External Reactor Vessel Cooling and Power Generation System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current external reactor vessel cooling systems in nuclear power plants face challenges such as delayed heat removal, reduced efficiency due to critical heat flux phenomena, and high operational failure probabilities during accidents, particularly due to reliance on operator action and complex instrumentation.
Innovation Solution
An external reactor vessel cooling and electric power generation system that includes a reactor vessel, an external cooling section, a small turbine and generator for power production, a condensation heat exchange section, and a condensed water storage system, allowing continuous operation during both normal and accident conditions to produce emergency power and enhance safety and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If an external reactor vessel cooling system is implemented, then heat removal capability is improved, but system complexity and operational failure probability increase due to reliance on operator action and complex instrumentation
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is designed to automatically activate during accidents without operator intervention. The system uses passive safety mechanisms where the cooling function is inherent to the system design, eliminating the need for complex control instrumentation and operator actions while maintaining effective heat removal capability
Solution Approach 2:
The complex control systems, instrumentation, and operator dependency are extracted from the cooling system. The invention separates the essential cooling function from the complex control mechanisms, resulting in a simpler system that achieves heat removal through passive physical principles rather than active control
2Use of energy by moving object
If passive safety systems are used to eliminate active components, then power requirements are reduced, but operator action allowance time is extended to 72 hours requiring large battery capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system maintains continuous heat removal capability from the reactor vessel throughout the entire accident scenario, including the extended 72-hour period. This continuous passive cooling action eliminates the need for large battery capacities by providing ongoing safety function without intermittent active power requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The external cooling system serves multiple functions: it provides passive cooling during normal operation, maintains cooling during accidents without operator intervention, and eliminates the need for both large battery systems and complex active control instrumentation, replacing them with a single unified passive safety mechanism
3Productivity
If active components such as pumps are used for cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but emergency AC power source capacity must be large to supply high power requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical pump-based active cooling system with a passive cooling mechanism that utilizes natural convection and heat transfer principles. This substitution eliminates the need for high-power emergency AC sources while maintaining effective cooling efficiency through physics-based passive heat removal
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
The system effectively removes residual heat, reduces operational failure risks, and enhances safety by continuously cooling the reactor vessel and generating emergency power, improving the reliability and economic efficiency of nuclear power plants.
Implementation Method 1
an external reactor vessel cooling section formed to enclose at least part of the reactor vessel so as to cool heat discharged from the reactor vessel
Implementation Method 2
a power production section provided with a small turbine and a small generator to generate electric energy using a fluid which receives heat from the external reactor vessel cooling section
Implementation Method 3
The fluid receiving the heat from the reactor vessel may be circulated
Implementation Method 4
a condensation heat exchange section to perform a heat exchange of the fluid discharged after operating the small turbine, and to condense the fluid, thereby generating condensed water
Data Source
AI summary
An external reactor vessel cooling and electric power generation system according to the present invention includes an external reactor vessel cooling section formed to enclose at least part of a reactor vessel with small-scale facilities so as to cool heat discharged from the reactor vessel, a power production section including a small turbine and a small generator to generate electric energy using a fluid that receives heat from the external reactor vessel cooling section, a condensation heat exchange section 140 to perform a heat exchange of the fluid discharged after operating the small turbine, and condense the fluid to generate condensed water, and a condensed water storage section to collect therein the condensed water generated in the condensation heat exchange section, wherein the fluid is phase-changed into gas by the heat received from the reactor vessel. The external reactor vessel cooling and electric power generation system according to the present invention can continuously operate even during an accident as well as during a normal operation to cool the reactor vessel and produce emergency power, thereby enhancing system reliability. The external reactor vessel cooling and electric power generation system according to the present invention can easily apply safety class or seismic design using small-scale facilities, and its reliability can be improved owing to applying the safety class or seismic design.