Loading patent…
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsDouglas E. Ekeroth, Richard Orr
Estimating the term…
A nuclear reactor is provided having a generally cylindrical reactor vessel disposed within an opening in a primary shield. The opening in the primary shield is defined by a plurality of generally planar side walls forming a generally polyhedral-shaped opening. The reactor vessel is supported within the opening in the primary shield by reactor vessel supports which are in communication and aligned with central portions of some of the side walls. The reactor vessel is connected to the central portions of the reactor vessel supports. A thermal insulation polyhedron formed from a plurality of slidably insertable and removable generally planar insulation panels substantially surrounds at least a portion of the reactor vessel and is disposed between the reactor vessel and the side walls of the primary shield. The shape of the insulation polyhedron generally corresponds to the shape of the opening in the primary shield. Reactor monitoring instrumentation may be mounted in the corners of the opening in the primary shield between the side walls and the reactor vessel such that insulation is not disposed between the instrumentation and the reactor vessel.
In a nuclear reactor having a primary shield and a generally cylindrical reactor vessel having a generally hemispherical lower end, said reactor vessel being disposed within an opening in said primary shield, said opening being defined by an inner surface, said reactor vessel being supported within said opening in said primary shield by a plurality of angularly spaced reactor vessel supports connected to said primary shield and on which said reactor vessel is supported, and reactor vessel thermal insulation disposed between said reactor vessel and said primary shield and surrounding a lower portion of said reactor vessel, wherein the improvement comprises:
A method of thermally insulating a lower portion of a generally cylindrical reactor vessel of a nuclear reactor, said nuclear reactor further having a primary shield and reactor vessel supports, said reactor vessel further having a generally hemispherical lower end and being disposed within an opening in said primary shield, so as to provide space between said primary shield and said reactor vessel, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.