Sliding Access Door With Integral Floor Plug For Nuclear Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containment systems for nuclear plants face challenges in providing access due to the size of the opening required and the space constraints within the pressure vessel.
Innovation Solution
A containment system with a pressure vessel, a working floor, and an access door that slidably moves downward to reveal an access opening, featuring integral floor plugs to maintain a continuous working floor surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a large access opening is provided in the pressure vessel, then access to the containment space is improved, but the structural integrity and sealing capability of the pressure vessel deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The access door is divided into multiple segments including a main door portion and a removable sub-door. The sub-door can be removed independently to create a smaller opening for quick access to equipment, while the main door remains in place to maintain sealing. This segmentation allows the system to provide both easy access and reliable sealing by using only the necessary portion of the door for each operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The access door is designed as a movable component that can transition between different positions (open, closed, partially open). The door is supported by a mechanism that allows it to be moved between a retracted position (providing access) and a sealed position (maintaining pressure vessel integrity). This dynamic capability enables the system to adapt between access and sealing requirements.
2Ease of operation
If a door is provided for access to the containment space, then access capability is improved, but the space requirement within the pressure vessel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sub-door is nested within or adjacent to the main access door structure. When the sub-door is removed, it does not require additional space within the pressure vessel because it is already accounted for in the door assembly geometry. The door mechanism itself is designed to minimize protrusion into the containment space while maintaining full access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The access door mechanism utilizes the vertical dimension by allowing the door to move between a retracted position (flush with or above the working floor level) and a deployed position. This vertical movement eliminates the need for horizontal space consumption within the pressure vessel, as the door can be stored in the vertical space above or below the working floor level.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the working floor is made continuous across the access opening, then structural integrity is improved, but the complexity of providing access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floor plug is integrated with the access door assembly, combining the sealing function and the floor continuity function into a single component. The floor plug forms part of the door structure and moves with it, eliminating the need for separate floor reinforcement elements. This merging reduces overall system complexity while maintaining working floor continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor plug automatically maintains the continuous working floor surface as the door moves between positions. When the door is in the retracted position, the floor plug fills the opening and maintains the floor surface without requiring additional support structures. The system self-maintains structural integrity through the door's own movement and positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed a containment system for a nuclear plant, the containment system comprising a pressure vessel defining a containment space for containing nuclear plant structures, a working floor extending from within the containment space to outside the pressure vessel, an access opening in the pressure vessel for providing access from the working floor outside the pressure vessel to the working floor in the containment space, and an access door provided within the pressure vessel. The access door is configured to slidably move downwardly with respect to the pressure vessel from a closed position in which it closes the access opening to seal the pressure vessel, and an open position in which it reveals the access opening and is received in a door space in the working floor. The access door comprises a first integral floor plug which is configured to plug the door space in the working floor when the access door is in the open position, to provide a substantially continuous working floor surface from outside the pressure vessel to within the containment space.