PASSIVE COOLING SYSTEM OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR Russian patent published in 2022 - IPC G21C15/26 

FIELD: nuclear power industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to nuclear shell-type reactors with natural circulation of a coolant under pressure. The core cooling system contains a reactor vessel with inlet and outlet pipes located in a pool of water, circulation pipelines, a volume compensator and a heat exchanger of the first cooling circuit located above the water level in the pool. The inlet pipe is connected to the pipeline of the coolant cooled in the heat exchanger and is located in the lower part of the reactor vessel, and the outlet pipe is connected to the pipeline of the coolant heated in the reactor and is located in the upper part of the reactor vessel. The sections of pipelines connected to the inlet and outlet pipes are equipped with passive opening valves to reduce pressure in the first circuit, providing a shortened natural circulation circuit. The height difference between the core and the primary circuit heat exchanger is selected from the condition of providing the required pressure. The final heat sink can be the natural environment, and to prevent the release of radioactive substances into the environment, an intermediate heat transfer circuit made in the form of a gravitational heat pipe is used.

EFFECT: providing physical protection of the reactor plant, increasing the reliability of the cooling system by eliminating possible emergencies associated with de-energization of circulation pumps, as well as with the failure of pumps and shut-off valves in the cooling circuit.

4 cl, 5 tbl, 3 dwg