Fast breeder reactor with liquid metal cooling

摘要

Fast breeder reactor cooled by liquid metal, in which a reactor vessel 17 is placed in a main enclosure 12 with interposition of a retaining vessel 15 and a reactor core 19 placed in the reactor vessel is connected to one or more intermediate heat exchangers 23 by one or more main circulation pumps 29 for circulating a coolant liquid 32 such as liquid sodium, the core being connected indirectly by these pieces of equipment to one or more steam generators. One of the main pieces of equipment of the primary cooling circuit, or a combined unit of this equipment or a group of the latter is placed in a gap 22 between the reactor vessel and the retaining vessel. A packing 37 is placed in this gap so that coolant fluid which escapes unforeseeably into this gap can be substantially contained therein.