Abstract:
The present invention provides a modular nuclear reactor system comprising a reactor pressure vessel having a lower section having a first wall and a second wall and an upper section having a first wall and a second wall. The reactor includes a chimney with an attached heat exchanger. First and second passageways create a circulation loop wherein heated heat transfer fluid circulates up from the reactor core, through the chimney, through an upper plenum and downwardly past the heat exchanger, into a lower plenum and back into the core.
Abstract:
A method of reducing the volume of a blade section of a boiling water reactor control rod for transport or storage that cuts the control rod spline into four substantially equal longitudinal sections, with each longitudinal section including one control rod blade. Each longitudinal section is radiologically characterized and the locations of desired lateral segmentation are identified. A band of malleable metal is wrapped around each longitudinal section at each of the locations and the bands are sheared to separate segments of the longitudinal section and the ends of the bands are crimped at the point of shearing to seal the interior of the segments.
Abstract:
The fuel assemblies (5) have a rigid, resistant structure (21) made up of a lower end-piece (16) and an upper end-piece (17) of the fuel assembly, said end-pieces being connected to each other by means of at least two longitudinal rigid connecting elements (22). The overall length of the framework of the fuel combustible is lower than the vertical distance between an upper surface of the lower plate of the core (7) and a lower surface of the upper surface of the core (8). The upper end-piece (17) of the fuel assemblies does not comprise a bladed bearing support. The lower end-piece (16) and upper end-piece (17) of each of the fuel assemblies comprise positioning openings wherein elastic clamping devices are mounted for the respective positioning pins (18,19) of the lower plate of the core (7) and the upper plate of the core (8). The fuel pencils (13) of the fuel assemblies are fixed on the lower end-piece (16). The framework (5a) of the fuel assemblies comprises the following elements inside the resistant structure (21): a plurality of guide tubes (15) which are slidingly mounted in at least one of the lower (16) and upper (17) end-pieces of the fuel assembly and a plurality of grid-cross members (14) for transversal maintenance of the pencils which are slidingly mounted in a longitudinal axial direction on the longitudinal connecting elements (22) of the resistant structure (21).
Abstract:
The invention relates to a system for sealing (20) an instrumentation column which passes through the cover (1) of a pressure vessel inside an adapter (3) that is fixed in a through hole in the cover. The aforementioned adapter projects out from the cover and comprises an end tube (8) which, together with the upper part of the column (5), defines an annular space for the positioning of at least one gasket (25, 27) which is disposed between a support bearing surface (12) of the column (5) and a gasket support (21). The inventive system comprises a limiter (30) for limiting the compression of the gasket (25, 27) and the gasket support (21), said gasket (25, 27) and compression limiter (30) being mechanically interconnected and forming an assembly that is intended to be mounted in the annular space or removed from said space in a single operation. The invention also relates to a method of assembling and disassembling said system for sealing an instrumentation column that passes through the cover of a pressure vessel, such as a nuclear reactor vessel.
Abstract:
The invention concerns a detector (15) of a radiation which can possibly be a neutron radiation and a detector (16) of another type of radiation, for example gamma radiation. The method consists in deducing a combustion rate or a radiation rate of the nuclear fuel (26) by measuring the measured value of a radiation assuming that the fuel has a specific composition. The activity of the other radiation is deduced from the radiation which should be obtained, and the accuracy of the assumption concerning the fuel composition is verified if the measured value is close to the deduced value. The apparatus (1) which enables to obtain satisfactory measurements in water-filled pool (26), is provided with means for being fixed to a pole (3) and for being placed (6, 9) in a predetermined position on a fuel storage cell structure (4). The apparatus is moved towards each fuel element.
Abstract:
According to the invention, a minor part of the total available catalytic surface, preferably less than 5 % of the surface, is permanently held at an increased temperature level with respect to the environment by energy supplied by a heating device (6, 8, 38, 42, 44). This part of the surface acts as an initial igniter.
Abstract:
A shielding facility serves to prevent x-rays or gamma -rays which are generated by, for example, irradiation of electron beam from leaking out of an opening through a shield passage. The shielding facility includes a shielding wall (2) defining therein a shield passage (3) having an inlet opening and an outlet opening. The shielding wall (2) is adapted to accommodate a source (1) which generates x-rays or gamma -rays. The shielding facility further includes a plurality of partition walls (7-1, 7-2 and 7-3) disposed in the shield passage (3). The partition walls (7-1, 7-2 and 7-3) are bent at least one time between the inlet opening and the outlet opening of the shield passage (3).
Abstract:
A method for reducing the proportion of fast neutrons leaking out of a reactor core in a boiling water reactor. The reactor core comprises a plurality of fuel assemblies and is surrounded by a reactor vessel. Water flows upwards through the fuel assemblies and part of the water is thereby transformed into steam. A fuel assembly comprises a number of vertical channel-formed parts, so-called sub-channels (9g, 9h), to accommodate fuel bundles (15g). A fuel bundle comprises a plurality of fuel rods arranged between a bottom tie plate and a top tie plate. Openings (26a, 26b) are provided between adjacent sub-channels such that water and steam may flow between the sub-channels. The method comprises removing, in a plurality of those fuel assemblies which are located furthest out in the core, closest to the reactor vessel, one or more fuel bundles from sub-channels which are facing the reactor vessel, and replacing them with one or more devices (16h) for improving the neutron moderation in the upper portion of the fuel assembly. Such a device comprises means (17) for restricting the water flow in the upper portion of a sub-channel, and means (27) for blocking, downstream of the means for restriction, the openings (26b) between adjacent sub-channels.
Abstract:
La présente invention a pour objet un dispositif de manutention (1) des équipements internes d'un réacteur nucléaire à eau pressurisée comportant une première partie fixe incluant une pluralité de montants (15) parallèles entre eux et placés verticale- ment dans la position de service du dispositif de manutention (1) et une pluralité de moyens de fixation (20) des équipements. Le dispositif de manutention (1) comporte en outre une deuxième partie mobile (21) entre une position haute d'utilisation dans laquelle la deuxième partie (21) fait saillie au-dessus de la première partie fixe délimi- tant un volume vide et une position basse de stockage utilisant ledit volume vide pour recevoir la partie mobile. L'invention est adaptée à la manutention des équi- pements internes supérieurs et inférieurs du réacteur.
Abstract:
An advanced radial core neutron reflector RCR is provided for a nuclear reactor core. The RCR comprises a minimal number of tiers and employs a number of improved restraint mechanisms to provide vertical and horizontal support of the RCR. Specifically, the RCR has four tiers, a bottom tier which functions as a foundation that is precisely aligned and secured with an improved dowel and fastener arrangement, two intermediate tiers, and a top tier. A spigotting staircase-type geometry is employed to radially secure abutting, adjacent tiers. At least the intermediate tiers are segmented into quadrants to facilitate making of the RCR, and a clamping assembly secures the seams between quadrants. One or both of a keying or an alignment pin assembly secures the interfaces between tiers, and a secondary vertical support may be employed at the top tier.