Induced nuclear reactions: processes – systems – and elements – With control of reactor – By altering quantity of characteristic of fuel within...
Patent
1986-05-05
1988-11-08
Kyle, Deborah L.
Induced nuclear reactions: processes, systems, and elements
With control of reactor
By altering quantity of characteristic of fuel within...
376214, 376262, 376264, 376272, 376277, 376282, 376283, 376299, 376317, 376328, 376336, 376370, 376371, 376406, 376408, G21D 900, G21C 1500
Patent
active
047833068
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for automatic transfer of the heat produced in a transportable nuclear reactor to the heat exchanger of the process water, with the power of the nuclear reactor being regulated by passive or automatic means. An important application is heat production for heating purposes in centralized remote-heating systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nuclear reactors with water-basin or pool cooling are known. The heat produced in the reactor is conducted by natural circulation to cooling elements, which transfer it to customers or to the environment. Some of these reactors have high, promptly negative neutron-absorption temperature coefficients. This means that removal of the neutron-absorbing control rods results in only a limited power excursion, since the temperature increase automatically limits the chain reaction.
Nuclear reactors in which the power is regulated by varying the content of neutron-absorbing solutions in the coolant, which also acts as a moderator, are known.
Nuclear reactors are known in which the spent fuel elements are individually manipulated and successively placed in transport containers, in which they assume an adequately subcritical configuration so that they can be transported.
Nuclear reactors are known in which the pressure drop via the reactor core, which is cooled by forced circulation, is in equilibrium with the hydrostatic negative pressure under a gas-filled bell in such a way that any disruption in cooling causes the gas to escape and the core to be flooded with neutron-absorbing water from the basin (i.e., pool).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention, in a transportable reactor core, is to generate heat and transfer it to customers using purely passive components, in such a way as to exclude any possible sources of incorrect manipulation or component failure that could cause excess thermal capacity.
The device and method according to the invention is distinguished in that a nuclear reactor having a highly negative neutron-absorption temperature coefficient, located in a water basin (i.e., a pool with a cooling liquid such as water and a neutron absorber such as boron dissolved therein) to attain sufficiently low usable saturation temperatures, is cooled by natural convection of a partial quantity of water which is thermally insulated from the water basin. The heated water, rising far above the reactor core, evaporates because of the decreasing pressure of the still-remaining column of water. The steam component is separated from the remaining quantity of water in a condenser and transfers the useful heat to a further circulating system. The condensate, mixed with the remaining quantity of water, collects in a basin, and from there is returned to the reactor core. Further, the steam space about the condenser, communicating with the basin water in a bell that is open at the bottom, effects the pressure equilibrium between the partial water quantity of the primary loop and the basin (i.e., pool as above and in the following), such that overproduction or underproduction of steam leads to fluctuations in the level under the bell. By means of floats in automatically regulated valves these fluctuations vary the inflow of basin water containing dissolved neutron absorbers to the primary loop. Thereby the continuous decrease in the absorber content in the primary loop resulting from the supply of steam supplied partly by reactor heat and partly by supplementary electrical heating produced from the basin water and the condensate is compensated for; and that this continuous change, adapted to the thermal requirement, in the absorber content in the primary loop varies the reactivity, which in turn causes an adaptation of the temperature and of the reactor output that is determined by the negative neutron-absorption temperature coefficient.
During the regulating operations, the water level has a certain upper and lower fluctuation range. If the water level drops below the lower limit, this means that either the regul
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"Pressurized Water Reactor Inherent Core Protection by Primary System Thermohydraulics", Babala et al, Nuclear Science and Engr., 3/85, pp. 400-410.
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Doroszlai Pal G.
Vecsey Georg
Kyle Deborah L.
Wasil Daniel
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