Ge-hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC

David H Hinds

Charles Lee Heck

Necdet Kurul

Systems reduce noncondensable gasses within coolant systems with a recombiner into which the fluid coolant flows. Flow through the recombiner may be opposite that of a heat exchanger. The recombiner includes a catalyst that combines or degrades the noncondensable gasses, such as a Group 9-11 transition metal that speeds reaction of noncondensable gasses. The catalyst may be a liner, plate, aggregate, et. with openings through which all coolant must flow. The recombiner may be insulated to prevent heat exchange and condensation and may be tilted from a vertical to enhance draining and fluid flow. The entire system may be passive without any operator intervention or moving structures. Systems can be made from isolation condenser systems in nuclear power plants in an isolation condenser pool by adding a recombiner to existing coolant systems. Systems may also be made by including a recombiner with new isolation condensers.

Systems and methods for reducing noncondensable gas buildup in coolant systems

Piping loops can carry either forced or natural circulation coolant flow from and back to a nuclear reactor depending on reactor and coolant state, and can transition between the two. The loop flows into a heat exchanger that cools the coolant and may even condense the coolant. The heat exchanger can drive natural circulation coolant flow, and a pump on the loop can drive forced circulation. Coolant direction may be reversed through the heat exchanger in different modes. Loops may be installed directly on existing isolation condenser systems or come off of a primary loop generating electricity commercially. Actuation valves may isolate and actuate the system merely by disallowing or allowing coolant flow. Different flow modes and coolant direction may be similarly achieved by pump actuation and/or valve opening/closing. Beyond the pump and simple valve actuation, loops may be entirely passive.

Dual-mode heat removal system that allows first direction natural circulation flow through a heat exchanger during nuclear reactor emergency cooling and allows opposite direction forced flow through the heat exchanger during decay heat removal

An integrated passive cooling containment structure for a nuclear reactor includes a concentric arrangement of an inner steel cylindrical shell and an outer steel cylindrical shell that define both a lateral boundary of a containment environment of the nuclear reactor that is configured to accommodate a nuclear reactor and an annular gap space between the inner and outer steel cylindrical shells, a concrete donut structure at a bottom of the annular gap space, and a plurality of concrete columns spaced apart azimuthally around a circumference of the annular gap and extending in parallel from a top surface of the concrete donut structure to a top of the annular gap space. The outer and inner steel cylindrical shells and the concrete donut structure at least partially define one or more coolant channels extending through the annular gap space.

Integrated passive cooling containment structure for a nuclear reactor

A nuclear plant includes a nuclear reactor, a containment structure that at least partially defines a containment environment of the nuclear reactor, and a passive containment cooling system that causes coolant fluid to flow downwards from a coolant reservoir to a bottom of a coolant channel coupled to the containment structure and rise through the coolant channel toward the coolant reservoir due to absorbing heat from the nuclear reactor. A check valve assembly, in fluid communication with the coolant reservoir, selectively enables one-way flow of a containment fluid from the containment environment to the coolant reservoir, based on a pressure at an inlet being equal to or greater than a threshold magnitude. A fusible plug, in fluid communication with the coolant reservoir at a bottom vertical depth below the bottom of the coolant reservoir, enables coolant fluid to flow into the containment structure based on at least partially melting.

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Wilmington, NC, United States of America

David H Hinds