HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Design of The HTR-10 Helium Circulator With The Active Magnetic Bearings

Xingzhong Diao, Lei Zhao, Huizhong Zhou Meisheng Zha, Jie Wang, Suyuan Yu, Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Beijing, CHINA

Abstract

The 10 MW High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor-Test Module (HTR-10) requires the helium circulator to have features of high speed, long duty lifetime, pollution free and low maintenance cost. They are hard to meet for the circulator on service which adopts the traditional grease lubricant bearings as its rotor support system. The more knowledge about the rotor dynamics and the great progress in the active control technology make it possible to manufacture the high rotation speed and large flow volume helium circulator with the active magnetic bearings (AMBs). Compared with the traditional ones, the AMB circulator has longer duty lifetime and demands less maintenance cost thanks to its outstanding features: non-contact support, no mechanical wear and no friction. The most important feature of this type circulator is lubricant-free which keeps the HTR-10 helium environment from being polluted by the possible leakage of the lubricant system that is essential in the helium circulator on service. The AMB circulator is designed in conditions of keeping the operation parameters and structural dimensions of the helium circulator on service as possible, but alternating the rotor support system from the grease lubricant bearings to the active magnetic ones only. This paper proposes the AMB circulator design in accordance with the technical specifications. Significantly useful information is derived from the design input parameters, the rotor vibration mode verification and the AMB design. The experience gained from the design, manufacture, experiments and operation of the AMB helium circulator provides valuable information for the undergoing HTR-10GT project in which the AMB technology will be applied to the power conversion unit. (Gerhard Schweitzer, Hannes Bleuler, Alfons Traxler, 1994)

view the full text of this article (6 pages, format: PDF, size= 228kB)

key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
Proceedings of the Conference on High Temperature Reactors, Beijing, China, September, 22-24, 2004
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
HTR-2004, pp:1-6