Simplified Boiling Water Reactor Layout for Coolant Loss Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactors (ESBWRs) face challenges with high construction costs, large reactor volumes, and the risk of coolant leakage due to extensive piping and passive safety systems, limiting their modularity and flexibility for immediate or peaking power generation.
Innovation Solution
A compact, simplified nuclear reactor design with a smaller containment structure, integrated isolation valves, and external coolant sources, positioned underground with seismic shielding, to reduce the risk of coolant leakage and enhance operational flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If extensive piping and passive safety systems are used in large-scale ESBWRs, then safety and cooling capability are improved, but construction cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes extensive piping and complex passive safety systems from the reactor design, retaining only essential cooling functions. The simplified containment structure eliminates unnecessary safety components while maintaining core safety through natural circulation cooling, directly resolving the contradiction between safety and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor utilizes natural circulation for cooling without requiring complex active safety systems or extensive piping. The design allows the system to self-regulate through natural convection currents, reducing device complexity while maintaining safety through passive thermal management
2Power
If large reactor volumes are used to produce several thousand megawatts, then power output is improved, but modularity and flexibility for immediate or peaking power generation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables modular reactor units that can be deployed independently or combined, allowing flexible power generation capacity. Each module maintains full safety and cooling functions, enabling immediate or peaking power generation while preserving adaptability through scalable configuration
3Reliability
If conventional ESBWR designs with extensive safety systems are used, then cooling capability is improved, but construction cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary safety systems and extensive piping from conventional ESBWR designs, retaining only the essential natural circulation cooling function. This reduction eliminates complex manufacturing requirements and reduces construction costs while maintaining adequate cooling capability through simplified passive cooling
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 design minimizes the risk of coolant loss, reduces construction complexity, and allows for flexible and responsive power generation, while maintaining natural circulation and passive safety features, thus addressing the limitations of conventional ESBWRs.
Implementation Method 1
Reactor 42 is conventionally capable of producing and approved to produce several thousand megawatts of thermal energy through nuclear fission
Implementation Method 2
Very simplified boiling water reactors for commercial electricity generation
Implementation Method 3
Transform Mechanical Energy to Electrical Energy
Implementation Method 4
Suppression pool 59 may include an emergency steam vent used to divert steam from a main steam line into suppression pool 59 for condensation and heat sinking
Data Source
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AI summary
Nuclear reactors have very few systems for significantly reduced failure possibilities. Nuclear reactors may be boiling water reactors with natural circulation-enabling heights and smaller, flexible energy outputs in the 0-350 megawatt-electric range. Reactors are fully surrounded by an impermeable, high-pressure containment. No coolant pools, heat sinks, active pumps, or other emergency fluid sources may be present inside containment; emergency cooling, like isolation condenser systems, are outside containment. Isolation valves integral with the reactor pressure vessel provide working and emergency fluid through containment to the reactor. Isolation valves are one-piece, welded, or otherwise integral with reactors and fluid conduits having ASME-compliance to eliminate risk of shear failure. Containment may be completely underground and seismically insulated to minimize footprint and above-ground target area.