TY - JOUR
TI - Thermal state evolution and thermal suppression behavior in the insulation space of helium worker drive motors for high temperature gas-cooled reactors
AU - Xu Xiao
AU - Li Shengnan
AU - Bu Jingyu
AU - Wang Yidong
AU - Zhang Wanyi
AU - Zhou Yu
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2025
VL - 29
IS - 5
SP - 3491
EP - 3507
PT - Article
AB - The insulation space designed to mitigate the effects of a high temperature gradient environment in high temperature gas-cooled reactors is crucial for the normal operation of drive motors. This paper explores the insulation space’s thermal suppression characteristics and dominant factors by employing the field and circuit combination method to simulate the fluid-thermal evolution. It reveals the heat transfer modes and elucidates the mechanisms underlying thermal suppression behavior, enhancing model accuracy through experimental data integration. A thermal equilibrium assessment method is introduced, which constructs the spatial relationship of temperature parameters and the non-linear mapping between environmental variables, structural parameters, and judgment criteria. Additionally, the response surface method is utilized to optimize the through-hole structure of the insulation space. Findings indicate that thermal convection primarily inhibits heat transfer within the insulation space in high temperature gradient environments. Both pressure and through-hole structure significantly influence the thermal state distribution characteristics. After optimizing the non-linear structural parameters, the thermal balance performance of the insulation space was improved by 9.12% compared to the original model when the number of holes was seven and the diameter was 66 mm, and the vortex situation in the insulation space watershed was effectively improved. This paper offers a foundational research basis and novel insights for the heat exchange system of high temperature gas-cooled reactors, with broader implications for high temperature motor system studies.