Nuclear reactor construction with bottom supported reactor vessel

Patent · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:866315

Sharbaugh, John E ^[1]

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1. Bullskin Township, Fayette County, PA

An improved liquid metal nuclear reactor construction has a reactor core and a generally cylindrical reactor vessel for holding a large pool of low pressure liquid metal coolant and housing the core within the pool. The reactor vessel has an open top end, a closed flat bottom end wall and a continuous cylindrical closed side wall interconnecting the top end and bottom end wall. The reactor also has a generally cylindrical concrete containment structure surrounding the reactor vessel and being formed by a cylindrical side wall spaced outwardly from the reactor vessel side wall and a flat base mat spaced below the reactor vessel bottom end wall. A central support pedestal is anchored to the containment structure base mat and extends upwardly therefrom to the reactor vessel and upwardly therefrom to the reactor core so as to support the bottom end wall of the reactor vessel and the lower end of the reactor core in spaced apart relationship above the containment structure base mat. Also, an annular reinforced support structure is disposed in the reactor vessel on the bottom end wall thereof and extends about the lower end of the core so as to support the periphery thereof. In addition, an annular support ring having a plurality of inward radially extending linear members is disposed between the containment structure base mat and the bottom end of the reactor vessel wall and is connected to and supports the reactor vessel at its bottom end on the containment structure base mat so as to allow the reactor vessel to expand radially but substantially prevent any lateral motions that might be imposed by the occurrence of a seismic event. The reactor construction also includes a bed of insulating material in sand-like granular form, preferably being high density magnesium oxide particles, disposed between the containment structure base mat and the bottom end wall of the reactor vessel and uniformly supporting the reactor vessel at its bottom end wall on the containment structure base mat so as to insulate the reactor vessel bottom end wall from the containment structure base mat and allow the reactor vessel bottom end wall to freely expand as it heats up while providing continuous support thereof. Further, a deck is supported upon the side wall of the containment structure above the top open end of the reactor vessel, and a plurality of serially connected extendible and retractable annular bellows extend between the deck and the top open end of the reactor vessel and flexibly and sealably interconnect the reactor vessel at its top end to the deck. An annular guide ring is disposed on the containment structure and extends between its side wall and the top open end of the reactor vessel for providing lateral support of the reactor vessel top open end by limiting imposition of lateral loads on the annular bellows by the occurrence of a lateral seismic event.

• Research Organization: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AM02-76CH94000
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4681731
• OSTI ID: 866315
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/976/
addition
allow
anchored
annular
apart
base
bed
bellows
below
bottom
central
closed
concrete
connected
construction
containment
continuous
coolant
core
cylindrical
deck
density
disposed
event
expand
extend
extendible
extending
extends
flat
flexibly
form
formed
freely
granular
guide
heats
holding
housing
imposed
imposition
improved
insulate
insulating
interconnect
interconnecting
inward
lateral
limiting
linear
liquid
loads
magnesium
mat
material
metal
metal nuclear
motions
nuclear
occurrence
outwardly
oxide
particles
pedestal
periphery
plurality
pool
preferably
pressure
prevent
providing
radially
reactor
reactor vessel
reinforced
relationship
retractable
sand-like
sealably
seismic
serially
spaced
structure
substantially
support
supported
supporting
supports
surrounding
therefrom
top
uniformly
upwardly
vessel
wall