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US 10,872,706 B2Granted
Apparatus for passively cooling a nuclear plant coolant reservoir
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsLawrence E. Conway, Gary L. Sedlacek
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Abstract
A passive cooling system for cooling the in-containment refueling water storage tank and the spent fuel pool of nuclear power plants that can extend the number of days the plants can safely be maintained without operator intervention. The cooling system employs a thermosiphon in a closed loop cycle that circulates a refrigerant around the cooling loop between heat exchangers within the spent fuel and in-containment refueling water and the ambient atmosphere outside the containment, by natural circulation.
Claims13
A nuclear power plant, comprising:
- a nuclear steam supply system;
- a containment system comprising a containment enclosure for hermetically housing the nuclear steam supply system;
- an annulus adjacent an exterior surface of the containment enclosure;
- a reservoir comprising water, wherein the reservoir is housed within or within proximity of the containment enclosure;
- spent nuclear fuel submerged within the reservoir and cooled by the water;
- and
- a thermosiphon extending from within the reservoir to an exterior of the containment enclosure for transferring heat in the reservoir to air outside of the containment enclosure, wherein the thermosiphon comprises:
- a first heat exchanger at least partially submerged in the water, and
- a second heat exchanger thermally coupled to the first heat exchanger, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises an air-cooled heat exchanger positioned within the annulus.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.