Nuclear reactor installation
AssigneeSulzer Brothers Limited
InventorHermann Straub
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The nuclear reactor installation is provided with a double-wall pressure vessel which is surrounded by a heat sink. A flood tank is provided outside the vessel in order to supply air as a heat-insulating agent to the chamber defined by the pressure chamber wall during normal operation and to supply water as a heat-conductive agent in response to a disturbance in reactor core cooling. The cover on the pressure vessel is also provided with a chamber to which air or water can be delivered. A closure member which can be activated by fusible element is incorporated in the cover to permit flooding of the cover chamber in response to an excessive heat within the pressure vessel.
Claims14
A nuclear reactor installation comprising
- a pressure vessel having a pair of concentric walls defining a peripheral chamber therebetween;
- a reactor core disposed within said pressure vessel for heating a primary coolant;
- a cooling circuit for conveying a secondary coolant in heat exchange relation with the primary coolant, said circuit including at least one primary heat exchanger within said pressure vessel, at least one secondary heat exchanger outside said pressure vessel, coolant lines extending through said pressure vessel and connecting said het exchanges together, and circulating mens for circulating a secondary coolant through said heat exchangers;
- a heat sink extending around said pressure vessel;
- a source of at least on flowable heat-insulating agent outside said pressure vessel;
- a source of at least one flowable heat-conductive agent outside said pressure vessel;
- first means communicating said source of heat-insulating agent with said peripheral chamber during normal operation of said reactor core;
- and
- second means communicating said source of heat-conductive agent with said peripheral chamber to fill said chamber with heat-conductive agent in response to a disturbance in reactor core cooling.
In a nuclear reactor installation, the combination comprising
- a pressure vessel having a pair of walls defining a peripheral chamber therebetween;
- a reactor core disposed within said pressure vessel for heating a primary coolant;
- a source of at least one flowable heat-insulating agent outside said pressure vessel;
- a source of at least one flowable heat-conductive agent outside said pressure vessel, said heat-conductive agent having a greater thermal conductivity than said heat-insulating agent;
- first means communicating said source of heat insulating agent with said peripheral chamber during normal operation of said reactor core;
- and
- second means communicating said source of heat-conductive agent with said peripheral chamber to fill said chamber with heat-conductive agent in response to a disturbance in reactor core cooling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.