Passive containment air cooling for nuclear power plants

摘要

A passive containment air cooling system for a nuclear power plant that enhances air flow over a metal containment that houses the reactor system to improve heat transfer out of the containment. The heat transfer is improved by employing swirl vanes to mix the air as it rises over the walls of the containment due to natural circulation and a vortex engine proximate an exit along the cooling air path to increase the quantity of air drawn along the containment.

主权项

1. A nuclear reactor containment comprising:
a solid metal shell having sides and a cover, sized to surround at least a portion of a primary coolant loop of a nuclear reactor system, the solid metal shell having an exterior surface; an outer housing having sides and a roof, substantially surrounding and spaced from the solid metal shell forming an annular passage around the exterior surface of the sides of the solid metal shell that communicates with a passage between the cover and the roof; a fluid intake communicating between the outside of the outer housing and a lower portion of the annular passage; a fluid exit extending through a portion of the roof; a water reservoir positioned over the cover of the solid metal shell and configured to drain water over the cover under selected accident conditions, the water reservoir being sized to drain water over the solid metal shell for a preselected period of time; and a swirl vane assembly supported in the annular passage between an interior side of the sides of the housing and the exterior surface of the sides of the solid metal shell, the swirl vane assembly being configured to impart sufficient motion to a fluid traversing the annular passage to cool the solid metal after the preselected time to a degree that will maintain the primary coolant loop of the nuclear reactor system in a stable condition.