Control of reactor coolant flow path during reactor decay heat removal

Patent · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:866703

Hunsbedt, Anstein N ^[1]

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1. Los Gatos, CA

An improved reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system for a sodium cooled nuclear reactor is disclosed. The sodium cooled nuclear reactor is of the type having a reactor vessel liner separating the reactor hot pool on the upstream side of an intermediate heat exchanger and the reactor cold pool on the downstream side of the intermediate heat exchanger. The improvement includes a flow path across the reactor vessel liner flow gap which dissipates core heat across the reactor vessel and containment vessel responsive to a casualty including the loss of normal heat removal paths and associated shutdown of the main coolant liquid sodium pumps. In normal operation, the reactor vessel cold pool is inlet to the suction side of coolant liquid sodium pumps, these pumps being of the electromagnetic variety. The pumps discharge through the core into the reactor hot pool and then through an intermediate heat exchanger where the heat generated in the reactor core is discharged. Upon outlet from the heat exchanger, the sodium is returned to the reactor cold pool. The improvement includes placing a jet pump across the reactor vessel liner flow gap, pumping a small flow of liquid sodium from the lower pressure cold pool into the hot pool. The jet pump has a small high pressure driving stream diverted from the high pressure side of the reactor pumps. During normal operation, the jet pumps supplement the normal reactor pressure differential from the lower pressure cold pool to the hot pool. Upon the occurrence of a casualty involving loss of coolant pump pressure, and immediate cooling circuit is established by the back flow of sodium through the jet pumps from the reactor vessel hot pool to the reactor vessel cold pool. The cooling circuit includes flow into the reactor vessel liner flow gap immediate the reactor vessel wall and containment vessel where optimum and immediate discharge of residual reactor heat occurs.

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., Boston, MA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-85NE37937
• Assignee: General Electric Company (San Jose, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4767594
• OSTI ID: 866703
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

control
reactor
coolant
flow
path
decay
heat
removal
improved
vessel
auxiliary
cooling
sodium
cooled
nuclear
disclosed
type
liner
separating
hot
pool
upstream
intermediate
exchanger
cold
downstream
improvement
gap
dissipates
core
containment
responsive
casualty
including
loss
normal
paths
associated
shutdown
main
liquid
pumps
operation
inlet
suction
electromagnetic
variety
discharge
generated
discharged
outlet
returned
placing
jet
pump
pumping
pressure
driving
stream
diverted
supplement
differential
occurrence
involving
immediate
circuit
established
wall
optimum
residual
occurs
vessel liner
vessel wall
decay heat
reactor coolant
normal operation
reactor pressure
containment vessel
reactor vessel
heat exchange
nuclear reactor
heat exchanger
reactor core
pressure differential
flow path
liquid sodium
coolant flow
heat removal
heat generated
cooled nuclear
hot pool
reactor heat
auxiliary cooling
jet pump
coolant liquid
normal reactor
cold pool
cooling circuit
sodium pumps
vessel auxiliary
sodium cooled
coolant pump
intermediate heat
reactor pump
core heat
improved reactor
sodium pump
/376/976/