Patent Number: 040000389
Section: summary

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a nuclear power station having a reactor arranged in natural rock or bedrock, with machine groups formed with the use of turbines, compressors, generators or other apparatus, with gas conduits and with a safety chamber for delimiting the machine groups relatively to the atmosphere. A nuclear power station of this kind is known from the periodical "Nuclear News," May 1971, Pages 36 to 39. Above a reactor buried in rock there is arranged a safety chamber constructed in an underground pit, in which the machine groups and gas conduits required for converting the thermal energy from the reactor into electrical energy are placed and which delimits the machine groups and gas conduits relatively to the atmosphere. The periodical also draws attention to the possibility of constructing the safety chamber as a cave in the rock. This known nuclear power station does not in fact disturb the appearance of the landscape and may be sufficiently protected from the environment and also from damaging the environment but the individual machine groups are set up in a single large safety chamber. The outlay involved as regards work makes it necessary to limit the construction of the machine groups. It is felt necessary because of lack of space to make various compromises at the expense of the optimum design or layout for the machine groups. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has as its object to provide a nuclear power station arrangement wherein the builder can design the machine groups with greater freedom of choice. This object is achieved in a nuclear power station of the type initially described according to the invention in that the individual machine groups and the gas conduits are arranged in rooms which are hollowed out in the rock, for supporting and receiving these, that at least one tunnel hollowed out in the rock leads from the atmosphere to each machine group, and that the safety chamber is formed by a tunnel chamber which is situated adjacent the machine group and is secludable from the atmosphere. It is advantageous if each tunnel has a cross-section which is sufficient to allow the transport of each machine group to which it leads. In this way a nuclear power station is obtained which is integrated in natural rock. The rock takes over the task of receiving and supporting the machine groups. The large safety chamber is substantially dispensed with. It is simply necessary to hollow out the appropriate rooms from the rock and the tunnels. This means a considerable saving in costs. The safety chamber has also been reduced to small tunnel chambers or compartments which adjoin the individual machine groups and can be closed off relative to the atmosphere. When designing the machine groups the designer is given much greater freedom of choice. The machine groups are also shielded from one another in a more satisfactory manner. The nuclear power station is completely safe as regards to influences from the environment. It also meets the requirements regarding safety in its possible effects on the environment in a more satisfactory manner.