Patent Number: 039909417
Section: claims

1. A nuclear reactor pressure vessel installation comprising a vertical reactor pressure vessel made of metal, a concrete wall surrounding said vessel and forming an annular spaced therearound, steel beams vertically positioned in said space so as to form therebetween vertically extending coolant flow passages, and means for flowing coolant through said passages; said beams having webs and inner and outer flanges and being positioned close together with their said inner flanges substantially edge-to-edge to form a substantially circumferentially continuous inner steel wall facing said vessel. 2. The installation of claim 1 in which a pressure-resistant layer is interposed between and in pressure-transmitting relation with said inner steel wall and said vessel, and said outer flanges are in pressure-transmitting relation with said concrete wall. 3. The installation of claim 2 in which a metal skin is interposed between said steel wall and said layer. 4. The installation of claim 3 in which to form said means, an annular manifold connects with the bottoms of said passages and means are provided for supplying a coolant to said manifold.