DISRUPTED CORE CATCHING DEVICE Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear power engineering; water-cooled reactors. SUBSTANCE: vessel bottom heat insulation rests on truss supported by embedded parts in bottom section of reactor cavity. The latter is provided with natural circulation loop formed by cooling pond, downcomer channels, reactor subspace, manhole, sector valve held closed in absence of water in reactor subspace and opened as soon as water is admitted thereto, annular channel, cylindrical channel, side discharge channels held closed in absence of water in cooling pond and opened as soon as water is admitted thereto. Vessel bottom heat insulation has radial spacer ribs whose end surfaces are equivalent relative to bottom section of reactor vessel and relative to reactor vessel they are disposed through its height so that they do not come in contact with its surface under normal operating conditions and in case of minor accident (without damage to core) and come in contact with this surface in the event of core disruptive accident. EFFECT: enhanced safety due to confinement of disrupted core. 2 cl, 8 dwg