Patent Number: 047675942
Section: description

SUMMARY OF THE PRIOR ART Referring to FIG. 1A, a liquid sodium reactor is shown enclosed within a containment vessel C and a reactor vessel V. As is common in the art, containment vessel C is closely spaced to reactor vessel V and is capable of containing liquid sodium S in case of a rupture of the reactor vessel V. The components of the reactor can best be understood by tracing the sodium coolant flow path and at the same time describing the component parts. Continuing with FIG. 1A and remembering that the reactor is undergoing normal power operation, core 12 heats passing sodium S and discharges the sodium S into a hot pool 14. Hot pool 14 is confined interior of the reactor by a vessel liner L. It is important to note that vessel liner L only extends partially the full height of the reactor vessel V terminating short of the top of the reactor vessel V at 16. Sodium from hot pool 14 enters into intermediate heat exchanger H and dissipates heat. Heat is dissipated through a secondary sodium circuit schematically labeled 18 which passes typically to a steam generating heat exchanger and then to conventional power generation (both these elements not being shown). After heat exchange and flow induced pressure drop across heat exchanger H, the liquid sodium passes to cold pool 20. Cold pool 20 is at a lower hydrostatic pressure than hot pool 14 because of the pressure drop through the heat exchanger H. Cold pool 20 outflows through fixed shield cylinders 22 to the inlet 24 of main reactor pumps P. Typically main reactor pumps P are of the electromagnetic variety and have low pressure inlet 24 and high pressure outlet 26. Sodium outlet through high pressure outlet 26 passes through pump discharge pipe 28 to the inlet of core 12. This completes the sodium circuit. The reactor cold pool 20 is maintained at a slightly lower pressure (about 4 psi) from the reactor hot pool during normal operation. The necessary reactor control rods enter and are withdrawn to and from a control rod plenum 30. Since the control rods do not constitute a part of this invention, they will not further be discussed. The reader will realize that FIG. lA and its description is an oversimplification of the sodium cooled roactor. In actual practice, the reactor includes two kidney sectioned heat exchangers H and four pumps P. Disposition of the pumps P and heat exchangers H can be understood with respect to FIG. 1B. It will further be understood that the section of FIG. 1A is for purposes of understanding. Observing 1A--1A. Not section lines shown on FIG. 1B. I have indicated where they might be section lines 1A--1A on FIG. 1B, it will be seen that the section is not conventional. Referring to FIG. 1C, the prior art reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system sodium flow loop can be understood. First, and upon occurrence of a casualty involving loss of all normal heat removed paths via the IHX H and the secondary sodium circuit 18 it is assumed that all electrical pump power is lost. Since all electrical power is lost, pumps P will become inoperative. When loss of pump coolant pressure has occurred, control rods from plenum 30 will be fully inserted within core 12. Initially, and for a period of several hours, residual heat within core 12 will cause a primary sodium flow circuit identical to that illustrated in FIG. 1A. However, the natural circulation primary sodium flow rate, with the loss of pressure of pumps P will be 2% or 3% of the normal flow rate. In about two or three hours, a reactor will undergo a thermal transient. It will heat from a normal hot pool temperature of around 875.degree. F. to approximately 1000.degree. F. in both the hot pool and the cold pool. This heating occurs because even with the control rods fully inserted as residual heat from the atomic reaction needs to be dissipated from core 12. The fluid circuit of FIG. 1A without the pumps operational is marginal for the required dissipation of the reactor residual heat in the long term. As the sodium temperature increases, the sodium expands. It expands from the relatively low level illustrated in FIG. 1A to the relatively high level illustrated in FIG. 1C. In fact, the sodium level expands upwardly and over top wall 16 of reactor vessel liner L. It is at this point that a new (but prior art) flow circuit providing the necessary dissipation of heat is provided. Referring to FIG. 1C, flow occurs from reactor cold pool 20 through pump inlet manifold 24 through pump P to outlet manifold 26 and pump discharge pipe 28. The sodium passes through core 12 into hot pool 14. At hot pool 14, some sodium will flow through intermediate heat exchanger H. The large measure of sodium flow will occur over the top of vessel liner L at 16 and into the vessel liner flow gap G. Remembering that vessel flow liner gap G extends entirely around the periphery of the reactor vessel V, it can be seen that hot sodium is provided with an improved heat discharge path. As the exterior of the containment vessel C is continually cooled with passing air, it will be understood that the prior art flow circuit of FIG. 1C provides the necessary improved dissipation of residual heat from the shutdown reactor. In the nuclear industry, there remains a constant search for improved safety margins. It is necessary in the understanding of my invention to review the safety considerations of the prior art reactor circuit just set forth. It will be realized that the flow circuit illustrated in FIG. 1C is volume dependent on the amount of sodium contained within the reactor vessel V. If the volume is less than that illustrated in FIG. 1A, the reactor will be required to undergo a greater heatup transient to provide for the necessary expansion of the sodium S to achieve the required liner overflow. The interior of the reactor vessel V is an extremely hostile environment. Sodium level gauges have been and are now always suspect in their operation. In an volume dependent sodium system, the malfunction of a level gauge could well lead to the reactor undergoing higher temperature transients than those transients originally intended to cause the flow circuit of FIG. 1C. Further, and assuming that there is a rupture in the vessel V to the containment vessel C, the level of the sodium would drop and the flow circuit of FIG. 1C would not be established without a greater temperature transient, if establishment occurred at all. Simply stated, the flow circuit of FIG. 1C has demonstrable disadvantages known to those skilled in the art. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 2A, the improvement of my invention is illustrated. Simply stated, I installed across reactor vessel liner L, a jet pump 40. Jet pump 40 has an inlet 42 at the reactor vessel liner flow gap G, a venturi 44 and an outlet 46. Outlet 46 is typically within, parallel to, and well below the surface of the sodium pool to provide surging of the liquid sodium at the top of the pool during normal reactor operation. Jet pump 40 is powered during normal reactor operation through a high pressure sodium line 48. Sodium line 48 has an inlet 49 at the high pressure plenum 26 of pump P and a high velocity outlet 50 into the venturi 44. With a flow of pumping fluid from the high pressure plenum 26 into the venturi 44, jet pump 40 will entrain a flow of fluid. This flow of fluid will be from the cold pool through the reactor vessel liner flow gap G into the hot pool 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, together with the flow across the intermediate heat exchanger H, the jet pump 40 of FIG. 2A will assist in establishing the required pressure differential between the cold pool in reactor vessel liner flow gap G and the hot pool 14. It will be understood that in FIG. 2A, I only illustrate one jet pump 40. In actual practice I currently contemplate eight such jet pumps 40 with two such pumps being communicated to each pump P. It will be understood that the number of pumps 40 and their placement will constitute an optimization process which will be dependent upon the flow thermodynamics of any particular sodium reactor. Referring to FIG. 2B, the operation of my pump 40 upon loss of high pressure within pump P high pressure plenum 26 can be readily understood. As indicated earlier loss of high pressure within pump P would occur following loss of the normal heat removal paths and rapid activation of the overflow path is required. First, jet pump 40 will no longer function. Second, liquid sodium from reactor hot pool 14 will immediately backflow through jet pump outlet 46 into the reactor vessel liner flow gap G at jet pump inlet 42 In short, jet pump 40 will operate as a nonmechanical check valve allowing the immediate establishment of a flow circuit from the reactor vessel hot pool 14 into the reactor vessel liner flow gap G. ADVANTAGES The reader will understand that by the establishment of an immediate flow circuit from the reactor hot pool to the reactor vessel liner flow gap G that an a headup transient of the reactor for the required sodium expansion is no longer necessary. Instead, and upon pump P shutdown, the supplementary cooling circuit is immediately established. Thus, my invention constitutes an improved reactor design. This improved design includes not having to depend on the heatup transient necessary for activating the cooling circuit of the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1C. Additionally, my cooling circuit is no longer as volume dependent upon the level of liquid sodium S required in a reactor. So long as the sodium level is above the outlet 46 of jet pump 40, my system is functional. The advantage of this can be understood especially where rupture of the reactor vessel occurs and overflow to the containment vessel is present. Where such overflow occurs, there will be a drop in the level of sodium S. This drop in the level of sodium S will not affect the operation of my cooling circuit nor its immediate establishment. Further, the cooling circuit of my invention is less dependent upon the accuracy of sodium level gauges in the internal of reactor vessel V. There is a price for the safety feature of my system. It will be understood that I dilute reactor hot pool 14 by small direct flow from the reactor vessel cold pool through the vessel liner flow gap G. Additionally, I use energy of pump P for my jet pumps 40. Accordingly, the pumps and heat exchangers must be expanded in size to accommodate an approximate 15% increase in overall system flow rate. Further, the hot pool temperature will decline. However, the overall output of the reactor will remain substantially unchanged. By way of example, in a 400 megawatt reactor approximately 4 megawatts will be utilized in pumping. According to the prior art embodiment of FIG. 1C, the safety circuit of my invention will require 4.6 megawatts for the required pumping. It is submitted that these required changes in heat exchanger and pump capacity are more than compensated by the improved safety set forth.