US 5,353,320 AGranted

Reactor pressure vessel nozzle

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsRoy C. Challberg, Hubert A. Upton

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A nozzle for joining a pool of water to a nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes a tubular body having a proximal end joinable to the pressure vessel and a distal end joinable in flow communication with the pool. The body includes a flow passage therethrough having in serial flow communication a first port at the distal end, a throat spaced axially from the first port, a conical channel extending axially from the throat, and a second port at the proximal end which is joinable in flow communication with the pressure vessel. The inner diameter of the flow passage decreases from the first port to the throat and then increases along the conical channel to the second port. In this way, the conical channel acts as a diverging channel or diffuser in the forward flow direction from the first port to the second port for recovering pressure due to the flow restriction provided by the throat. In the backflow direction from the second port to the first port, the conical channel is a converging channel and with the abrupt increase in flow area from the throat to the first port collectively increase resistance to flow therethrough.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In a water-cooled nuclear reactor comprising:

a core of nuclear fuel;
a reactor pressure vessel containing said nuclear fuel core therein and comprising an inlet;
containment spaced outwardly from and surrounding said reactor pressure vessel;
a pool of water located within said containment and outside said reactor pressure vessel at an elevation which is higher than an elevation of said nuclear fuel core;
and
means for channeling water from said pool to said inlet of said reactor pressure vessel by the force of gravity in response to a predetermined condition inside said reactor, said water channeling means comprising a supply pipe having a flow passage of first diameter extending from a first end to a second end thereof, said second end of said supply pipe flow passage being in flow communication with said pool via said first end of said supply pipe flow passage;
and a nozzle having a flow passage extending from a first end to a second end, said first end of said nozzle flow passage being in flow communication with said first end of said supply pipe flow passage via said second end of said supply pipe flow passage and being in flow communication with said inlet of said reactor pressure vessel via said second end of said nozzle flow passage, the improvement wherein:
said nozzle flow passage comprises a throat and first and second sections in flow communication with said throat, said throat having a second diameter which is smaller than said first diameter, said first section having the shape of a bell mouth which changes gradually in diameter from said first diameter to said second diameter, and said second section having the shape of a truncated cone having a minimum diameter substantially equal to said second diameter, said first section being situated between said throat and said supply pipe and said second section being situated between said throat and said inlet of said reactor pressure vessel.

5 more elements

In a water-cooled nuclear reactor comprising:

a core of nuclear fuel;
a reactor pressure vessel containing said nuclear fuel core therein and comprising an inlet;
containment spaced outwardly from and surrounding said reactor pressure vessel;
a pool of water located within said containment and outside said reactor pressure vessel at an elevation which is higher than an elevation of said nuclear fuel core;
and
means for channeling water from said pool to said inlet of said reactor pressure vessel by the force of gravity in response to a predetermined condition inside said reactor, said water channeling means comprising a supply pipe having a flow passage of first diameter extending from a first end to a second end thereof, said second end of said supply pipe flow passage being in flow communication with said pool via said first end of said supply pipe flow passage;
and a nozzle having a flow passage extending from a first end to a second end, said first end of said nozzle flow passage being in flow communication with said first end of said supply pipe flow passage via said second end of said supply pipe flow passage and being in flow communication with said inlet of said reactor pressure vessel via said second end of said nozzle flow passage, the improvement wherein:
said flow passage has a circular cross section at every point along its length, said circular cross section having a diameter which varies in accordance with a predetermined geometry, said predetermined geometry being selected such that the resistance of said nozzle flow passage to the flow of water from said first end to said second end of said nozzle flow passage is less than the resistance of said nozzle flow passage to the flow of water from said second end to said first end of said nozzle flow passage.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.