In a pressurized water reactor (PWR), emergency core cooling (ECC) responds to depressurization due to a vessel penetration break at the top of the pressure vessel by draining water from a body of water through an injection line into the pressure vessel. A barrier operates concurrently with the ECC to suppress flow of liquid water from the pressure vessel out the vessel penetration break. The barrier may comprise one or more of: (1) an injection line extension passing through the central riser to drain water into the central riser; (2) openings in a lower portion of a central riser to shunt some upward flow from the central riser into a lower portion of the downcomer annulus; and (3) a surge line providing fluid communication between a pressurizer volume at the top of the pressure vessel and the remainder of the pressure vessel which directs water outboard toward the downcomer annulus.

In a pressurized water reactor (PWR), emergency core cooling (ECC) responds to depressurization due to a vessel penetration break at the top of the pressure vessel by draining water from a body of water through an injection line into the pressure vessel. A barrier operates concurrently with the ECC to suppress flow of liquid water from the pressure vessel out the vessel penetration break. The barrier may comprise one or more of: (1) an injection line extension passing through the central riser to drain water into the central riser; (2) openings in a lower portion of a central riser to shunt some upward flow from the central riser into a lower portion of the downcomer annulus; and (3) a surge line providing fluid communication between a pressurizer volume at the top of the pressure vessel and the remainder of the pressure vessel which directs water outboard toward the downcomer annulus.

This invention relates to steam generators, and more particularly to horizontal steam generators for nuclear power plants with a water-water energetic reactor (VVER). We claim a horizontal nuclear power plant steam generator comprising a cylindrical vessel, two elliptical bottoms, at least one feed water supply and steam removal connection pipe, an inlet header and an outlet header, a heat-exchange tube bundle connected to the same, wherein number Ntb of heat-exchange tubes in the bundle is selected depending on outer diameter dtb of the heat exchange tubes according to formulae. The technical result of the invention is an increased heat transfer efficiency in the steam generator with a limited number and maximum length of heat exchange tubes, which allows to use tubes employed in the industry.

A container for transporting a reactor is disclosed. The container includes a loop thermosiphon including a chamber, a heat exchanger fluidically coupled to the chamber, and an actuator including an unactuated state and an actuated state. The actuator is configured to automatically transition to the actuated state. The transition is based on an event occurring within the reactor. A working medium is configured to remove heat from the reactor in the actuated state.

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that include an auxiliary cooling system which shared part of the primary coolant loop but allows for passive cooling of decay heat from the reactor. Furthermore, different pump configurations for circulating molten fuel through the reactor core and one or more in vessel heat exchangers are described.

A standoff supporting a control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) in a nuclear reactor is connected to a distribution plate which provides electrical power and hydraulics. The standoff has connectors that require no action to effectuate the electrical connection to the distribution plate other than placement of the standoff onto the distribution plate. This facilitates replacement of the CRDM. In addition to the connectors, the standoff has alignment features to ensure the CRDM is connected in the correct orientation. After placement, the standoff may be secured to the distribution plate by bolts or other fasteners. The distribution plate may be a single plate that contains the electrical and hydraulic lines and also is strong enough to provide support to the CRDMs or may comprise a stack of two or more plates.

The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger and provides a heat exchanger and a nuclear power plant comprising same, the heat exchanger comprising: a plate unit having multiple plates overlapping one another; a flow path unit, which forms flow paths having fluids flowing therein by processing at least parts of the respective plates; and a detection flow path formed between the multiple plates so as to allow the fluids leaking from the flow paths to flow thereinto and formed so as to detect the leakage of the fluids from the flow paths.

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that utilize neutron-reflecting coolants or a combination of primary salt coolants and secondary neutron-reflecting coolants. Further configurations are described that circulate liquid neutron-reflecting material around an reactor core to control the neutronics of the reactor. Furthermore, configurations which use the circulating neutron-reflecting material to actively cool the containment vessel are also described.

A molten salt reactor comprising a reactor vessel and a molten salt contained within the reactor vessel. There is a corrosion reduction unit configured to process the molten salt to maintain an oxidation reduction ratio, (E(o)/E(r)), in the molten salt at a substantially constant level, wherein E(o) is an element (E) at a higher oxidation state (o) and E(r) is the element (E) at a lower oxidation state (r).

A combined makeup tank and passive residual heat removal system that places a tube and shell heat exchanger within the core makeup tank. An intake to the tube side of the heat exchanger is connected to the hot leg of the reactor core and the outlet of the tube side is connected to the cold leg of the reactor core. The shell side of the heat exchanger is connected to a separate heat sink through a second heat exchanger.