Patent Number: 048329045
Section: abstract

The cooling device comprises a heat exchanger (7) immersed in the hot header (4) of the nuclear reactor vessel, a substantially vertical tubular conduit (14) passing through the stepped wall (2) vertically below the exchanger (7), a bell (16) fixed under the exchanger (7) in the extension of its lower part and a mechanism for compressing inert gas and relieving pressure in the internal space of the bell (16). The inert gas compressed in the bell (16) enables the liquid metal in the hot header (4) to be completely separated from the liquid metal in the cold header (5). When the pressure in the bell (16) is relieved, the outlets (10) for the cooled liquid metal in the exchanger (7) are brought into communication with the cold header (5) through the bell (16) and the conduit (14).