Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Societe Generale De Constructions Electriques Et Mecaniques Alsthom S.a.

Rene Chevallier

Paul Lambert

Michel Sauvage

Andre Andreani

Process and apparatus for cooling the wall of the vessel of a fast neutron reactor comprising a main vessel which surrounds a second vessel containing the core and separating a volume of liquid metal contained in the main vessel into two regions called the hot collector and the cold collector respectively. The liquid metal drawn into the cold collector and passed through the core to the hot collector is circulated by means of pumps distributed around the core. A baffle and a counter-baffle are arranged concentrically to the main vessel wall and respectively define a first and second annular space issuing into the cold collector. The first annular space is traversed by a tapped flow of cooling liquid metal circulating from bottom to top in the first space in contact with the main vessel wall up to an upper constant level adjacent to the edge of the baffle. The liquid metal is poured into the second space up to a lower level corresponding to the free surface of the cold collector via helical channels in contact with the baffle wall directed towards the inside of the main vessel.

Process and apparatus for cooling the wall of the vessel of a fast

Integrated nuclear reactor cooled by a liquid metal and constituted by a n tank, which contains a central inner tank containing the core and the hot liquid metal, this inner tank being connected to individual cylindrical chambers each containing a heat exchanger wherein the surfaces of the inner tank and of the cylindrical chambers bulge radially outwards at the level of supply orifices for transferring the hot liquid metal from the inner tank to the heat exchangers and wherein the cylindrical chambers are fixed directly onto the inner tank by neck portions interconnecting the two bulges and providing a path for liquid metal flow.

Growing community of inventors

Grenoble, France

Rene Chevallier