National Nuclear Corporation Limited

Nuclear Power Company Limited

Gordon Kenworthy

Roy S Howard

Colin H Mitchell

Keith S Hawkins

In a liquid metal cooled fast breeder nuclear reactor of the pool type, the hot and cold pools (13, 19) are separated by an intermediate plenum (24) which, under steady state conditions, encloses a volume of substantially stagnant liquid metal to form a thermal barrier between the hot and cold pools (13, 19). To avoid undesirably large temperature differentials developing for example in the event of large temperature excursions within the hot pool (13) as a result of a reactor trip, the intermediate plenum (24) is designed to permit, in such circumstances, rapid interchange of liquid metal coolant between the hot pool and the intermediate plenum, for example by way of a thermal siphon arrangement (30).

Liquid metal cooled nuclear reactors

In a liquid metal cooled fast breeder nuclear reactor of the pool kind the inner wall surface of the core tank has continuous fins inclined upwardly to form troughs through which cool liquid metal drawn from the outer region of the pool of coolant can cascade and thereby jacket the wall surface with relatively cool coolant.

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Leigh, United Kingdom

Gordon Kenworthy