Patent Number: 039765415
Section: claims

1. In combination with a nuclear reactor cooled by a primary coolant which is circulated in an out-of-contact heat exchange relationship with a secondary coolant in a steam generator having primary and secondary sides and in combination with a secondary coolant system including said steam generator, a turbine, a condenser, and a condensate pump, the improvement comprising: a. a condensate demineralizer downstream of said condenser for demineralizing said secondary coolant;  b. a bypass line straddling said condensate demineralizer; and  c. means in said secondary coolant system for diverting a portion of said secondary coolant around said condensate demineralizer.  a. means for the detection of the level of radioactivity of said secondary coolant; and  b. means for actuating said secondary coolant diverting means when said detection means indicates a level of radioactivity of said secondary coolant which exceeds a predetermined level.  a. means providing fluid communication between said secondary side of said steam generator and said secondary coolant system upstream of said condensate demineralizer for blowing down the secondary side of said steam generator.  a. means for the detection of radioactivity of said secondary coolant; and  b. means for actuating said secondary coolant diverting means when said detection means indicates a level of radioactivity of said secondary coolant which exceeds a predetermined level.  a. a blowdown demineralizer connected in a flow path parallel to said blowdown means; and  b. means in said secondary coolant system for diverting to said demineralizer the blowdown coolant flow passing through said blowdown means.  a. means for the detection of the level of radioactivity of said secondary coolant; and  b. means for actuating said secondary coolant diverting means and said blowdown diverting means when said detection means indicates a level of radioactivity of said secondary coolant which exceeds a predetermined level.  a. means for injecting volatile chemicals into said secondary coolant for chemistry control of said secondary coolant.  a. heat exchange means in said blowdown means for cooling the blowdown coolant flow.  a. heat exchange means upstream of said blowdown demineralizer for cooling said blowdown coolant flow prior to its delivery to said blowdown demineralizer;  b. a spur conduit connecting said blowdown means and said flow path parallel to said blowdown means, one end of which being made intermediate said heat exchange means and said blowdown demineralizer;  c. flow regulation means operatively connected to said spur conduit and said flow path parallel to said blowdown means for selectively diverting a portion of the flow to said heat exchange means from said spur conduit to said blowdown demineralizer; and  d. temperature sensing control means responsive to the temperature of the blowdown coolant flow exiting from said heat exchange means and operatively connected to said flow regulation means for selectively passing said blowdown coolant flow through said spur conduit or through said blowdown demineralizer.  a. demineralizing the secondary coolant; and  b. diverting said coolant around the demineralizer when said coolant becomes radioactive.  a. continuously blowing down the secondary side of said steam generator; and  b. demineralizing the blowdown coolant extracted from said steam generator before returning said blowdown coolant to said steam generator.  a. monitoring the radioactivity of said secondary coolant;  b. demineralizing said blowdown coolant in an auxiliary demineralizer when said secondary coolant is radioactive; and  c. bypassing said auxiliary demineralizer when said secondary coolant is not radioactive.  a. cooling said blowdown coolant upstream of said auxiliary demineralizer when said coolant is being passed to said demineralizer  b. monitoring the temperature of said cooled blowdown coolant; and  c. diverting said cooled coolant around said auxiliary demineralizer when the temperature of said blowdown coolant is incompatible with said auxiliary demineralizer and diverting said cooled coolant to said auxiliary demineralizer when the temperature of said blowdown coolant is compatible with said auxiliary demineralizer. 2. The improvement as recited in claim 1 further including: 3. The improvement as recited in claim 1 further including: 4. The improvement as recited in claim 3 further including: 5. Improvement as recited in claim 3 further including: 6. The improvement as recited in claim 5 further including: 7. The improvement as recited in claim 1 further including: 8. The improvement as recited in claim 3 further including: 9. Improvement as recited in claim 5 further including: 10. The method of operating a secondary coolant system of a nuclear steam supply system which includes a steam generator with primary and secondary sides, a turbine, a condenser, a condensate pump, and a means for demineralizing said coolant, the method comprising the steps of: 11. The method as recited in claim 10 further including the steps of: 12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said step of demineralizing said blowdown coolant includes the steps of: 13. The method as recited in claim 12 further including the steps of: