Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Philippe Verriere

Charley Renaux

Michel Aubert

Gilbert Arene

Pierre Pomie

Luigi Pierazzi

Henri Jacques Gollion

Core cover plug for a liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactor. It comprises a structure constituted in part by suspension elements fixed to the lower plate of the small rotary plug, and in part by control rod sleeve elements and a conical deflecting plate positioned directly above the core. The suspension elements, which can either be rod sleeves or rigid tie rods, support the sleeve elements by means of one or more grids constituted by intersecting vertical plates. The deflecting plate, which itself carries a group of sampling tubes, is fixed to certain sleeve elements by a connection permitting radial sliding.

Core cover plug of a liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactor

A sodium-cooled fast reactor comprises at least one auxiliary heat exchanger constituted by a plurality of vertical heat-exchange modules each provided with a coolant circuit. A vertical cylindrical passage for each auxiliary heat exchanger extends through the reactor vault roof. The passage diameter is larger than the diameter of a heat-exchange module but smaller than the overall dimension of the auxiliary heat exchanger in horizontal cross-section. Each passage is closed by a shield plug after the modules have been placed in position, the modules being disposed around an axial extension of each shield plug.

Fast nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor, especially a sodium-cooled fast reactor in which the coolant is confined at least partially within a vertical primary tank containing the reactor core and surrounded by a main tank containing vertical heat exchangers and pumps for heat removal and continuous circulation of coolant from one tank to the other. Each heat exchanger is provided with inlet and outlet windows respectively at the upper and lower end for the admission and discharge of coolant derived from the primary tank and is surrounded by an outer shell which penetrates together with the heat exchanger into the region located between the primary tank and the main tank. The outer shell delimits with the heat exchanger an annular space which is joined at the level of the inlet windows to one end of at least one elbowed duct, the other end of which extends into the coolant within the primary tank. The annular space is connected to a pump for producing a variable negative pressure within said space and thus priming the siphon formed by the primary tank, the elbowed duct and the annular space.

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Manosque, France

Philippe Verriere