Containment Vessel Drain System With Gas Pressure And Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nuclear reactor containment vessels face challenges in efficiently draining liquids while maintaining operational integrity and minimizing downtime for maintenance or refueling, especially in wet environments, where exposure to water or radiation is a concern.
Innovation Solution
A system for draining a containment vessel that includes a drain inlet below the liquid surface, a pressurized gas inlet to lower the liquid surface, and a fluid separation device outside the vessel to separate liquids from gases, with a fluid level control mechanism to maintain constant liquid volume and acoustic damping to mitigate noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a drain inlet is located below the liquid surface in a containment vessel, then liquid can be drained efficiently, but pressurized gas must be used to force liquid into the drain which complicates the system and creates noise
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the drainage function into two distinct components: a drain inlet positioned below the liquid surface for efficient liquid removal, and a fluid separation device that handles the pressurized gas. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid separation device acts as an intermediary between the containment vessel and the environment. It receives both liquid and pressurized gas from the drain inlet, separates them, and directs them through appropriate pathways. This intermediary component manages the complexity by centralizing the handling of mixed phases.
2Productivity
If pressurized gas is used to force liquid into the drain inlet, then liquid removal is accelerated, but noise is generated that requires acoustic damping
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid separation device extracts and separates the pressurized gas from the liquid stream. By removing the gas phase and directing it through a dedicated pathway with acoustic damping, the noise-generating elements are isolated from the main drainage function, allowing high-speed liquid removal without excessive noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressurized gas, which could be considered harmful due to noise generation, is converted into a beneficial force that accelerates liquid removal. The system harnesses the gas pressure to drive liquid through the drain inlet, then separately manages the noise issue through acoustic damping in the gas pathway.
3Reliability
If the containment vessel is drained during maintenance operations, then operational safety is improved, but downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drain inlet is pre-positioned below the liquid surface level, ready for immediate operation. The fluid separation device is pre-configured with appropriate pathways for both liquid and gas. This preliminary preparation allows drainage operations to begin immediately when needed, minimizing downtime while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to be dynamically adaptable to different operational states. The drain inlet and fluid separation device can be activated or deactivated based on operational requirements, allowing the containment vessel to transition quickly between filled and drained states as needed for maintenance or power generation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and controlled liquid removal from containment vessels without exposing the reactor to harmful conditions, reducing downtime and ensuring operational safety during maintenance or refueling operations.
Implementation Method 1
an inlet located in an upper portion of the containment vessel, wherein the inlet is configured to insert pressurized gas into the containment vessel to form a pressurized region above the surface of the liquid, and wherein the pressurized region is configured to apply a surface pressure that lowers the surface of the liquid within the containment vessel and forces the liquid into the drain inlet
Implementation Method 2
a fluid separation device located outside the containment vessel and operatively connected to the drain inlet, wherein the fluid separation device is configured to separate the liquid from the pressurized gas that enters the drain inlet
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for draining a containment vessel may include a drain inlet located in a lower portion of the containment vessel. The containment vessel may be at least partially filled with a liquid, and the drain inlet may be located below a surface of the liquid. The system may further comprise an inlet located in an upper portion of the containment vessel. The inlet may be configured to insert pressurized gas into the containment vessel to form a pressurized region above the surface of the liquid, and the pressurized region may operate to apply a surface pressure that forces the liquid into the drain inlet. Additionally, a fluid separation device may be operatively connected to the drain inlet. The fluid separation device may be configured to separate the liquid from the pressurized gas that enters the drain inlet after the surface of the liquid falls below the drain inlet.