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AssigneeGE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC
InventorsBrian S. Hunt, Christer N. Dahlgren, Wayne Marquino
Estimating the term…
Nuclear reactors have very few systems for significantly reduced failure possibilities. Nuclear reactors may be boiling water reactors with natural circulation-enabling heights and smaller, flexible energy outputs in the 0-350 megawatt-electric range. Reactors are fully surrounded by an impermeable, high-pressure containment. No coolant pools, heat sinks, active pumps, or other emergency fluid sources may be present inside containment; emergency cooling, like isolation condenser systems, are outside containment. Isolation valves integral with the reactor pressure vessel provide working and emergency fluid through containment to the reactor. Isolation valves are one-piece, welded, or otherwise integral with reactors and fluid conduits having ASME-compliance to eliminate risk of shear failure. Containment may be completely underground and seismically insulated to minimize footprint and above-ground target area.
A simplified nuclear reactor system for commercially generating electricity, the system comprising:
A method of operating a simplified nuclear reactor system, the system including a nuclear reactor, at least one primary coolant loop connecting to two of a plurality of isolation valves of the nuclear reactor, and at least one emergency coolant source connecting to at least one of the plurality of isolation valves of the nuclear reactor, wherein the nuclear reactor is integrally isolatable from the primary coolant loop and the emergency coolant source by the plurality of isolation valves integral with the nuclear reactor, and wherein each of the isolation valves includes a primary and a secondary actuator in a continuous valve body, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.