Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Robert M Slepian

Richard D Nathenson

Christopher C Alexion

Douglas C Marks

Joseph J Matsko

George T Hummert

Charles P Nyilas

Robert M Del Vecchio

Alvin R Keeton

Steven R Walk

Thomas D Hordubay

Lawrence R Westrick

Wesley Mamrose

Paul R Rakus

Nathan J Weister

David M Olszewski

Perry R Gibson

Paul R Ratkus

Andrew L Gottschalk

A submersible, single phase electromagnetic pumping assembly (10) for liquid metal is made, which contains a submersible pump section (16) and a nonsubmersible pump section (18) connected by a hollow conduit (20) where single phase electromagnetic windings (22 and 24) are disposed in each pump section, providing a two stage pumping assembly, and an eddy current blocking electromagnetic winding (22 and 24), providing liquid flow orifices unoccupied by the structure within each pump section near the winding, and where the single phase coils can create a pulsed, standing magnetic wave within each liquid flow orifice.

Submersible single phase electromagnetic pumping assembly for liquid

A connector assembly for transferring high-frequency current into or from a Litz-wire electrical cable having multiple conductor strands includes a transition connector component, a terminal connector component, and a coupling collar. The transition component has an annular groove which receives the splayed ends of the multiple conductor strands and makes electrical connection therewith by soldering of the conductor strand ends to the transition component at the groove. The transition component also has a central opening through it for providing flow communication with the internal coolant flow channel of the electrical cable. The terminal connector component has an orifice through it for establishing flow communication between the transition component opening and an external source of coolant. The terminal component also has a tab projecting from it for making an external electrical connection. The transition and terminal components are electrically connected together by fasteners. The collar has a housing of frusto-conical configuration for fitting over end portions of the conductor strands of the cable which have the ends in the annular splayed configuration. An end portion of the housing can be clamped to the Litz-wire cable. The collar housing and transition component have complementary threaded portions for attaching them together.

Connector assembly for internally-cooled Litz-wire cable

A slag detector apparatus for detecting onset of 5% or less slag entrainment in a stream of molten metal employs a detection coil having an axial length at least equal to the length of a globule of molten metal in the stream being composed of a continuous succession of recurring cyclical globules of molten metal, and an impedance detector for periodic sampling and smoothing of the fluctuations of the terminal impedance of the detector coil corresponding to the fluctuating cross-sectional dimension of the stream. The detector coil is part of a signal sensitivity enhancement circuit in the apparatus which also includes a tunable capacitor connected with the detector coil. The capacitor is used for tuning the circuit to its resonance frequency so that the capacitive reactance of the circuit due to the presence of the capacitor cancels the inductive reactance of the circuit due to the presence of the coil so as to leave only an impedance that is due to resistance of the coil.

Apparatus for detecting onset of slag entrainment in a molten metal

A liquid metal electromagnetic flow control device for controlling liquid metal flow through a nozzle orifice includes an alternating current electromagnetic coil disposed adjacent the nozzle and surrounding the orifice therein, and a nonconductive structure disposed along a portion of the coil and occupying an axial portion of the nozzle orifice and leaving an adjacent portion of the nozzle orifice unoccupied. The coil is operable to produce a magnetic field being axially directed and eddy currents being azimuthally directed within the nozzle orifice and the liquid metal flowing therethrough. The structure defines eddy current flow regions and eddy current nonflow regions through the occupied portion of the orifice. The eddy current nonflow regions are positioned relative to said eddy current flow regions thereof so as to substantially block production of eddy currents in the liquid metal as the metal flows through the eddy current nonflow regions. Such blockage reshapes the magnetic field within the orifice at a region of transition therewithin between the eddy current flow and nonflow portions of the orifice to have a radially directed component which produces a substantially axially directed electromagnetic pumping force in the nozzle which controls the flow of liquid metal therethrough be either impeding or assisting the liquid metal flow.

Liquid metal electromagnetic flow control device incorporating a pumping

A heat exchanger and pump assembly comprising a heat exchanger including a housing for defining an annularly shaped cavity and supporting therein a plurality of tubes. A pump is disposed beneath the heat exchanger and is comprised of a plurality of flow couplers disposed in a circular array. Each flow coupler is comprised of a pump duct for receiving a first electrically conductive fluid, i.e. the primary liquid metal, from a pool thereof, and a generator duct for receiving a second electrically conductive fluid, i.e. the intermediate liquid metal. The primary liquid metal is introduced from the reactor pool into the top, inlet ends of the tubes, flowing downward therethrough to be discharged from the tubes' bottom ends directly into the reactor pool. The primary liquid metal is variously introduced into the pump ducts directly from the reactor pool, either from the bottom or top end of the flow coupler.

Pump/heat exchanger assembly for pool-type reactor

A liquid metal pump assembly is disclosed as being adapted to be disposed as one of a plurality of like pump assemblies in a continuous, closed array about a core of a nuclear reactor system. Each pump assembly comprises a pipe for receiving and directing a pumped, intermediate liquid metal through the pump assembly, and first and second duct modules disposed on either side of the pipe. Each duct module comprises primary ducts for receiving and directing a primary liquid metal in a first direction, and intermediate ducts in communication with the pipe for directing a first flow of the intermediate liquid metal therethrough in a second direction opposite to the first direction. A mechanism illustratively in the form of a pair of field coils, generates and directs a main magnetic field to each of the primary and intermediate ducts of the first and second duct modules, whereby the interaction of the main magnetic field and the first flow of the intermediate liquid metal generates a first current flow through the intermediate ducts and the primary ducts, and pumps the primary liquid metal through the pump ducts. Further, at least one magnetic element is disposed adjacent one of the first and second duct modules for directing the main magnetic field from the one duct module to an adjacent liquid metal pump assembly, whereby the main magnetic field as generated by each of the plurality of liquid metal pumps is directed in the continuous array.

Flow coupler assembly for double-pool-type reactor

A pump assembly is disclosed for transferring the internal energy from a second or intermediate liquid metal to a first or primary liquid metal. The pump assembly comprises a pump duct for receiving the first liquid metal and a primary generator duct for receiving a first flow of the pumped, intermediate liquid metal. A first or main means in the illustrative form of a plurality of field coils generates and applies a main magnetic field through the pump and the primary generator ducts, whereby a first current flow is established through the pump and primary generator ducts and the primary liquid metal is pumped. An auxiliary generator duct receives a second flow of the pumped, intermediate liquid metal. An auxiliary means, illustratively in the form of permanent magnets, generates an auxiliary magnetic field through the auxiliary generator duct, whereby the interaction of the auxiliary magnetic field and the second flow of the pumped, intermediate liquid metal generates a second current flow to excite the field coils.

Magnetofluidynamic generator for a flow coupler

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Monroeville Boro, PA, United States of America

Robert M Slepian