Method of heating primary coolant outside of primary coolant loop during a reactor startup operation
AssigneeSmr Inventec, LLC
InventorsKrishna P. Singh, Joseph Gerald Leo Rajkumar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for heating primary coolant in a nuclear reactor system during system start-up. A primary coolant loop fluidly couples together a reactor vessel and a steam generating vessel. The primary coolant loop is filled with primary coolant. A portion of the primary coolant is taken from the primary coolant loop and placed into a start-up sub-system. The portion is heated while in the sub-system to form a heated portion of the primary coolant. The heated portion is returned into the primary coolant loop. The method allows for the primary coolant to be heated to a no-load operating temperature.
Claims18
A method of heating a primary coolant to a no-load operating temperature in a nuclear steam supply system, the method comprising:
- a) filling a primary coolant loop within a reactor vessel and a steam generating vessel that are fluidly coupled together with a primary coolant;
- b) drawing a portion of the primary coolant from the primary coolant loop and into a start-up sub-system;
- c) heating the portion of the primary coolant within the start-up sub-system to form a heated portion of the primary coolant;
- and
- d) injecting the heated portion of the primary coolant into the primary coolant loop;
- wherein step d) further comprises injecting the heated portion of the primary coolant directly into a riser pipe positioned within the steam generating vessel and fluidly coupled to the reactor vessel.
A method of heating a primary coolant to a no-load operating temperature in a nuclear steam supply system, the method comprising:
- a) filling a primary coolant loop within a reactor vessel and a steam generating vessel that are fluidly coupled together with a primary coolant;
- b) drawing a portion of the primary coolant from the primary coolant loop and into a start-up sub-system;
- c) heating the portion of the primary coolant within the start-up sub-system to form a heated portion of the primary coolant;
- d) injecting the heated portion of the primary coolant into the primary coolant loop;
- wherein upon injecting the heated portion of the primary coolant into the primary coolant loop, the injection causes the primary coolant to flow through the primary coolant loop which comprises:
- e-1) flowing the primary coolant in a first vertical direction through a riser column within the reactor vessel;
- e-2) flowing the primary coolant in a first lateral direction from the reactor vessel and into a riser pipe within the steam generating vessel;
- e-3) flowing the primary coolant in the first vertical direction through the riser pipe within the steam generating vessel;
- e-4) flowing the primary coolant in a second vertical direction through tubes in the steam generating vessel, the second vertical direction being opposite the first vertical direction;
- e-5) flowing the primary coolant in a second lateral direction from the tubes in the steam generating vessel into a downcomer within the reactor vessel;
- and
- e-6) flowing the primary coolant from the downcomer and into the riser column;
- wherein the start-up sub-system comprises an intake pipe, a pump for pumping the portion of the primary coolant from the primary coolant loop and through the start-up sub-system, a heater for heating the portion of the primary coolant to form the heated primary coolant, and an injection nozzle positioned within the riser pipe in the steam generating vessel for injecting the heated primary coolant from the heater into the primary coolant loop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.