Passive containment system for a nuclear reactor
AssigneeNucledyne Engineering Corporation
InventorFrank W. Kleimola
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A containment system that provides complete protection entirely by passive means for the loss of coolant accident in a nuclear power plant and wherein all stored energy released in the coolant blowdown is contained and absorbed while the nuclear fuel is continuously maintained submerged in liquid. The primary containment vessel is restored to a high subatmospheric pressure within a few minutes after accident initiation and the decay heat is safely transferred to the environment while radiolytic hydrogen is contained by passive means.
Claims25
A safeguard system for a nuclear reactor plant having a reactor, at least one vapor generator, said vapor generator having an operative connection to said reactor for the flow of a high-temperature high-pressure reactor coolant therethrough, and a containment structure sealingly enclosing at least said reactor and said vapor generator, said safeguard system comprising a body of fluid cooling liquid disposed generally internally of said containment structure and within a tank structure situated within an otherwise free space of said reactor plant first conduit means carried by said tank structure and adapted for communication between said fluid cooling liquid and the interior of said containment structure, and pressure responsive means cooperating with said first conduit means for normally preventing flow of said fluid cooling liquid into said interior of said containment structure, said pressure responsive means being so siutated as to normally be in intimate contact with said fluid cooling liquid, said pressure responsive means being effective to complete said communication through said first conduit means whenever said interior of said containment structure attains a predetermined increased pressure arising out of an accidental loss of reactor coolant into said interior of said containment structure, the said completion of said communication enabling said fluid cooling liquid to flow into said interior of said containment structure and into heat exchanging relationship with said reactor thereby maintaining said reactor at a safe temperature.
In a nuclear reactor plant comprising a reactor assembly, reactor assembly coolant system means comprising reactorr coolant conduit means, high-pressure high-temperature reactor coolant circulated within said reactor coolant system, and a containment structure sealingly enclosing at least said reactor assembly and said reactor coolant system means, the method of affecting containment of said reactor plant during accidental loss of said reactor coolant from said reactor coolant system means, said method comprising the steps of providing a fluid body of normally kinematically inert coolant liquid, normally preventing any direct communication of said coolant liquid with said reactor coolant system means and said containment structure, permitting said high-pressure high-temperature reactor coolant as is accidentally lost to enter within a void space defined by said containment structure and vaporize within said void space to thereby increase the pressure within said void space, permitting sufficient quantities of such accidentally lost high-pressure high-temperature reactor coolant to enter and vaporize within said void space so as to cause said pressure to increase to a first predetermined magnitude, when said pressure of said vaporized high-temperature high-pressure reactor coolant attains said first predetermined magnitude permitting at least a portion of said vapor to flow through said coolant liquid to thereby cause said coolant liquid through heat transference absorb some of the energy of said vapor flowing therethrough, and permitting said vapor to continue to flow into said coolant liquid to thereby cause displacement of said coolant liquid to thereby cause said coolant liquid to flow into said void space whereby a back pressure of sufficient magnitude is developed within said void space sufficient to prevent further accidental loss of reactor coolant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.