Patent Number: 047599014
Section: abstract

A nuclear reactor installation located in the cavity of a pressure vessel comprises a nuclear reactor with a core traversed from top to bottom by a cooling gas, a plurality of main loops consisting of heat exchangers and blowers, together with auxiliary loops for the removal of decay heat. According to the invention, the auxiliary loops contain no heat exchangers but a bundle of heat pipes independent of each other, the heat absorbing part of which is arranged in the pressure vessel cavity. As a heat sink, an external cooling water loop is provided for each bundle of heat pipes in which water is circulated. The cooling water is recooled in a cooling tower. In a preferred embodiment the heat transferring part of the heat pipes of each bundle terminates in an external water reservoir to which the cooling water loop is connected. For a certain period of time, in case of a sufficient volume of water, the decay heat may be removed only by evaporation from the water reservoir.