Patent ID: 6526115
Filing Date: 2003-02-25
Classification: G21C,Y02E

Abstract:
A supercritical-pressure water cooled reactor comprising:a reactor vessel including: first and second end parts dimensioned to contain supercritical-pressure coolant and a shell part disposed between the first and the second end parts dimensioned to contain sub-critical-pressure coolant; first and second core-support plates each having a plurality of through-holes, the first and the second core-support plates being disposed in and fixed to the reactor vessel so that the core-support plates divide space inside the reactor vessel into first and second supercritical-pressure portions in the first and the second end parts, respectively, and a sub-critical pressure portion in the shell part; a plurality of fuel tubes each having an interior volume, an outer surface and first and second open ends fixed to one of the through-holes in the first core-support plate and one of the through-holes in the second core-support plate, respectively, so that the interior volumes of the fuel tubes are in fluidic communication with the supercritical-pressure portions, the outer surfaces of the fuel tubes can be exposed to the sub-critical pressure coolant, and the supercritical-pressure coolant and the sub-critical pressure coolant cannot be mixed together in the reactor vessel; a plurality of nuclear fuel assemblies disposed in the fuel tubes; a supercritical-pressure water inlet disposed in the reactor vessel for introducing supercritical-pressure water into one of the supercritical-pressure portions; a supercritical-pressure steam outlet disposed in the reactor vessel for extracting supercritical-pressure steam generated in the fuel tubes out of one of the supercritical-pressure portions; a sub-critical pressure coolant inlet disposed in the reactor vessel for introducing sub-critical pressure coolant into the sub-critical pressure portion; a sub-critical pressure coolant outlet disposed in the reactor vessel for extracting sub-critical pressure coolant out of the sub-critical pressure portion; a plurality of control rods which are arranged so that the control rods can be inserted into the sub-critical pressure portion adjacent to the fuel tubes through the shell part; and a control rod drive for driving the control rods from outside of the reactor vessel.