Passive shut-down heat removal system

Hundal, Rolv; Sharbaugh, John E

Title: Passive shut-down heat removal system

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Abstract

An improved shut-down heat removal system for a liquid metal nuclear reactor of the type having a vessel for holding hot and cold pools of liquid sodium is disclosed herein. Generally, the improved system comprises a redan or barrier within the reactor vessel which allows an auxiliary heat exchanger to become immersed in liquid sodium from the hot pool whenever the reactor pump fails to generate a metal-circulating pressure differential between the hot and cold pools of sodium. This redan also defines an alternative circulation path between the hot and cold pools of sodium in order to equilibrate the distribution of the decay heat from the reactor core. The invention may take the form of a redan or barrier that circumscribes the inner wall of the reactor vessel, thereby defining an annular space therebetween. In this embodiment, the bottom of the annular space communicates with the cold pool of sodium, and the auxiliary heat exchanger is placed in this annular space just above the drawn-down level that the liquid sodium assumes during normal operating conditions. Alternatively, the redan of the invention may include a pair of vertically oriented, concentrically disposed standpipes having a piston member disposed between them that operatesmore » « less

Inventors:

Hundal, Rolv ^[1]; Sharbaugh, John E ^[2]

Greensburg, PA
Bullskin Township, Fayette County, PA

Issue Date:: 1988-01-01

Research Org.:: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 866750

Patent Number(s):: 4780270

Assignee:: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)

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

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G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
G21C1/03 - cooled by a coolant not essentially pressurised, e.g. pool-type reactors
G21C13/02 - Details
G21C15/18 - Emergency cooling arrangements

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
Y02E30/30 - Nuclear fission reactors

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DOE Contract Number:: AC02-85CH10220

Resource Type:: Patent

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: passive; shut-down; heat; removal; improved; liquid; metal; nuclear; reactor; type; vessel; holding; hot; cold; pools; sodium; disclosed; comprises; redan; barrier; allows; auxiliary; exchanger; immersed; pool; whenever; pump; fails; generate; metal-circulating; pressure; differential; defines; alternative; circulation; path; equilibrate; distribution; decay; core; form; circumscribes; inner; wall; defining; annular; space; therebetween; embodiment; bottom; communicates; placed; drawn-down; level; assumes; normal; operating; conditions; alternatively; pair; vertically; oriented; concentrically; disposed; standpipes; piston; operates; somewhat; pressure-sensitive; valve; embodiments; cessation; normally; created; causes; additionally; forms; flow; uniformly; distributed; uniformly distribute; decay heat; nuclear core; inner wall; operating conditions; vertically oriented; reactor vessel; heat exchange; nuclear reactor; heat exchanger; liquid metal; reactor core; pressure differential; flow path; liquid sodium; uniformly distributed; heat removal; annular space; hot pool; operating condition; auxiliary heat; space therebetween; concentrically disposed; normal operating; metal nuclear; cold pool; shut-down heat; reactor pump; circulation path; /376/976/

Citation Formats


                    Hundal, Rolv, and Sharbaugh, John E. Passive shut-down heat removal system.  United States: N. p., 1988. 
        Web.

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                    Hundal, Rolv, & Sharbaugh, John E. Passive shut-down heat removal system.  United States.

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                    Hundal, Rolv, and Sharbaugh, John E. Fri .  
        "Passive shut-down heat removal system".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/866750.

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@article{osti_866750,

  title        = {Passive shut-down heat removal system},

  author       = {Hundal, Rolv and Sharbaugh, John E},

  abstractNote = {An improved shut-down heat removal system for a liquid metal nuclear reactor of the type having a vessel for holding hot and cold pools of liquid sodium is disclosed herein. Generally, the improved system comprises a redan or barrier within the reactor vessel which allows an auxiliary heat exchanger to become immersed in liquid sodium from the hot pool whenever the reactor pump fails to generate a metal-circulating pressure differential between the hot and cold pools of sodium. This redan also defines an alternative circulation path between the hot and cold pools of sodium in order to equilibrate the distribution of the decay heat from the reactor core. The invention may take the form of a redan or barrier that circumscribes the inner wall of the reactor vessel, thereby defining an annular space therebetween. In this embodiment, the bottom of the annular space communicates with the cold pool of sodium, and the auxiliary heat exchanger is placed in this annular space just above the drawn-down level that the liquid sodium assumes during normal operating conditions. Alternatively, the redan of the invention may include a pair of vertically oriented, concentrically disposed standpipes having a piston member disposed between them that operates somewhat like a pressure-sensitive valve. In both embodiments, the cessation of the pressure differential that is normally created by the reactor pump causes the auxiliary heat exchanger to be immersed in liquid sodium from the hot pool. Additionally, the redan in both embodiments forms a circulation flow path between the hot and cold pools so that the decay heat from the nuclear core is uniformly distributed within the vessel.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {1988},

  month        = {1}

}

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