Research on System Analysis Methods for High-Temperature Heat Pipes Coupled with Thermoelectric Devices

With the advancement of deep space exploration and specialized energy demands, compact and highly reliable space nuclear power systems have become a research hotspot. Heat pipe-cooled reactors integrated with thermoelectric power generation technology demonstrate significant potential in this field due to their fully passive operation, absence of moving parts, and high system reliability. This study investigates the steady-state and transient characteristics of heat pipe-thermoelectric device coupling systems. A coupling heat transfer and power generation model for a single heat pipe and thermoelectric device was established using an improved thermal resistance network method, enabling detailed simulation of system temperature distribution, thermoelectric performance, and safety characteristics. Through comparison with steady-state reference values, key parameters including power output, efficiency, and temperature showed excellent agreement, with maximum error below 2.5%, validating the model's accuracy. Further transient simulations were conducted under single heat pipe failure and coolant degradation scenarios, analyzing the transient response of heat pipes and thermoelectric devices under failure conditions and cold-end temperature variations. This research provides a reliable model foundation and parameter basis for constructing complete reactor-core-heat pipe-thermoelectric coupling systems, offering significant implications for the design and safety analysis of space nuclear power systems.