Patent Number: 050283839
Section: description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings, in particular FIG. 1, a typical water cooled, steam producing nuclear fission reactor plant 10 comprises a containment structure 12 for enclosing and sealing in radiation and radioactive materials from the outer environment. Enclosed within the safety containment 12 is the reactor pressure vessel 14 containing the core of heat producing fissionable fuel and water coolant which comprises the source of steam for turbine operation. Steam pipe 16 conducts the generated steam to its location of use, such as a turbine, and condensate water return pipe 18 recycles the condensed steam back to the reactor as coolant water for reuse. The steam depressurization valve 20 for depressurizing the steam from within the reactor system is arranged in fluid communication with the interior of the steam generating and containing components, including the pressure vessel 14 and the circuit comprising steam pipe 16 and condensate return pipe 18. For instance, the pressure relief valve 20 typically is located at a place within the system intermediate along the length of steam supply pipe 16 whereby it can be used to vent and depressurize all pressurized components of the coolant water/steam/condensate generating and circulating circuit. Steam depressurization valve 20, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, comprises a valve body 22 having a removable cover 24 which together define a valve chamber 26. A partition plate 28, typically secured between the valve body 22 and cover 24, divides the valve chamber into a fluid pressure actuation compartment 30 and a steam flow control compartment 32. Valve body 22 is provided with an inlet connection 34 and outlet connection 36 for respectively connecting to a piping system inlet and outlet. The inlet 34 of the valve 20 is connected in fluid communication with the reactor pressurized system, such as steam pipe 16. Valve 20 outlet connection 36 is connected in fluid communication with a vent discharge pipe 38 which carries off pressurized steam and/or water to an apt disposal location such as a steam suppression pool 40 for cooling and condensing steam and/or hot water, thereby relieving pressure within the system. Steam depressurization valve 20 is provided with a fluid duct 42 in fluid communication with its fluid pressure actuation compartment 30 and connected with a source of fluid pressure 44, such as a pressurized container of gas or liquid. Fluid duct 42 is preferably provided with a flow limiting orifice 46 to restrict the pressurized fluid flow from source 44 into the fluid pressure actuation compartment 30. Also, fluid duct 42 is provided with an exhaust system, depicted as exhaust valves 48, to reduce the valve actuation fluid pressure by venting the valve actuation fluid. These exhaust valves preferably have a greater flow area than the flow limiting orifice 46, and may be controlled manually or by system signal, and may be operated by any of several sources of energy. Depressurization valve 20 contains a valve seat 50 mounted within the fluid flow control compartment 32. The other end of the cylindrical section of valve seat 50 includes or is machined into a radially projecting lateral flange 52 having a contoured extended valve seating surface 54. Depressurization valve 20 additionally contains a valve sleeve or cylinder 56 which transverses the partition plate 28 and is reciprocally movable within orifice 58 in plate 28. The extent of reciprocal movement of valve cylinder 56 is mechanically restrained so as to retain one terminal end thereof extending into the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 and the other terminal end extending into the steam flow control compartment 32. Valve cylinder 56 is coaxially aligned with valve seat 50 which is mounted in the valve body 22 on the inlet piping connection in the fluid flow control compartment 32. The terminal end of valve cylinder 56 extending into the flow control compartment 32 is closed and can be provided with a radially projecting lateral flange 60 serving as a valve disk and having a contoured extended surface 62. The contoured surface 62 of the valve cylinder flange 60 is coaxially aligned and substantially conterminous with surface 54 of the valve seat flange 52 except for a controlled space for a flange gasket 64. Also the contoured flange surfaces 54 and 62 of the valve seat 50 and valve cylinder 56 face each other and the contours of their facing surfaces 54 and 62 are complementary whereby the two contoured surfaces can meet and adjoin in a matching relationship. The contoured surfaces 54 and 62 thus will meet and join to provide a fluid sealing interface therebetween. One or more gaskets or sealing members 64 can be mounted on a contoured flange surface. Reciprocatable valve cylinder 56 is preferably provided with mechanical guide means to inhibit lateral movement and to direct and align its reciprocal movement to and away from contact with the valve seat 50 so that the adjoining flange contoured surfaces 54 and 62 match. Guides 66 can be provided to restrain lateral movement of the end of the reciprocatable valve cylinder 56 within the fluid pressure actuation compartment 30. The guides 66 can be mounted on housing cover 24. A preferred embodiment for guides 66 comprises an outward and upward sloping portion, or bias for controlling the extent of the rise of the valve cylinder 56, and/or providing a frictional grip or hold on the valve cylinder 56 to fix the valve in open position. Pin type guides 68 secured in one flange (52-60) and extending through openings in the other coaxially aligned flange, as shown in FIG. 2, can be provided to restrain lateral movement of the other end of the reciprocatable valve cylinder 56 within the steam flow control compartment 32 and adjacent to the valve seat 50. Additional guides can be placed between the partition plate 28 and cylinder 56. Valve cylinder 56 is preferably also provided with flexible bellows 70 and 72 to insure the sealing of the exterior of valve cylinder 56 from the contents of either the fluid pressure actuating compartment 30 or the fluid flow control compartment 32. Thus, fluid leakage between the fluid pressure actuating compartment 30 and fluid flow control compartment 32 is precluded. Moreover, the bellows can be designed to be sufficiently stiff to lift the valve cylinder 56 without any inlet steam pressure when the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 is depressurized, eliminating any need for springs to hold the valve open at low inlet steam pressure. Preferably a leak-off means shown at 74 is provided in the valve 20, and provides means for indication of such leakage. The leak-off means comprises a small duct 74 such as passing through the partition plate 28 from the area between the valve cylinder 56 and bellows 70 or 72, and extending there from outside the valve housing 22. Thus any leakage from either the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 or the steam flow control compartment 32 through the bellows 70 or 72 will be evident from a discharge out through the leak-off duct 74. This duct 74 serves to prevent pressure buildup between the valve cylinder 56 and the enclosing bellows 70 and 72 resulting from entry of either steam or activation fluid pressure. Operation of the steam depressurization valve 20 of this invention during periods of normal reactor performance simply comprises applying and maintaining fluid pressure to the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 of the valve 20 through fluid duct 42 from the fluid pressure source 44, which is preferably located and controlled from beyond the reactor plant 10 containment housing 12. This fluid pressure applied within the fluid pressure actuation compartment 30 forces and holds down the valve cylinder 56, pressing its flange sealing disk surface 62 into contact and flange closure with its counterpart, the valve seat flange sealing surface 54, thereby closing off valve inlet which is in fluid communication with the nuclear reactor pressure vessel and circulating system via steam pipe 16. Thus, during normal reactor performance, namely acceptable operating steam pressures, the steam depressurization valve 20 is retained in a closed position to maintain the pressurized circulation of heat generated steam and condensed water as energy transferring coolant through the reactor system. However, upon the occurrence of any unacceptable degree of over-pressurization of the reactor circulating system, or to depressurize the system for various reasons such as controlling pressure fed leaks, automatic or manual means, which can be located in a safe area outside the reactor containment 12, activate the safety valve control 48 to terminate the fluid pressure applied to the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 of the valve 20 which was supplied through duct 42 from source 44. This operation can be as simple as opening a valve, such as valve 48, to permit the escape of the pressure imposing fluid and a return to ambient. Upon the release of the pressure within the fluid pressure activation compartment 30 which was holding down valve cylinder 56 and thereby closing off the valve inlet closure 34, 50, 52, 60 and 64, the steam pressure generated within the nuclear reactor pressure vessel 14 and carried through its circulating system comprising the steam pipe 16 and condensate water return pipe 18, or the resiliency of the bellows 70 and 72, will force valve cylinder 56 to withdraw away from the valve seat 50. This withdrawal of valve cylinder 56 separates flange disk surface 62 from flange seat surface 54, opening the steam depressurization valve 20, thereby venting the reactor pressure vessel 14 and its entire circulating piping system. Thus any hazardous over-pressurization is relieved and the integrity and safety of the overall system or plant is maintained. Moreover, the steam depressurization valve 20 is effective for releasing normal pressure within the system to terminate leakage of radioactive coolant from the pressurized system. Since the vented steam and/or water is likely to entrain some radioactive material, the vented fluid is conveyed from the outlet connection 36 of the valve 20 to a suitable location within the confines of the safety containment housing 12, such as a suppression pool 40. The radioactive contaminated steam and/or hot water is thus condensed and cooled by the water or other coolant of the pool enclosed inside the containment housing 12, whereas the valve 20 operating means is outside the containment housing 12. The unique depressurization valve 20 and its mode of operating of this invention provide for the valve to remain in an open, or steam pressure venting position, throughout receding pressures of depressurization down to substantially ambient gage pressure without the need to maintain any of its actuation means in an energized state.