US 12,482,574 B1
Heat pipe reactors with arbitrary heat exchangers
Robert Stowers Reid, Santa Fe, NM (US); Tana Cardenas, Santa Fe, NM (US); and Patrick Ray McClure, Los Alamos, NM (US)
Assigned to TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC, Los Alamos, NM (US)
Filed by Triad National Security, LLC, Los Alamos, NM (US)
Filed on Jun. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/835,247.
Application 17/835,247 is a division of application No. 15/703,979, filed on Sep. 13, 2017, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/400,625, filed on Sep. 27, 2016.
Int. Cl. G21C 15/257 (2006.01); G21C 15/18 (2006.01)
CPC G21C 15/257 (2013.01) [G21C 15/18 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A heat pipe reactor, comprising:
a reactor core; and
a heat pipe, wherein the heat pipe defines:
a first end;
a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end and the second end of the heat pipe each comprise a condenser; and
an evaporator region located between the first end and the second end of the heat pipe, wherein the evaporator region is non-centered along a length of the heat pipe between the first end and the second end and wherein the evaporator region of the heat pipe is positioned within the reactor core such that heat from the reactor core enters the evaporator region of the heat pipe during operation of the heat pipe reactor, and wherein the heat pipe contains a working fluid;
a first heat exchanger disposed along a first length of the heat pipe proximate the first end of the heat pipe;
a second heat exchanger disposed along a second length of the heat pie proximate the second end of the heat pipe, wherein the first and second heat exchangers are configured to allow the heat from the evaporator region to be transferred out of one or both ends of the heat pipe, and wherein an amount of heat transferred from the evaporator region to the first heat exchanger differs from an amount of heat transferred from the evaporator region to the second heat exchanger; and
a third heat exchanger disposed along a third length of the heat pipe between the evaporator region and the first heat exchanger, the third heat exchanger positioned proximate the evaporator region and the third length shorter than the first and second lengths.