A power conversion system for converting thermal energy from a heat source to electricity is provided. The system includes a chamber including an inner shroud having an inlet and an outlet and defining an internal passageway between the inlet and the outlet through which a working fluid passes. The chamber also includes an outer shroud substantially surrounding the inner shroud. The chamber includes a source heat exchanger disposed in the internal passageway, the source heat exchanger being configured to receive a heat transmitting element associated with the heat source external to the chamber, and to transfer heat energy from the heat transmitting element to the working fluid. The system also includes a compressor disposed adjacent the inlet of the inner shroud and configured to transfer energy from the compressor to the working fluid, and an expander disposed adjacent the outlet of the inner shroud.

A nuclear reactor includes a reactor container, a reactor core, a control drum assembly, a hot channel, a heat exchanger and a main pump. The reactor container contains a coolant; the reactor core is arranged at a lower middle part of the reactor container; the control drum assembly is arranged on an outer periphery of the reactor core, and includes control drums arranged at intervals along a peripheral direction of the reactor core; the hot channel is arranged in the reactor container and located above the reactor core. The hot channel has a bottom hermetically connected to the control drum assembly and a top hermetically connected to an inner top surface of the reactor container. The hot channel has a hot pool passage for the coolant to pass through. The heat exchanger is arranged in the reactor container and located on an outer periphery of the hot channel.

Combined cleanup and heat sink systems work with nuclear reactor coolant loops. Combined systems may join hotter and colder sections of the coolant loops in parallel with any steam generator or other extractor and provide optional heat removal between the same. Combined systems also remove impurities or debris from a fluid coolant without significant heat loss from the coolant. A cooler in the combined system may increase in capacity or be augmented in number to move between purifying cooling and major heat removal from the coolant, potentially as an emergency cooler. The cooler may be joined to the hotter and colder sections through valved flow paths depending on desired functionality. Sections of the coolant loops may be fully above the cooler, which may be above the reactor, to drive flow by gravity and enhance isolation of sections of the coolant loop.

A nuclear steam supply system utilizing gravity-driven natural circulation for primary coolant flow through a fluidly interconnected reactor vessel and a steam generating vessel. In one embodiment, the steam generating vessel includes a plurality of vertically stacked heat exchangers operable to convert a secondary coolant from a saturated liquid to superheated steam by utilizing heat gained by the primary coolant from a nuclear fuel core in the reactor vessel. The secondary coolant may be working fluid associated with a Rankine power cycle turbine-generator set in some embodiments. The steam generating vessel and reactor vessel may each be comprised of vertically elongated shells, which in one embodiment are arranged in lateral adjacent relationship. In one embodiment, the reactor vessel and steam generating vessel are physically discrete self-supporting structures which may be physically located in the same containment vessel.

Disclosed herein is an articulated manipulator capable of moving a tool such as an inspection device, a processing device, or a welding device to a desired position for inspection or repair of a defect portion in a limited place. The articulated manipulator includes a base plate, a movable unit slidably coupled on the base plate, a rotatable unit rotatably coupled on the movable unit, and a rotation unit rotatably coupled to one side of the rotatable unit.

A machine, article, process of using, process of making, products produced thereby and necessary intermediates. Illustratively, there can be a process of producing electrical power, the process comprising: creating neutrons via nuclear reactions, said neutrons carrying neutron kinetic energy; moderating said neutrons to thermal energies to produce moderated neutrons, converting the neutron kinetic energy into heat, and transmitting said heat to a heat exchanger; creating ions via the nuclear reactions, stopping the ions to produce heat, and transmitting to said heat exchanger the heat generated by the stopping of the ions; capturing said moderated neutrons with sulfur atoms to produce heat, and transmitting to said heat exchanger energy released by the capturing of said moderated neutrons; transmitting energy from decaying radioisotopes created by the capturing of said moderated neutrons to said heat exchanger; heat exchanging at least some of each said heat and energy in said heat exchanger by converting water into steam; and generating electrical power with said steam.

A nuclear power system includes a reactor vessel that includes a reactor core mounted, the reactor core including nuclear fuel assemblies configured to generate a nuclear fission reaction; a riser positioned above the reactor core; a primary coolant flow path that extends from a bottom portion of the volume below the reactor core, through the reactor core, within the riser, and through an annulus between the riser and the reactor vessel back to the bottom portion of the volume; a primary coolant that circulates through the primary coolant flow path to receive heat from the nuclear fission reaction and release the received heat to generate electric power in a power generation system fluidly or thermally coupled to the primary coolant flow path; and a control system communicably coupled to the power generation system and configured to control a power output of the nuclear fission reaction independent of any control rod assemblies during the normal operation.

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.

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.

This disclosure describes new high temperature, radiation-resistant, ferritic-martensitic steel compositions. The new steels generally contain 9.0-12.0 wt. % Cr, 0.001-1.0 wt. % Mn, 0.001-2.0 wt. % Mo, 0.001-2.5 wt. % W, and 0.1-0.3 wt. % C, with the balance being primarily Fe. More specifically, steels having from 10.0-12.0 wt. % Cr are considered particularly advantageous. Small amounts of N, Nb, V, Ta, Ti, Zr, and B may or may not also be present, depending on the particular embodiment. Impurities may be present in any embodiment, in particular impurities of less than 0.01 wt. % S, less than 0.04 wt. % P, less than 0.04 wt. % Cu, less than 0.05 wt. % Co, and less than 0.03 wt. % As are contemplated. Examples of these steels exhibit improved fracture toughness and reduced thermal creep and swelling.