Intrinsic-safety nuclear reactor of the pressurized water type

Abstract

An intrinsic-safety nuclear reactor of the pressurized water type, having: a reactor vessel (2) equipped with a core (4), a lower header (5) and an upper header (6), at least one heat exchanger (3) with a secondary fluid, means of hydraulic connection (9, 10) between said headers and said heat exchanger and at least one circulation pump (11), a pressurized container (1) surrounding the reactor vessel (2) and which defines a tank (15) full of a cold, neutron-absorbing liquid; pipes (20) allowing communication between the lower area of said tank and the lower header of the vessel, as well as pipes (21) allowing communication between the upper area of said tank and the upper header, in which the pressure drop in the primary fluid across the core is substantially equal to the difference in head between the cold column of said tank and the hot column of the vessel. The pressurized container (1) is immersed in a pool (18) containing a neutron-absorbing liquid at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the wall of the vessel (2) is insulated, while the wall of the container (1) has no insulation, so as to achieve the greatest possible heat exchange between said container wall and the water of the surrounding pool (18).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.