Development of plate-fin heat exchanger for intermediate heat exchanger of high-temperature gas cooled reactor: Fabrication process, high-temperature strength and creep-fatigue life prediction of plate-fin structure made of hastelloy X

The helium/helium heat exchanger (i.e., intermediate heat exchanger: IHX) of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) system with nuclear heat applications is installed between a primary system and a secondary system. IHX is operated at the highest temperature of 950°C and has a high capacity of up to 600 MWt. A plate-fin-type heat exchanger is the most suitable for IHX to improve construction cost. The purpose of this study is to develop an ultrafine plate-fin-type heat exchanger with a finer pitch fin than a conventional technology. In the first step, fabrication conditions of the ultrafine plate fin were optimized by press tests. In the second step, a brazing material was selected from several candidates through brazing tests of rods, and brazing conditions were optimized for plate-fin structures. In the third step, tensile strength, creep rupture, fatigue, and creep-fatigue tests were performed as typical strength tests for platefin structures. The obtained data were compared with those of the base metal and plate-fin element fabricated from SUS316. Finally, the accuracy of the creep-fatigue life prediction using both the linear cumulative damage rule and the equivalent homogeneous solid method was confirmed through the evaluation of creepfatigue test results of plate-fin structures. © Atomic Energy Society of Japan.