Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Kevin Hunt

Peter Rau

Dietmar Bittermann

Klaus Klein

A reactor has a core formed by a plurality of laterally adjacent fuel assemblies, each assembly comprising a vertically elongated casing containing a bundle of fuel rods and having an upper end connected to a tubular suspension rod forming the primary suspension means for the casing, failure of this means permitting the fuel assembly to drop from the core. In each instance, an instrumentation tube having an upper end supported independently of the primary suspension rod, extends downwardly through the latter, and centrally through the casing to the lower end of the latter. This instrumentation tube and the fuel assemblies adjacent to each other remain suspended so as to form vertically fixed parts relative to any one assembly that might drop accidentally. Each of the casings have latch means for normally latching the casing to one of these fixed parts so as to each casing it cannot fall substantially relative to that one of the parts in the event of a failure of its tubular suspension rod normally forming its primary suspension.

Nuclear reactor with suspended fuel assemblies having secondary

A reactor core melt containment receptacle for use beneath a reactor core so that if the core overheats and melts and falls, the resulting core melt is contained by the receptacle, the latter having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall, the latter being high enough so that the melt forms a melt level below its top. These walls are water-cooled to cool a melt in contact therewith. In addition, the receptacle has water-cooled elements extending upwardly from the bottom wall to above the melt level and spaced from the side wall. In this way heat is removed from the core melt both internally within the melt as well as via the receptacle bottom and side walls. The water-cooled elements extending above the melt level, absorb the heat radiated from the top surface of the melt, upward heat radiation being further reduced by transverse heat shields connected to the tops of the elements. Other features are included.

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Macclesfield, United Kingdom

Kevin Hunt