Gas-cooled nuclear reactor

Patent · Tue Nov 19 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5606981

Peinado, C O; Koutz, S L

A gas-cooled nuclear reactor includes a central core located in the lower portion of a prestressed concrete reactor vessel. Primary coolant gas flows upward through the core and into four overlying heat-exchangers wherein stream is generated. During normal operation, the return flow of coolant is between the core and the vessel sidewall to a pair of motor-driven circulators located at about the bottom of the concrete pressure vessel. The circulators repressurize the gas coolant and return it back to the core through passageways in the underlying core structure. If during emergency conditions the primary circulators are no longer functioning, the decay heat is effectively removed from the core by means of natural convection circulation. The hot gas rising through the core exits the top of the shroud of the heat-exchangers and flows radially outward to the sidewall of the concrete pressure vessel. A metal liner covers the entire inside concrete surfaces of the concrete pressure vessel, and cooling tubes are welded to the exterior or concrete side of the metal liner. The gas coolant is in direct contact with the interior surface of the metal liner and transfers its heat through the metal liner to the liquid coolant flowing through the cooling tubes. The cooler gas is more dense and creates a downward convection flow in the region between the core and the sidewall until it reaches the bottom of the concrete pressure vessel when it flows radially inward and up into the core for another pass. Water is forced to flow through the cooling tubes to absorb heat from the core at a sufficient rate to remove enough of the decay heat created in the core to prevent overheating of the core or the vessel.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4554129
• OSTI ID: 5606981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210300 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Graphite Moderated
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ABSORPTION
ACCIDENTS
BUILDING MATERIALS
CIRCULATING SYSTEMS
CONCRETES
CONTAINERS
COOLANTS
COOLING SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENERGY RECOVERY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT RECOVERY
LINERS
MATERIALS
PRIMARY COOLANT CIRCUITS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR VESSELS
REACTORS
RECOVERY
SAFETY