Size Effect of PHE Prototype on High-Temperature Structural Integrity

Abstract

PHE (Process Heat Exchanger) is a key component for transferring the high-temperature heat generated from a VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor) to a chemical reaction for massive production of hydrogen. Recently, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has manufactured a small-scale and a medium-scale PHE prototype made of Hastelloy-X of high-temperature alloy and a performance test on the PHE prototype is scheduled in a small-scale nitrogen gas loop established at KAERI. In this study, in order to compare the high-temperature structural integrity of the PHE prototypes under the normal test condition of the gas loop, high-temperature structural analyses on the PHE prototypes were carried out and the analyses results were compared to each other. As a result of comparisons, the high-temperature structural integrity of the medium-scale PHE prototype gets worse due to higher thermal expansion by a size effect.