Nuclear reactor

Patent · Tue Apr 21 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6558144

Kimbrell, J E; Boyd, C H; Altman, D A; Sherwood, D G; Bost, G E

A nuclear reactor is described including a vessel, a nuclear core within the vessel. The vessel has at least a generally horizontal inlet nozzle and a generally horizontal outlet nozzle for circulating coolant through the core. Control-rod assemblies include control rods moveable from a plenum vertically above the core into the core, drive rods for the control rods and guide means for the control rods within the plenum, the drive rods extending vertically above the control rods, the coolant, after passing through the core, flowing generally vertically through and about the guide means and generally vertically out, a calandria, the calandria including vertical hollow members and horizontal supporting means for supporting the members, and means for mounting the calandria contiguous to the top of the guide means, with the drive rods each guided within, and protected by, a corresponding hollow member and the part of the calandria external to the hollow members in communication with the outlet nozzle, the supporting means permitting the coolant to flow from the top of the guide means into the calandria externally of the hollow members. The coolant thereafter flowing to the outlet nozzle generally transversely to the hollow members through the calandria, the hollow members each having a mass, stiffness and strength such that the members resist failure as a result of the transverse flow of the coolant. The supporting means being so shaped that the volumes of hypothetical contiguous annular sections are regarded as making up the total volume of the calandria, between the supporting means, through which the coolant flows laterally of the hollow members, increases towards the periphery of the calandria so that the flow velocity of the coolant is relatively constant as the coolant from the guide means extending towards the periphery penetrates into the volume.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4659539
• OSTI ID: 6558144
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210000* -- Nuclear Power Plants
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220200 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Components & Accessories
CALANDRIAS
CONTAINERS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
COOLANTS
COOLING SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENERGY SYSTEMS
NOZZLES
OPERATION
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTOR VESSELS
REACTORS