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AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsJames S. Schlonski, Tobias W. T. Burnett
Estimating the term…
The overflow in the secondary of a steam generator of a nuclear-reactor plant, which occurs when one or more primary tubes conducting the coolant are ruptured, is controlled. The secondary of the steam generator, which contains the water that is converted to steam, is connected through valves to the pressurizer relief tank. The level of the liquid in the shell is monitored. An alarm is sounded when the level of the liquid in the generator reaches a predetermined height alerting the operator. When the level reaches a greater height, the valves are opened and the liquid in the shell is discharged into the pressurizer relief tank. The liquid in the tank is discharged into the containment sump when a disc is ruptured. The time taken after the rupture is 30 minutes as mandated by safety regulations. If, after the liquid in the shell reaches the level at which the valves are opened, the level drops to a height at which steam may be injected into the pressurizer relief tank, the valves are automatically closed. The valves include a normally-open valve and a normally-closed valve connected in series in each of two parrallel branches. A normally-open valve in one branch and a normally-closed valve in the other branch is connected to be actuated by one power train and a normally-open valve in the other branch and a normally-closed valve in the one branch are connected to be actuated by a second power train. Single failure protection is thus provided.
The method of controlling the operation of a nuclear-reactor plant on the occurrence of rupture in the coolant channel of the steam generator which rupture raises the level of the liquid in said steam generator;
A nuclear-reactor power plant including a nuclear reactor, a steam generator, said steam generator having channels, connected to said reactor, for circulating the coolant from said reactor, said steam generator also including means, to contain water in heat interchange relationship with the coolant circulated in said channels, for vaporizing said water, said coolant during normal operation of said plant being at a substantially higher pressure than the fluid in said vaporizing means, said plant also including a pressurizer and a pressurizer relief tank, connected to said pressurizer, for receiving liquid from said pressurizer on the occurrence of excess pressure in said pressurizer, and means, connecting said vaporizing means to said pressurizer relief tank, for discharging the resulting liquid in said vaporizing means into said pressurizer relief tank when coolant flows into said water in said vaporizing means on the occurrence of a rupture in said coolant channels, said connecting means including normally-closed valve means, interposed between said vaporizing means and said pressurizer relief tank, to be opened on the occurrence of said rupture in said channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.