Device and method for recovering and cooling the molten core of a nuclear reactor
AssigneeFramatome
InventorNicolaas Bonhomme
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The device includes a corium collector arranged below the vessel of the reactor, with circulation channels for cooling the collector and the corium. These channels are connected to a water feed and cooling-fluid removal circuit including a water storage tank, a tank for collecting fluid removed from the channels and a steam ejector which receives steam from the cooling fluid originating from the collection tank and sucks water from the storage tank and injects the water into the channels.
Claims10
A device for recovering and cooling the molten core of a nuclear reactor, including a molten core collector, comprising means for cooling the molten core by circulation of water and a circuit for feeding water to the cooling means of the collector and for removing a fluid formed from the cooling water that has circulated in the cooling means, said device including
- (a) a water storage tank;
- (b) a tank for collecting the fluid removed from the cooling means of the collector, comprising means for separating steam and water contained in the fluid and a conduit for removing the fluid into the storage tank;
- and
- (c) a steam ejector having a steam inlet connected to the collection tank, a water inlet connected to a pipe for sucking water from the storage tank and a water outlet connected by a feed pipe to the cooling means of the collector.
A method for recovering and cooling the molten core of a nuclear reactor, including a collector placed below the level of a bottom head of a vessel of the nuclear reactor containing the core, means for cooling the collector by circulation of water, and a circuit for feeding water to the cooling means of the collector and for removing a fluid formed from the cooling water that has circulated in the cooling means, said method comprising the steps of
- (a) recovering the molten core in the collector;
- (b) separating at least a part of the steam from the cooling fluid that has circulated in the cooling means of the collector and which consists of water and steam;
- (c) sending the remaining part of the cooling fluid into a water storage tank of the feed circuit;
- (d) sending the steam into a steam ejector so as to create a suction effect in the steam ejector;
- (e) withdrawing water from the storage tank;
- and
- (f) injecting the water withdrawn from the storage tank into the cooling means of the collector via the steam ejector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.