Boiling water neutronic reactor incorporating a process inherent safety design

Patent · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:866254

Forsberg, Charles W ^[1]

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1. Kingston, TN

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.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4666654
• OSTI ID: 866254
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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/