Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design
Abstract
A boiling-water reactor core is positioned within a prestressed concrete reactor vessel of a size which will hold a supply of coolant water sufficient to submerge and cool the reactor core by boiling for a period of at least one week after shutdown. Separate volumes of hot, clean (non-borated) water for cooling during normal operation and cool highly borated water for emergency cooling and reactor shutdown are separated by an insulated wall during normal reactor operation with contact between the two water volumes being maintained at interfaces near the top and bottom ends of the reactor vessel. Means are provided for balancing the pressure of the two volumes at the lower interface zone during normal operation to prevent entry of the cool borated water into the reactor core region, for detecting the onset of excessive power to coolant flow conditions in the reactor core and for detecting low water levels of reactor coolant. Cool borated water is permitted to flow into the reactor core when low reactor coolant levels or excessive power to coolant flow conditions are encountered.
- Inventors:
-
- Kingston, TN
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 866254
- Patent Number(s):
- 4666654
- 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
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- boiling; water; neutronic; reactor; incorporating; process; inherent; safety; design; boiling-water; core; positioned; prestressed; concrete; vessel; size; hold; supply; coolant; sufficient; submerge; cool; period; week; shutdown; separate; volumes; hot; clean; non-borated; cooling; normal; operation; highly; borated; emergency; separated; insulated; wall; contact; maintained; interfaces; near; top; bottom; means; provided; balancing; pressure; interface; zone; prevent; entry; region; detecting; onset; excessive; power; flow; conditions; levels; permitted; encountered; coolant water; coolant level; borated water; water level; water reactor; neutronic reactor; reactor coolant; normal operation; reactor vessel; reactor core; coolant flow; reactor shutdown; prestressed concrete; boiling water; core region; reactor operation; normal reactor; flow conditions; boiling-water reactor; reactor incorporating; excessive power; water sufficient; concrete reactor; /376/976/
Citation Formats
Forsberg, Charles W. Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design. United States: N. p., 1987.
Web.
Forsberg, Charles W. Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design. United States.
Forsberg, Charles W. Thu .
"Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/866254.
@article{osti_866254,
title = {Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design},
author = {Forsberg, Charles W},
abstractNote = {A boiling-water reactor core is positioned within a prestressed concrete reactor vessel of a size which will hold a supply of coolant water sufficient to submerge and cool the reactor core by boiling for a period of at least one week after shutdown. Separate volumes of hot, clean (non-borated) water for cooling during normal operation and cool highly borated water for emergency cooling and reactor shutdown are separated by an insulated wall during normal reactor operation with contact between the two water volumes being maintained at interfaces near the top and bottom ends of the reactor vessel. Means are provided for balancing the pressure of the two volumes at the lower interface zone during normal operation to prevent entry of the cool borated water into the reactor core region, for detecting the onset of excessive power to coolant flow conditions in the reactor core and for detecting low water levels of reactor coolant. Cool borated water is permitted to flow into the reactor core when low reactor coolant levels or excessive power to coolant flow conditions are encountered.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987}
}