Internal dry containment vessel for a nuclear reactor
AssigneeState of Or. Acting By & Through the State Board of Higher Education On Behalf of Or. State Univ.
InventorsJose N. REYES, JR., John T. Groome
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power module assembly includes a reactor core immersed in a coolant and a reactor vessel housing the coolant and the reactor core. An internal dry containment vessel submerged in liquid substantially surrounds the reactor vessel in a gaseous environment. During an over-pressurization event the reactor vessel is configured to release the coolant into the containment vessel and remove a decay heat of the reactor core through condensation of the coolant on an inner surface of the containment vessel.
Claims20
A power module assembly comprising:
- a reactor core;
- a reactor vessel housing the reactor core;
- a containment vessel which substantially surrounds the reactor vessel, wherein the containment vessel is internally dry and forms a containment region which is maintained at a partial vacuum during normal operation of the power module assembly, wherein the containment vessel is designed to prohibit a release of primary coolant out of the containment vessel;
- and
- a vent configured to controllably release the primary coolant from the reactor vessel into the containment vessel as primarily steam during an over-pressurization event, wherein the containment vessel is at least partially surrounded by a heat sink, and wherein a decay heat of the reactor core is transferred to the heat sink through condensation of the primary coolant on an inner surface of the containment vessel.
A power module assembly comprising:
- means for circulating primary coolant through a reactor core housed in a reactor vessel;
- means for controllably releasing the primary coolant as steam into a containment vessel substantially surrounding the reactor vessel in response to a high pressure condition within the reactor vessel, wherein an inner surface of the containment vessel is dry prior to releasing the primary coolant as steam into the containment vessel, and wherein steam that condenses on the inner surface of the containment vessel forms a pool of primary coolant in the containment vessel;
- and
- means for circulating the pool of primary coolant back into the reactor vessel and through the reactor core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.