Liquid-metal dip seal with pneumatic spring
- Pleasant Hills, PA
An improved liquid-metal dip seal for sealing the annulus between rotating plugs in the reactor vessel head of a liquid-metal fast-breeder nuclear reactor has two legs of differing widths communicating under a seal blade; the wide leg is also in communication with cover gas of the reactor and the narrow leg is also in communication with an isolated plug annulus above the seal. The annulus contains inert gas which acts as a pneumatic spring. Upon increasing cover gas pressure which depresses the level in the wide leg and greatly increases the level in the narrow leg, the pneumatic spring is compressed, and resists further level changes, thus preventing radioactive cover gas from bubbling through the seal.
- DOE Contract Number:
- E(11-1)-2395
- Assignee:
- United States Energy Research and Development Administration (Washington, DC)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4026763
- OSTI ID:
- 862840
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
dip
seal
pneumatic
spring
improved
sealing
annulus
rotating
plugs
reactor
vessel
head
fast-breeder
nuclear
legs
differing
widths
communicating
blade
wide
leg
communication
cover
gas
narrow
isolated
plug
contains
inert
increasing
pressure
depresses
level
greatly
increases
compressed
resists
changes
preventing
radioactive
bubbling
rotating plugs
vessel head
reactor vessel
nuclear reactor
inert gas
gas pressure
metal fast
cover gas
dip seal
rotating plug
improved liquid
pneumatic spring
fast-breeder nuclear
greatly increase
breeder nuclear
liquid-metal fast-breeder
liquid-metal dip
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