Patent Number: 047568739
Section: description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The FIGURE shows a lower pressure vessel 1 and an upper pressure vessel 2, both made of steel and releasably connected to each other. They may be connected by a flange connection 3. A helium cooled high temperature reactor 4 is installed in the lower pressure vessel 1, the core 13 has spherical fuel elements with an upward helium flow. The pressure vessel 1 also contains helium which is under the same pressure as the cooling gas. A cold gas collector space 5 is located under the high temperature reactor 4, while over the reactor a hot gas collector space 6 is provided. All of the other circulation components are housed in the upper pressure vessel 2. The two pressure vessels 1 and 2 are separated from each other in a gas tight manner by an intermediate flange 21. The flange 21 is designed for full pressure. The circulator components comprise a gas turbine 7, a two-stage compressor exhibiting a low pressure compressor 8 and a high pressure compressor 9. The heat exchange apparatuses including one or more radiators 10, one or more intermediate radiators 11 and a recuperator 12 are arranged in the upper pressure vessel. The gas turbine 7, the low pressure compressor 8 and the high pressure compressor 9 are seated on a shaft 14 coupled to a generator 15. All of these components are supported in dry or magnetic bearings. The generator 15 is located within the pressure vessel 2 in the illustrated embodiment. The generator 15 may alternatively be placed in a separate container set on the pressure vessel 2. Preferably, a high speed generator without preceding topping gear is used. The pressure vessel 2 may be filled with a protective gas, such as helium or nitrogen. As shown by the figure, the gas turbine 7, the radiators 10, the low pressure compressor 8, the intermediate radiators 11 and the high pressure compressor 9 are arranged above each other, in an alignment with the high temperature reactor 4. The recuperator 12 occupies a lateral position, located in the gas between the gas turbine 7 and the radiators 10. It is connected to the outlet of the gas turbine 7 by an approximately horizontal gas line 16. It is connected to the radiators 10, preceding the low pressure compressor 8, by a similar gas line 17. The inlet of the gas turbine 7 is connected to the hot gas collector space 6 by a gas conduit 18. A gas tight connector location is provided in the gas conduit 18 in the form of a slide connection 22. A vertical gas line 20 is connected to the cold gas collector space 5, and to the outlet of the high pressure side of the recuperator 12. Alternatively, the cold gas carrying gas line 20 under the pressure vessel 1 may be eliminated. The cold gas is then conducted directly into the pressure vessel 1 wherein it flows to the cold gas collector space 5 (not shown). In this embodiment at the entry location of the gas line 20 into the pressure vessel 1 by a slide connection is provided. The circulation of the primary gas through the plant is described as follows. The heated helium coming from the reactor core 13 is transported through the hot gas collector space 6 and the gas conduit 18 to the gas turbine 7, expanding therein. Subsequently, it flows through the gas line 16 and on the jacket side, through the recuperator 12, while heating the high pressure cold helium flowing in the bundle tubes. The gas then passes through the gas line 17 to the radiators 10. In the radiators 10 the helium is further cooled and then enters the low pressure compressor 8. Following compression and repeated cooling in the intermediate radiators 11 preceding the high pressure compressor 9, the helium is further compressed in the compressor 9 and is finally returned through the gas line 19 to the recuperator 12. Here it is distributed over the bundle tubes and heated by the low pressure gas. Subsequently, the helium is conducted through the gas line 20 to the cold gas collector space 5 and the circulation begins anew. Decay heat may be removed from an inactive plant by natural convection through the radiators 10. The shutdown and regulation of the installation ae effected by means of absorber rods, which may be displacably arranged in a reflector laterally surrounding the core 13 (not shown).