Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design
Abstract
A boiling-water reactor core is positioned within a prestressed concrete reactor vessel of a size which will hold a supply of coolant water sufficient to submerge and cool the reactor core by boiling for a period of at least one week after shutdown. Separate volumes of hot, clean (nonborated) water for cooling during normal operation and cool highly borated water for emergency cooling and reactor shutdown are separated by an insulated wall during normal reactor operation with contact between the two water volumes being maintained at interfaces near the top and bottom ends of the reactor vessel. Means are provided for balancing the pressure of the two water volumes at the lower interface zone during normal operation to prevent entry of the cool borated water into the reactor core region, for detecting the onset of excessive power to coolant flow conditions in the reactor core and for detecting low water levels of reactor coolant. Cool borated water is permitted to flow into the reactor core when low reactor coolant levels or excessive power to coolant flow conditions are encountered.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 5053870
- Application Number:
- ON: DE85017758
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BWR TYPE REACTORS; DESIGN; REACTOR SAFETY; BORATES; ECCS; REACTOR PROTECTION SYSTEMS; WATER; BORON COMPOUNDS; ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; REACTORS; SAFETY; WATER COOLED REACTORS; WATER MODERATED REACTORS; 210100* - Power Reactors, Nonbreeding, Light-Water Moderated, Boiling Water Cooled
Citation Formats
Forsberg, C W. Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design. United States: N. p., 1985.
Web.
Forsberg, C W. Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design. United States.
Forsberg, C W. Tue .
"Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design". United States.
@article{osti_5053870,
title = {Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design},
author = {Forsberg, C W},
abstractNote = {A boiling-water reactor core is positioned within a prestressed concrete reactor vessel of a size which will hold a supply of coolant water sufficient to submerge and cool the reactor core by boiling for a period of at least one week after shutdown. Separate volumes of hot, clean (nonborated) water for cooling during normal operation and cool highly borated water for emergency cooling and reactor shutdown are separated by an insulated wall during normal reactor operation with contact between the two water volumes being maintained at interfaces near the top and bottom ends of the reactor vessel. Means are provided for balancing the pressure of the two water volumes at the lower interface zone during normal operation to prevent entry of the cool borated water into the reactor core region, for detecting the onset of excessive power to coolant flow conditions in the reactor core and for detecting low water levels of reactor coolant. Cool borated water is permitted to flow into the reactor core when low reactor coolant levels or excessive power to coolant flow conditions are encountered.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 1985},
month = {Tue Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 1985}
}