摘要:
A modular nuclear reactor system includes a lift-out, replaceable nuclear reactor core configured for replacement as a singular unit during a single lift-out event, such as rather than lifting and replacing individual fuel assemblies and/or fuel elements. The system includes a reactor vessel and a power generation system configured to convert thermal energy in a high temperature working fluid received from the reactor vessel into electrical energy. The reactor vessel includes: a vessel inlet and an adjacent vessel outlet arranged near a bottom on the vessel; a vessel receptacle configured to receive a unified core assembly; locating datums in the base of the vessel receptacle and configured to constrain a core assembly in multiple degrees of freedom; and an interstitial zone surrounding the vessel receptacle and housing a set of control or moderating drums.
摘要:
Plutonium is effectively and economically rendered unsuitable for employment in a device for creating a nuclear detonation. Weapons-grade plutonium is made into ceramic fuel in the form of spheroids of submillimeter size, coated with multi-layer fission-product-retentive coatings and disposed in sealed fuel chambers in graphite block fuel elements. These elements are used to form a core for a modular helium-cooled high temperature nuclear reactor which is operated to efficiently generate power by causing the hot high pressure helium coolant to drive a gas turbine directly connected to an electrical generator, which nuclear fuel core has about a 3-year lifetime. Spent nuclear fuel elements are removed at the end of 3 years and shifted to form the core for an accelerator-driven helium-cooled reactor wherein a subcritical core of spent fuel elements is safely caused to effectively continuously fission by a neutron flux created by a Linac which bombards a lead target with a beam of high energy protons. At the end of 1 to 2 more years, more than 99% of the original Pu-239 has fissioned or been transmuted, and the isotope distribution of remaining plutonium renders it no longer useful for carrying out a nuclear detonation. Such fuel elements can be securely stored without reprocessing in simple metal canisters in a long-term repository.
摘要:
The invention relates to a gas cooled high temperature reactor located in the cavity of a pressure vessel, with spherical fuel elements, and removal apparatus for fuel elements. The latter is made of at least one ceramic pebble outlet tube extending through the graphite structural parts of the nuclear reactor (bottom reflector, bottom layers) and a number of metal pebble outlet tubes installed through the bottom of the pressure vessel. They are arranged coaxially in the liner of the passage through the vessel. To be able to dismantle the metal pebble outlet tubes, they are constructed of several releasably interconnected tube segments. Between the uppermost tube segment and the corresponding ceramic pebble outlet tube a compensating tube is provided and connected with the tube segment by means of a sliding joint. The other end of the compensating tube is fastened to the thermal bottom shield. Relative movements caused by the thermal expansion of the bottom shield and the pebble outlet tubes are compensated by the slide joints. Simultaneously, the necessary tight sealing is assured.
摘要:
A nuclear-reactor assembly comprising a pressure vessel for the nuclear reactor and auxiliary vessels disposed in annularly spaced relationship around the reactor pressure vessel and communicating therewith by horizontal passages in the walls between the vessels. According to the invention, the outer surface of the reactor pressure vessel, which is otherwise generally cylindrical, is formed with vertical surfaces in the region of the passages against which complementary vertical planar surfaces of the auxiliary vessels lie. The spaces between the auxiliary vessels are filled in the plane of these passages by support blocks so that the blocks together with the auxiliary vessels form a compound disk which is prestressed inwardly by a peripheral prestressing element passing around the perimeter of the disk.
摘要:
A nuclear reactor is described in which a core having a plurality of columnar fuel regions with coolant passages therein and valve means for each fuel region regulating, separately, the flow of coolant therethrough, is provided with collecting means at the downstream ends of the passages. The collecting means define a plurality of discharge orifices and a plurality of intake means, one for each of the discharge orifices. Each of the intake means commingles a portion of the coolant from each of a plurality of adjacent fuel regions in a respective one of the discharge orifices.
摘要:
A nuclear power-generating installation comprises three power-generating bines which are operated by three partial gas streams heated in separate passages of a nuclear reactor. After traversing the power-generating turbines the partial gas streams are cooled in respective recuperative heat exchangers to recover residual useful heat therefrom and are combined into a lesser number of gas streams each of which is subjected to at least two compression stages with at least one intervening cooling stage in which all of the gas is combined to flow as a total gas stream through at least one such cooler. Following the last compression stage the gas is again subdivided into three partial streams for preheating in the aforementioned recuperative heat exchangers before traversing the nuclear reactor for the main heating.
摘要:
A power plant having a closed gas-cooling circuit for the production of process heat to be transferred to a secondary circuit, comprising: (a) a vessel comprising a generally solid block of material; (b) a high-temperature reactor positioned within the vessel; (c) a plurality of heat exchanger units positioned about said reactor in the reactor in the vessel, the heat exchanger units comprising each a high temperature heat exchanger and a low temperature heat exchanger coupled serially therewith, each of the heat exchanger units being removably mounted in a vertically oriented shaft in the material; (d) first means for conducting a portion of a hot gas stream leaving the reactor to each of the high temperature heat exchangers where the hot gas is partially cooled by indirect contact with a working fluid in the secondary circuit; (e) second means for conducting said cooled gas from each of the high temperature heat exchangers to said low temperature heat exchangers coupled therewith where the gas is further cooled by indirect contact with the secondary circuit fluid; and means for returning said further cooled gas to the reactor from each of the low temperature heat exchangers by circulating the gas around the periphery of each respective heat exchanger unit.
摘要:
A nuclear reactor pressure vessel internals arrangement including a core assembly, control means and steam flow directing means is disclosed. The reactor utilizes a two-pass steam flow scheme in which steam flows downwardly through non-fueled core components and then flows upwardly through the fuel assemblies. The reactor internals are located within a shroud which forms a second pressure-tight vessel. Water located in an annular space between the internal shroud and the main pressure vessel provides additional shielding and is readily available for core flooding. The arrangement provides improved safety, simplicity and reliability in steam cooled reactor operation.