# US 5,247,553 A · Submerged passively-safe power plant

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- Number: US 5,247,553 A
- Document ID: US5247553A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/799,251
- Filed: 1991-11-27
- Granted: 1993-09-21
- Earliest claimed: 1991-11-27
- Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
- Inventors: J. Stephen Herring
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5247553A

## CPC

- G21D 9/00: Arrangements to provide heat for purposes other than conversion into power, e.g. for heating buildings
- G21C 1/08: moderator being highly pressurised, e.g. boiling water reactor, integral super-heat reactor, pressurised water reactor (G21C1/22 takes precedence)
- G21C 13/00: Pressure vessels; Containment vessels; Containment in general (for chemical or physical processes B01J3/00; pressure vessels in general F16J12/00)
- G21D 1/00: Details of nuclear power plant (control G21D3/00)
- Y02E 30/00: Energy generation of nuclear origin
- Y02E 30/30: Nuclear fission reactors
- Y10S 376/909: Mobile reactors
- G21D: NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- G21C: NUCLEAR REACTORS (fusion reactors, hybrid fission-fusion reactors G21B; nuclear explosives G21J)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for supplying fresh water comprises;
a multistage flash distillation unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 2, comprising;
means for anchorage to a seabed, which allows a positive buoyancy of at least 100 t.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 3, wherein said means for anchorage comprises;
anchor lines attached to said hull of said vessel and said seabed, and having weights placed at a midpoint of said anchor lines whereby the submerged nuclear power plant is isolated from vertical and horizontal seismic movements of the seabed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 4, wherein said inner and outer cylinders form a cavity, said cavity contains a compressed gas to achieve a greater positive buoyancy for said vessel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 4, wherein said reactor is cooled by convection as water passes through said inner and outer cylinders.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The submerged nuclear power plant, as recited in claim 6, wherein said means for anchorage includes having at least one anchorage point on said hull containing a drum having said anchor line wound around the circumference allowing said anchor lines to slip in the event of an earthquake minimizing the damage to said hull.

### Claim 8

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.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 8, comprising;
means for anchorage to a seabed which allows a positive buoyancy of at least 100 t.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 9, wherein said means for anchorage comprises;
anchor lines attached to said hull having snubbers secured to said anchor lines and said snubbers including weights placed at a midpoint of said anchor lines to limit the vertical movement of said vessel.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 10, wherein said anchorage system includes having at least one anchorage point on said hull contain a drum having said anchor line wound around the circumference allowing said anchor lines to slip in the event of an earthquake minimizing the damage to said hull.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 11, wherein said vessel further comprises;
a hull, said hull includes inner and outer cylinders separated by a web.

### Claim 13 (depends on 13)

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.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The passively-safe submerged nuclear power station, as recited in claim 12, wherein said inner and outer cylinders form a cavity, said cavity contains a compressed gas to achieve a greater positive buoyancy for said vessel.