Feasibility study on the applicability of a diffusion-welded compact intermediate heat exchanger to next-generation high temperature gas-cooled reactor

The development of an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) transferring high temperature heat to a process heat application is of prime importance for a next-generation high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The IHX needs high structural integrity and reliability over 900 degrees C for a long duration. A plate fin type compact heat exchanger (PFCHX) has a large heat transfer area per heat exchanger volume and is expected to be used as the IHX. However, the brazing for connecting fins and plate is not reliable when existing PFCHXs are used in a high temperature condition for a long time. We have proposed a concavo-convex plate type compact heat exchanger (CPCHX) which consists of concavo-convex plates (CPs) welded by solid state diffusion and made of nickel-based superalloy Hastelloy XR. In our study, first, an optimized condition for the solid state diffusion welding between the CPs of the CPCHX was found by experiments using test pieces made of Hastelloy XR. Second, small-scale diffusion-welded CPCHXs were designed, manufactured and installed in a test loop to investigate the reliability of the diffusion welding. As a result of leakage tests, it was confirmed that the reliability of the solid state diffusion welding between the CPs of the small-scale CPCHX is sufficient. A thermal performance test revealed that the thermal conductance of the small-scale CPCHX was better than calculated. In addition, a design study for the CPCHX was performed to investigate the feasibility of the diffusion-welded CPCHX to the IHX in a next-generation HTGR. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.