Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments
Abstract
A high-temperature containment-isolation system for transferring heat from a nuclear reactor containment to a high-pressure heat exchanger is presented. The system uses a high-temperature, low-volatility liquid coolant such as a molten salt or a liquid metal, where the coolant flow path provides liquid free surfaces a short distance from the containment penetrations for the reactor hot-leg and the cold-leg, where these liquid free surfaces have a cover gas maintained at a nearly constant pressure and thus prevent high-pressures from being transmitted into the reactor containment, and where the reactor vessel is suspended within a reactor cavity with a plurality of refractory insulator blocks disposed between an actively cooled inner cavity liner and the reactor vessel.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1399094
- Patent Number(s):
- 9773574
- Application Number:
- 14/533,055
- Assignee:
- THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2014 Nov 04
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
Citation Formats
Peterson, Per F. Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web.
Peterson, Per F. Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments. United States.
Peterson, Per F. Tue .
"Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1399094.
@article{osti_1399094,
title = {Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments},
author = {Peterson, Per F.},
abstractNote = {A high-temperature containment-isolation system for transferring heat from a nuclear reactor containment to a high-pressure heat exchanger is presented. The system uses a high-temperature, low-volatility liquid coolant such as a molten salt or a liquid metal, where the coolant flow path provides liquid free surfaces a short distance from the containment penetrations for the reactor hot-leg and the cold-leg, where these liquid free surfaces have a cover gas maintained at a nearly constant pressure and thus prevent high-pressures from being transmitted into the reactor containment, and where the reactor vessel is suspended within a reactor cavity with a plurality of refractory insulator blocks disposed between an actively cooled inner cavity liner and the reactor vessel.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {9}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Method and Apparatus for Controlling Direct-Cycle Neutronic Reactors
patent, January 1961
- Reed, Glenn A.
- US Patent Document 2,967,809
Pressurized water-cooled reactor system
patent, July 1977
- Dorner, Heinrich; Harand, Elmar; Kleiter, Walter
- US Patent Document 4,038,134
Heat insulation for dome-shaped bottom and/or cover region of a pressure vessel
patent, January 1984
- Scholz, Manfred; Fricker, Wolfgang-Peter; Gollasch, Bernd
- US Patent Document 4,425,963
Roof support for liquid metal cooled fast breeder nuclear reactor
patent, August 1986
- Aspden, Garth J.; Chesworth, Graham
- US Patent Document 4,606,882