Industrial technique for an integral compact reactor
AssigneeThe Babcock & Wilcox Company
InventorsBertrand N. McDonald, Donald C. Schluderberg
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Abstract
A typical embodiment of an integral pressurized water nuclear reactor and straight-tube steam generator combination in accordance with the invention includes a generally cylindrical pressure vessel that is assembled from three segments which are bolted together at transverse joints to form a fluid and pressure tight unit that encloses the steam generator and the reactor. This novel construction permits primary to secondary coolant heat exchange and improved control rod drive mechanisms which can be exposed for full service access during reactor core refueling, maintenance and inspection.
Claims5
An integral nuclear power reactor system comprising a reactor core section that has a longitudinal axis, a heat exchanger section spaced longitudinally from said reactor core section, control rod drive lines passing in a longitudinal direction through said heat exchanger section and into said reactor core section, a pressure vessel having a longitudinal axis that is generally coincident with said reactor core axis, said pressure vessel enclosing said reactor core and attached to said heat exchanger section, an end closure to said heat exchanger section, said reactor core section defining with the inner wall of said pressure vessel an annulus, the integral nuclear reactor system being selectively separable at two longitudinally spaced transverse planes, one of said planes located between said pressure vessel and said heat exchanger section and the other of said transverse planes located between said heat exchanger section and said end closure said end closure having guide tubes attached thereto in order to accommodate said control rod drive lines, and a bundle of generally straight tubes disposed in an annular array within said heat exchanger section establishing fluid communication between said annulus and said end closure.
An integral nuclear power reactor system comprising a reactor core section that has a longitudinal axis, a generally cylindrical heat exchanger section spaced longitudinally from said reactor core section, said heat exchanger section terminating in a bulbous portion at one end, an end closure spaced longitudinally at said bulbous end of said heat exchanger section, control rod drive lines passing in a longitudinal direction through said heat exchanger section and into said reactor core section, a pressure vessel having a longitudinal axis that is generally coincident with said reactor core axis, said pressure vessel enclosing said reactor core and attached to said heat exchanger section, said end closure having guide tubes extending longitudinally therethrough in order to accommodate said control rod drive lines, the integral nuclear reactor system being selectively separable at two longitudinally spaced planes, one of said planes located between said pressure vessel and said heat exchanger section and the other of said transverse planes located between said heat exchanger section and said end closure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.