Neutron shield panel arrangement for a nuclear reactor pressure vessel

A nuclear reactor comprising:

• a reactor vessel susceptible to embrittlement when bombarded with high energy neutrons;
• a nuclear core mounted within said reactor vessel, said reactor vessel having a longitudinal axis and an inner surface surrounding said longitudinal axis, said nuclear core emitting high energy neutrons which impinge on the inner surface of said reactor vessel;
• and
• a shield panel mounted between the inner surface of said reactor vessel and said nuclear core in a region wherein said reactor vessel is susceptible to a higher rate of embrittlement than the remaining portion of said vessel when bombarded with high energy neutrons emitted from said nuclear core, said shield panel comprising a canister containing a completely enclosed interior space an a substance consisting essentially solely of a heavy metal and hydrogen filling the interior space of said canister.

In a nuclear reactor including a reactor vessel susceptible to embrittlement when bombarded with high energy neutrons and a nuclear core mounted within the reactor vessel, the nuclear core emitting high energy neutrons which impinge on the reactor vessel, a method for shielding a selected region of the vessel against bombardment from high energy neutrons emanating from the nuclear core comprising:

• identifying a region of the reactor vessel which is susceptible to a higher rate of embrittlement than remaining portions of the vessel when bombarded with high energy neutrons emitted from the nuclear core;
• providing a shield panel corresponding in size to the identified region and formed of a canister containing a completely enclosed interior space and a substance consisting essentially solely of a heavy metal and hydrogen filling the interior space of such canister;
• and
• mounting the shield panel between the reactor vessel and the nuclear core in the identified region of the reactor vessel.