Piping enhancement for backflow prevention in a multiple loop, metal cooled nuclear reactor system
AssigneeGE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC
InventorsEric Paul LOEWEN, Seth Ryan Paul STREGE, Nicholas Francis O'NEILL, Colin Christopher O'CONNOR, Chelsea Ann CURTIN, Edwin WU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sodium-cooled nuclear reactor includes at least one electromagnetic pump assembly and a backflow reduction pipe. The backflow reduction pipe may include an inlet, an outlet, at least one tubular section having a first length and a first diameter, and at least one fluid diode section between the inlet and the outlet.
Claims20
A sodium-cooled nuclear reactor comprising:
- at least one electromagnetic pump assembly, the electromagnetic pump assembly including,
- a backflow reduction pipe including,
- an inlet,
- an outlet,
- at least one tubular section having a first length and a first diameter, the at least one tubular section between the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- at least one fluid diode section between the inlet and the outlet, the at least one fluid diode section including,
- a first section having a second diameter at a largest point of the first section, and
- a second section having a third diameter at a largest point of the second section, the first section closer to the inlet than the second section, and the at least one fluid diode section configured to restrict backflow.
A backflow reduction pipe for a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor, the pipe comprising:
- at least one tubular section having a length and a diameter, the diameter being generally uniform along the length of the at least one tubular section;
- and
- at least one fluid diode section configured to restrict backflow, the fluid diode section including,
- at least one portion having a larger diameter than the diameter of the at least one tubular section, the diameter of the at least one being about 1.9 to about 2.2 times the diameter of the at least one tubular section.
A method of reducing backflow in a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor comprising:
- installing a backflow reduction pipe in at least one electromagnetic pump assembly.
A method of manufacturing a backflow reduction pipe comprising:
- 3D printing a pipe, the pipe comprising:
- at least one tubular section having a diameter, the diameter being generally uniform along a length of the at least one tubular section;
- and
- at least one fluid diode section configured to restrict backflow, the fluid
- diode section including,
- at least one portion having a larger diameter than the diameter of the at least one tubular section, the diameter of the at least one portion being about 1.9 to about 2.2 times the diameter of the at least one tubular section.
A method manufacturing a backflow reduction pipe comprising:
- machining a plurality of tubular sections, each of the tubular sections having a generally uniform diameter along a length thereof;
- machining a plurality of fluid diode sections configured to restrict backflow, each of the fluid diode sections including,
- at least one portion having a larger diameter than a diameter of each of the tubular sections, the diameter of the at least one portion being about 1.9 to about 2.2 times the diameter of the tubular sections;
- and
- welding at least one of the plurality of fluid diode sections between adjacent ones of the tubular sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.