Patent Number: 051456397
Section: claims

1. A reactor plant comprising: a containment structure defining a wet well, a dry well, and a condenser well, said wet well being in fluid communication with said dry well, said dry well containing a noncondensible gas, said wet well and said condenser well containing condenser coolant during normal operation, said condenser well being vented to an external environment, said wet well and said dry well being in fluid isolation relative to said external environment;  a dual-phase reactor, said reactor having a reactor pressure vessel located within said dry well, said vessel containing a heat-transfer fluid during normal operation, said heat-transfer fluid including heat-transfer liquid and heat-transfer vapor, said vessel having a core for converting heat-transfer liquid to heat-transfer vapor, said reactor having a nominal liquid level;  a turbine;  turbine conduit means for conveying heat-transfer vapor to said turbine from said reactor;  a condenser disposed within said condenser well, said condenser having  pressure relief means for relieving excessive pressure within said reactor vessel by conveying heat-transfer fluid, primarily heat-transfer vapor, from said vessel to said collector plenum in the event of said excessive pressure, said pressure relief means being coupled to said reactor via a relief conduit mating with said reactor above said nominal liquid level and communicating with said distributor plenum through said base; and  condensate return means for conveying heat-transfer liquid from said collector section to said reactor vessel through a condensate return conduit that mates with said reactor at a level below said nominal liquid level, said condensate return conduit communicating with said collector plenum through said base. 2. A reactor plant as recited in claim 1 further comprising a noncondensible gas conduit for transferring noncondensible gases from said collector plenum to said wet well, said noncondensible gas conduit extending through said base into said condenser volume to a level above a maximum level at which said tubes mate with said collector plenum. 3. A reactor plant as recited in claim 1 wherein the cross section of said sidewall has a perimeter and an area, said area being greater than the square of one-fourth of said perimeter.