Submerged passively-safe power plant
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorJ. Stephen Herring
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention as presented consists of a submerged passively-safe power station including a pressurized water reactor capable of generating at least 600 MW of electricity, encased in a double hull vessel, and provides fresh water by using the spent thermal energy in a multistage flash desalination process.
Claims14
A portable submerged nuclear power plant comprising:
- a vessel, said vessel including a hull having inner and outer cylinders separated by a plurality of webs, said hull configured in such a way as to allow water free movement between said inner and outer cylinders, a reactor compartment, a generator compartment, and a crew compartment;
- means for collision protection having a hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment surrounding said hull, and wherein said means for collision protection includes a brayton cycle refrigerator within said hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment using air as a working fluid and whereby said water is subcooled forming a layer of borated ice at least 4.25 m thick within said hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment surrounding said reactor;
- a reactor encased in said reactor compartment having the ability to produce electric energy and release thermal energy;
- and
- means for supplying fresh water attached to and in communication with said vessel and having the ability to utilize said thermal energy from said reactor for supplying said fresh water.
A passively safe nuclear power plant comprising:
- a vessel, said vessel including a hull having inner and outer cylinders separated by a plurality of webs, said hull having means for reactor cooling whereby said inner and outer cylinders are configured in such a way as to allow water free movement between said inner and outer cylinders, a reactor compartment, a generator compartment, and a crew compartment;
- means for collision protection having a hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment surrounding said hull, and wherein said means for collision protection includes a brayton cycle refrigerator within said hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment using air as a working fluid and whereby said water is subcooled forming a layer of borated ice at least 4.25 m thick within said hollow steel-pressurized foam compartment surrounding said reactor;
- a reactor encased in said reactor compartment having the ability to produce electric energy and release thermal energy;
- and
- means for supplying fresh water attached to and in communication with said vessel and having the ability to utilize said thermal energy from said reactor for supplying said fresh water.
The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 13, wherein said reactor is cooled by convection as water passes through said inner and outer cylinders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.