the flow path in order to make a flow rate of a fluid introduced to the flow path uniform and enhance heat transfer.

Assignees

• Korea Atomic Energy Res

Inventors

• Kim Young In
• Kim Keung Koo
• Yoon Ju Hyeon
• Choi Suhn
• Han Hun Sik
• Kang Han Ok

Classifications

• Y02E30/00

  Energy generation of nuclear origin · CPC title

• G21C1/32

  Integral reactors, i.e. reactors wherein parts functionally associated with the reactor but not essential to the reaction, e.g. heat exchangers, are disposed inside the enclosure with the core (G21C1/02 - G21C1/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• G21C17/002

  Detection of leaks (by testing the coolant or the moderator G21C17/04) · CPC title

• F22B37/00

  Component parts or details of steam boilers · CPC title

• G21C17/032 Primary

  Reactor-coolant flow measuring or monitoring {(measuring volume or mass flow in general G01F)} · CPC title