Horizontal Modular Nuclear Reactor Design for Compact Footprint
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Nuclear power plants face high capital costs due to large construction site requirements, necessitating a reduction in reactor size to compete with lower-cost natural gas and renewable energy options, while also needing to adapt to modern safety and security standards.
Innovation Solution
The Modular Integrated Gas High-Temperature Reactor (MIGHTR) design features a horizontal configuration with a multi-piece high-pressure shell system, allowing for axial displacement and modular assembly, reducing the need for overhead cranes and large buildings, and incorporating radiation insulation and coolant gas circulators for efficient coolant gas flow and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional vertical reactor design is used, then structural stability is maintained, but reactor size and construction cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional vertical reactor configuration to a horizontal reactor configuration. This dimensional change allows the reactor to achieve a more compact footprint while maintaining structural stability through the horizontal orientation of the pressure shell and core assembly, directly resolving the contradiction between reducing reactor size and maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor is divided into modular segments including the pressure shell, core assembly, and support structures that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation enables a smaller overall reactor footprint while maintaining structural stability through distributed support points and modular construction, allowing the reactor to be built in sections rather than requiring a single large structure.
2Loss of time
If conventional reactor design is used, then operational reliability is maintained, but construction time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor system is segmented into modular components (pressure shell, core assembly, coolant circulators, thermal transfer assembly) that can be manufactured independently and pre-tested before final assembly. This modular construction approach significantly reduces on-site construction time while maintaining operational reliability through standardized interfaces and quality control procedures applied to each module.
Solution Approach 2:
Modular components are prepared and pre-assembled off-site before being transported to the final installation location. The core assembly, coolant circulators, and thermal transfer components are manufactured and tested in advance, allowing for rapid deployment and reduced construction time on-site while ensuring operational reliability through pre-validation of critical systems.
3Ease of repair
If horizontal configuration is used, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal reactor configuration segments the system into distinct modular units (core assembly, coolant circulators, thermal transfer assembly) that are horizontally arranged to provide accessible service points at ground level. This segmentation improves maintenance accessibility by allowing technicians to reach components from the side rather than requiring overhead access, while the modular nature keeps each component relatively simple and standardized.
Solution Approach 2:
The horizontal orientation of the reactor places maintenance access points at convenient lateral positions rather than requiring vertical overhead access. This dimensional reconfiguration improves ergonomics and maintenance accessibility by positioning critical components at human-level access points, while the overall device complexity is managed through standardized horizontal module designs.
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
This design reduces reactor size by over 20% per kW, lowers construction costs and time, and enhances safety and maintenance accessibility, while adapting to various site conditions and safety requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a second high-pressure shell portion to accommodate a thermal transfer assembly to receive the coolant gas at the second temperature from the reactor core assembly and cool the coolant gas to the first temperature
Implementation Method 2
incorporating radiation insulation and coolant gas circulators for efficient coolant gas flow and maintenance
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods useful for the construction and operation of a Modular Integrated Gas High-Temperature Reactor (MIGHTR). The MIGHTR includes a reactor core assembly disposed at least partially within a core baffle within a first high-pressure shell portion, a thermal transfer assembly disposed at least partially within a flow separation barrel within a second high-pressure shell portion. The longitudinal axes of the first high-pressure shell portion and the second high-pressure shell portion may be collinear. The reactor core assembly may be accessed horizontally for service, maintenance, and refueling. The core baffle may be flexibly displaceably coupled to the flow separation barrel. Coolant gas flows through the reactor core assembly and into the thermal transfer assembly where the temperature of the coolant gas is reduced. A plurality of coolant gas circulators circulate the cooled coolant gas from the thermal transfer assembly to the reactor core assembly.