Westinghouse Electric Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Robert B Tupper

John E Sharbaugh

James D Mangus

Julie M Livingston

Asfandiar K Dhalla

Gedney B Brown

Martin H Cooper

Robert K Sievers

A liquid metal nuclear reactor has a sodium tank, having a closed arcuate bottom and upstanding cylindrical wall for containing a reactor core in a pool of liquid metal coolant, which is disposed in a guard tank having a bottom and upwardly extending cylindrical shell, and a support inside the guard tank adjacent the closed bottom of the sodium tank to support the two tanks in spaced relationship to each other. Support legs are also provided about the bottom periphery of the guard tank adapted to rest on a base mat of a reactor cavity. The bottom of the guard tank may be a closed arcuate shape, or the bottom may be a flat bottom wall that rests on the base mat with the cylindrical shell divided into two radially spaced sections, with a pool of lead-bismuth alloy provided on the bottom to seal the spaces between the two shell sections at the lower region thereof. The pool of lead-bismuth alloy provided on the flat bottom wall of the guard tank contacts the bottom of the sodium tank to aid in preheating the same and providing a supporting and dampening effect therefor.

Bottom supported liquid metal nuclear reactor

A liquid metal nuclear reactor has a sodium tank, having a closed arcuate bottom and upstanding cylindrical wall for containing a reactor core in a pool of liquid metal coolant, which is disposed in a guard tank having a bottom and upwardly extending cylindrical shell, and a support inside the guard tank adjacent the closed bottom of the sodium tank to support the two tanks in spaced relationship to each other. The sodium tank has an open top spaced from an overlying closure deck, with the cylindrical shell of the guard tank secured to the closure deck. The support is preferably an inner ledge. Support legs are also provided about the bottom periphery of the guard tank adapted to rest on a base mat of a reactor cavity. The bottom of the guard tank may be a closed arcuate shape, or the bottom may be a flat bottom wall that rests on the base mat with the cylindrical shell divided into two radially spaced sections, with a pool of lead-bismuth alloy provided on the bottom to seal the spaces between the two shell sections at the lower region thereof. A metal barrier may be provided between the guard tank and the reactor cavity side wall to divide the area therebetween into two annular chambers, with a thermal insulation provided on the barrier outside to form the inner chamber into an oven-like chamber.

A self-actuated shutdown system incorporated into a reactivity control assembly in a nuclear reactor includes pumping means for creating an auxiliary downward flow of a portion of the heated coolant exiting from the fuel assemblies disposed adjacent to the control assembly. The shutdown system includes a hollow tubular member which extends through the outlet of the control assembly top nozzle so as to define an outer annular flow channel through the top nozzle outlet separate from an inner flow channel for primary coolant flow through the control assembly. Also, a latching mechanism is disposed in an inner duct of the control assembly and is operable for holding absorber bundles in a raised position in the control assembly and for releasing them to drop them into the core of the reactor for shutdown purposes. The latching mechanism has an inner flow passage extending between and in flow communication with the absorber bundles and the inner flow channel of the top nozzle for accommodating primary coolant flow upwardly through the control assembly. Also, an outer flow passage separate from the inner flow passage extends through the latching mechanism between and in flow communication with the inner duct and the outer flow channel of the top nozzle for accommodating inflow of a portion of the heated coolant from the adjacent fuel assemblies. The latching mechanism contains a magnetic material sensitive to temperature and operable to cause mating or latching together of the components of the latching mechanism when the temperature sensed is below a known temperature and unmating or unlatching thereof when the temperature sensed is above a given temperature. The temperature sensitive magnetic material is positioned in communication with the heated coolant flow through the outer flow passage for directly sensing the temperature thereof. Finally, the pumping means includes a jet induction pump nozzle and diffuser disposed adjacent the bottom nozzle of the control assembly and in flow communication with the inlet thereof. The pump nozzle is operable to create an upward driving flow of primary coolant through the pump diffuser and then to the absorber bundles. The upward driving flow of primary coolant, in turn, creates a suction head within the outer flow channel of the top nozzle and thereby an auxiliary downward flow of the heated coolant portion exiting from the upper end of the adjacent fuel assemblies through the outer flow channel to the pump nozzle via the outer flow passage of the latching mechanism and an annular space between the outer and inner spaced ducts of the control assembly housing. The temperature of the heated coolant exiting from the adjacent fuel assemblies can thereby be sensed directly by the temperature sensitive magnetic material in the latching mechanism.

Self-actuated nuclear reactor shutdown system using induction pump to

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Greensburg, PA, United States of America

Robert B Tupper