Nozzle seal
AssigneeThe Babcock & Wilcox Company
InventorGary Allen Walling
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, having an internal hoop from which the heated coolant emerges from the reactor core and passes through to the reactor outlet nozzles, is provided with sealing rings operatively disposed between the outlet nozzles and the hoop. The sealing rings connected by flexible members are biased against the pressure vessel and the hoop, establishing a leak-proof condition between the inlet and outlet coolants in the region about the outlet nozzle. Furthermore, the flexible responsiveness of the seal assures that the seal will not structurally couple the hoop to the pressure vessel.
Claims4
A reactor system comprising a pressure vessel having at least one inlet and one outlet nozzle, a distribution hoop located within the vessel, the hoop having an opening facing the outlet nozzle, an impervious means interposed between the vessel and the hoop to define a fluid flow channel extending from the opening to the outlet nozzle, said means including a seal ring abutting the vessel and a bellows interposed between the ring and the hoop, said bellows urging the ring toward the vessel to maintain sealing contact therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.