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US 8,416,908 B2Granted
Nuclear reactor control method and apparatus
OwnerNeal Lawrence Manninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for controlling a nuclear reactor is disclosed. The method includes providing a moderator zone in a core of the nuclear reactor, providing a fuel in the moderator zone, and providing one or more housings, each having a cavity, adjacent to the fuel. The method also includes allowing movement of a moderator between the moderator zone and the cavity of the one or more housings at a lower portion of the one or more housings. The method further includes confining moderator in the cavity of the one or more housings at an upper portion of the one or more housings.
Claims20
A method for controlling a nuclear reactor, comprising:
- providing a reactor core that includes a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly including a plurality of fuel elements;
- providing a reflector zone that surrounds the reactor core;
- providing a plurality of housings, each having a cavity, adjacent to the fuel elements;
- allowing movement of a moderator into and out of each cavity of the plurality of housings at a lower portion of the plurality of housings;
- and
- confining moderator in each cavity of the plurality of housings at an upper portion of the plurality of housings;
- wherein the moderator moves from at least one of the plurality of housings to the reflector zone through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings, and the moderator moves from the reflector zone to at least one of the plurality of housings through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings.
4 more elements
A method for controlling a nuclear reactor, comprising:
- providing a reactor core that includes a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly including a plurality of fuel elements;
- providing a reflector zone that surrounds the reactor core;
- providing a plurality of housings adjacent to the fuel elements, each housing having a cavity;
- allowing movement of a moderator into and out of each cavity at a lower portion of the housing;
- blocking a movement of the moderator into and out of each cavity at an upper portion of the housing;
- removing an amount of heat from the moderator in each cavity that is substantially equal to an amount of heat imparted by conduction of heat, neutrons, or gamma radiation from the fuel assembly into the moderator in each cavity;
- and
- maintaining a substantially constant or slowly changing amount of the moderator in a gaseous state in each cavity at an upper portion of the housing;
- wherein the moderator moves from at least one of the plurality of housings to the reflector zone through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings, and the moderator moves from the reflector zone to at least one of the plurality of housings through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings.
6 more elements
A method for controlling a nuclear reactor, comprising:
- providing a reactor core that includes a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly including a plurality of fuel elements;
- providing a reflector zone that surrounds the reactor core;
- providing a plurality of housings adjacent to the fuel elements, each housing having a cavity;
- allowing movement of a moderator into and out of each cavity at a lower portion of each housing;
- blocking a movement of the moderator in a gaseous state out of each cavity at an upper portion of each housing;
- removing an amount of heat from the moderator in each cavity;
- and
- controlling an amount of moderator that is held in the gaseous state in each cavity at the upper portion of each housing by varying the amount of heat removed from the moderator in each cavity;
- wherein the moderator moves from at least one of the plurality of housings to the reflector zone through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings, and the moderator moves from the reflector zone to at least one of the plurality of housings through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings.
6 more elements
A method for controlling a reaction rate of a nuclear reactor core, comprising:
- providing a reactor core that includes a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly including a plurality of fuel elements;
- providing a reflector zone that surrounds the reactor core;
- providing a plurality of housings adjacent to the fuel elements, each housing having a cavity;
- allowing movement of a moderator into and out of each cavity;
- using neutrons or gamma radiation released from the fuel elements to heat a portion of the moderator in each cavity into a gaseous state, each of the plurality of housings having a closed upper portion and an open lower portion;
- retaining the moderator in the gaseous state in each cavity at each closed upper portion;
- varying an amount of moderator in each cavity held in the gaseous state by varying an amount of heat removed from the moderator in each cavity;
- and
- varying an amount of neutrons caught by the fuel assembly with resonance capture by displacing a portion of the moderator in each cavity in a liquid state based on the amount of moderator in each cavity held in the gaseous state;
- wherein the moderator moves from at least one of the plurality of housings to the reflector zone through the open lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings, and the moderator moves from the reflector zone to at least one of the plurality of housings through the open lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings.
7 more elements
An apparatus for a nuclear reactor, comprising:
- a containment structure, with the following being disposed in the containment structure:
- a reactor core that includes a fuel assembly, the fuel assembly including a plurality of fuel elements;
- a reflector zone that surrounds the reactor core;
- neutron moderating material, wherein at least some of the neutron moderating material is a fluid and the fluid neutron moderating material is disposed in both the reactor core and the reflector zone;
- and
- a plurality of housings disposed adjacent to the fuel elements, each housing having a cavity and wherein a lower portion of each housing is open for movement of fluid neutron moderating material into and out of the cavity and an upper portion of each housing is closed for movement of fluid neutron moderating material into or out of the upper portion of the cavity;
- wherein the fluid neutron moderating material moves from at least one of the plurality of housings to the reflector zone through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings, and the fluid neutron moderating material moves from the reflector zone to at least one of the plurality of housings through the lower portion of at least one of the plurality of housings.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.