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US 9,230,697 B2Granted
Steam generator for a nuclear reactor
AssigneeNuScale Power, LLC
InventorsJohn T. Groome, Sooyun Joh, James Allan Nylander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steam generator for a nuclear reactor comprises plenums proximate with a first plane, wherein the first plane intersects a bottom portion of a riser column of a reactor vessel. The steam generator may further comprise plenums proximate with a second plane, approximately parallel with the first plane, wherein the second plane intersects a top portion of the riser column of the reactor vessel. The steam generator may further include a plurality of steam generator tubes that convey coolant from a plenum located proximate with the first plane to one of the plenums proximate with the second plane.
Claims16
A nuclear reactor steam generator, comprising:
- three or four plenums proximate with a first plane;
- three or four plenums proximate with a second plane;
- and
- a plurality of steam-generating tubes that form a coolant flowpath from one of the three or four plenums located proximate with the first plane to at least one of the three or four plenums proximate with the second plane,
- wherein the steam generator is configured to be installed in a reactor vessel such that the first plane intersects a bottom portion of a riser column positioned in the reactor vessel and the second plane intersects a top portion of the riser column,
- wherein each of the three or four plenums proximate with the first plane and each of the three or four plenums proximate with the second plane includes an approximately flat tubesheet that faces in a direction of a middle portion of the riser column, and
- wherein the approximately flat tubesheet includes a plurality of perforations, the perforations being of lower density near an edge closer to the riser column than near an edge closer to a reactor vessel wall.
4 more elements
A nuclear reactor steam generator, comprising:
- a top portion having three or four plenums disposed in a plane around a riser column, wherein:
- each of the three or four plenums includes an approximately flat tubesheet that faces a bottom portion of the steam generator, and
- wherein the approximately flat tubesheets of the plenums include a plurality of perforations, and
- wherein the plurality of perforations changes in density between an area near an inner edge of the plenums and an area near an outer edge of the plenums.
1 more element
A nuclear reactor steam generator, comprising:
- three or four means for inletting a working fluid, wherein each of the means for inletting the working fluid are disposed around a riser column at a first height and are each approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the riser column;
- three or four means for outletting a working fluid, wherein each of the means for outletting the working fluid are disposed around the riser column at a second height and are each approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rise column;
- and
- means for conducting heat to the working fluid from a reactor coolant and conveying the working fluid from at least one of the means for inletting to at least one of the means for outletting,
- wherein each of means for inletting comprise approximately flat tubesheets that face a bottom portion of the steam generator, and
- wherein the approximately flat tubesheets of the means for inletting each include a plurality of perforations, and a number of the plurality of perforations per unit of area of at least one of the approximately flat tubesheets changes between an area near an inner edge of each respective means for inletting and an area near an outer edge of each respective means for inletting.
3 more elements
A nuclear reactor steam generating system, comprising:
- a nuclear reactor comprising a riser column;
- and
- a steam generator installed around the riser column, the steam generator comprising:
- first, second, and third plenums proximate with a first plane, the first plane intersecting a bottom portion of the rise column,
- first, second, and third plenums proximate with a second plane, the second plane being approximately parallel with the first plane and intersecting a top portion of the riser column;
- and
- a plurality of steam-generating tubes that form a coolant flowpath from one of the first, second, and third plenums located proximate with the first plane to at least one of the fourth, fifth, and sixth plenums proximate with the second plane,
- wherein the first, second, and third plenums proximate with the first plane and the first, second, and third plenums proximate with the second plane include approximately flat tubesheets that faces in a direction of a middle portion of the column, and
- wherein the approximately flat tubesheets include a plurality of perforations, the perforations being of lower density near an edge closer to the riser column than near an edge closer to a reactor vessel wall.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.