Patent GB-878180-A (GB)
Title: Nuclear reactor
IPC: G21C3/52
Filed: 1958-11-14
Abstract: 878,180. Nuclear reactors. UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION. Nov. 14, 1958 [Dec. 5, 1957], No. 36664/58. Class 39(4). A fast neutron breeder reactor comprises a core containing molten plutonium-containing fuel confined in a volume defined at least in part by the walls of a plurality of interconnected tubes within the core; means for passing coolant through the tubes to remove heat from the core; and means for controlling the reactivity of the core. The core shown in Fig. 4 comprises a number of tantalum tubes 76 which extend from a support member 38 inside further tubes 83 which are welded to a support member 81 and supported against lateral displacement by a tantalum base plate 79. The space between tubes 83 forms the fuel volume to which liquid fuel, such as a plutonium-iron alloy, may be fed from a pipe 70; the fuel volume communicates with a volume 80 into which fuel may expand and into which anygas evolved may escape, the volume 80 being connected to a fuel reservoir (not shown) by a spiral pipe 71. Above the core is an iron reflector 30 provided with passages 31 through which a coolant passes into the tubes 76 and then up through tubes 83 to the space above the core, and through channel 86 to channel 39. The coolant may be sodium, sodium-potassium, or bismuth. An iron reflector 44 is provided below the core and the core is surrounded by iron reflectors and a breeder blanket of uranium (not shown). A fuel reservoir comprising a cylinder provided with a plunger is arranged inside the reflector assembly. Four control rods are also provided in the reflector assembly, two of them being absorber rods and the other two comprising semi-cylinders of absorbing and reflecting material joined together, these being rotated to alter the reactivity. Additional control may be obtained by moving the entire reflector assembly relative to the core. In another arrangement, Figs. 7 and 8 (not shown), tantalum cooling tubes are arranged in the form of a calandria, the sodium coolant passing through the tubes from bottom to top and the plutonium-iron liquid fuel being disposed in the volume between the tubes. In the reactor shown in Fig. 9 the core comprises a spirally wound tantalum tube containing fuel and connected to fuel reservoirs 166 at the bottom of the containment vessel, the turns of the tube being arranged above each other to form channels through which coolant can flow. Above the core is a reflector assembly movable by rods 181 for control purposes and comprising uranium rods 177 arranged in a cage; a similar movable reflector below the core is supported by the movable portion of a hydraulic piston assembly 167 which may be operated by the coolant or may require a predetermined coolant flow before it will operate. A similar fixed reflector surrounds the core. Coolant flows downwardly through the fixed reflector, then upwardly through the lower reflector, the core, and the upper reflector. Fig. 10 shows the fuel circulating system. The level of fuel in the reservoir 166 can be depressed by sodium under pressure supplied through pipe 188, thus forcing fuel into the core 174 and into a settling tank 194. A fission product scavenging fluid, preferably a calciummagnesium eutectic is pumped by an electromagnetic pump from a reservoir 197 through pipe 201 to circulating pipe 195 where, being lighter than plutonium, it bubbles up thereby circulating the fuel into the settling tank 194 where the fuel settles to the bottom and returns through pipe 193 to the reactor core. The scavenging fluid circulates upwards from the settling tank back to the reservoir 197 removing the fission products, including gaseous fission products which are vented through a gas vent pipe 198. Fig. 14 shows the fuel handling system for the reactor shown in Fig. 4. The fuel reservoir comprises a vertical tube 26 in which a plunger may be operated to force fuel from the reservoir into the reactor. The reservoir is connected to a fuel transfer chamber 253 which has two transfer gas lock valves 254, one between the chamber and the reservoir and the other between the chamber and a dry box. In operation the plunger is moved to a position above the level of the fuel transfer chamber and the first lock valve is closed. A transfer mechanism 256 in the dry box moves small solid pieces of fuel to the horizontal transfer mechanism 257. The second lock valve is then closed and the first valve opened, and the transfer mechanism 257 moves the fuel into the reservoir 26. A cover gas such as argon is introduced into the fuel system through pipe 261 and exhausts through pipe 262 taking with it any gaseous fission products. The fuel may comprise 9.5% atomic iron, or 7.93 go atomic iron, or 10% atomic cobalt, or 12.5% atomic nickel, or 85 % atomic magnesium. Specifications 860,161 and 871,314 are referred to.