Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design
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.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- Assignee:
- Dept. of Energy
- Application Number:
- ON: DE85017758
- OSTI ID:
- 5053870
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
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