Lithium and potassium heat pipes for thermionic convertersA prototypic heat pipe system for an out-of-core thermionic reactor has been built and tested. The emitter of the concentric thermionic converter consists of the condenser of a tungsten heat pipe utilizing a lithium working fluid. The evaporator section of the emitter heat pipe is radiation heated to simulate the thermal input from the nuclear reactor. The emitter heat pipe thermal transport is matched to the thermionic converter input requirement. The collector heat pipe of niobium, 1%-zirconium alloy uses potassium as the working fluid. The thermionic collector is coupled to the heat pipe by a tapered conical joint designed to minimize the temperature drop. The area ratio of the evaporator to condenser is 16:1, which increases the radiation area. The composite wick structure consists of seven arteries and cylindrical wraps. The collector heat flux matches the design requirements of the thermionic converter.
Document ID
19790026100
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Miskolczy, G. (Thermo Electron Corp. Waltham, Mass., United States)
Kroeger, E. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, Ohio, United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1978
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Meeting Information
Meeting: Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference