Nuclear reactor having efficient and highly stable carbon-based thermal transfer fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10037824-B2
Application number	US-201414226356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Feb 22, 2006
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWNR) includes a core having a containment shield surrounding a reactor vessel having fuel assemblies that contain fuel rods filled with fuel pellets, and control rods, and a steam generator thermally coupled to the reactor vessel. A flow loop includes the steam generator, a turbine, and a condenser, and a pump for circulating a water-based heat transfer fluid in the loop. The heat transfer fluid includes a plurality of nanoparticles having at least one carbon allotrope or related carbon material dispersed therein, such as diamond nanoparticles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressurized water nuclear reactor, comprising:
a containment shield surrounding a reactor vessel in which a core having fuel assemblies that contain control rods and fuel rods filled with fuel pellets is disposed;
a steam generator thermally coupled to said reactor vessel via a primary flow loop; and
a pump for circulating a water-based heat transfer fluid through said core and said steam generator via said primary flow loop, where said water-based heat transfer fluid comprises a plurality of nanoparticles comprising at least one of pyrolytic carbon, carbon black, adamantanes, lonsdaleite, or amorphous carbon dispersed therein.

2. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles are functionalized.

3. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles are primarily colloidal.

4. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 0.5 nm to 200 nanometers.

5. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 1 nm to 100 nm.

6. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 40 nm to 100 nm.

7. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of said plurality of nanoparticles in said water-based heat transfer fluid is in a range from 0.0001 to 10 volume percent of said water-based heat transfer fluid.

8. The pressurized water nuclear reactor of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of said plurality of nanoparticles in said water-based heat transfer fluid is in a range from 0.1 to 3 volume percent of said water-based heat transfer fluid.

9. A nuclear reactor, comprising:
a containment structure surrounding a reactor vessel in which a core having fuel assemblies that contain control rods and fuel rods is disposed; and
a pump that circulates heat transfer fluid comprising at least one of pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles through a coolant loop that cools the core of the nuclear reactor.

10. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles are functionalized.

11. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles are primarily colloidal.

12. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 0.5 nm to 200 nanometers.

13. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 1 nm to 100 nm.

14. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles have a mean size that is in a range from 40 nm to 100 nm.

15. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein a concentration of the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles within the heat transfer fluid is in a range from 0.0001 to 10 volume percent of the heat transfer fluid.

16. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein a concentration of the pyrolytic carbon nanoparticles, carbon black nanoparticles, nanoparticles comprising adamantanes, lonsdaleite nanoparticles, or amorphous carbon nanoparticles within the heat transfer fluid is in a range from 0.1 to 3 volume percent of the heat transfer fluid.

17. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , wherein the coolant loop is contained within the containment structure.

18. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 , further comprising a steam generator, wherein at least a portion of the coolant loop passes through the steam generator.

19. The nuclear reactor of claim 18 , wherein a secondary flow loop connected to the steam generator is at least partially external to the containment structure.

20. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 , further comprising:
a steam generator within the containment structure;
a turbine external to the containment structure;
a condenser external to the containment structure; and
wherein a secondary pump circulates a water-based heat transfer fluid through the steam generator, the turbine, and the condenser.

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

• Baney Ronald H
• Tulenko James S
• Powers Kevin W

Classifications

• G21C15/28 Primary

  Selection of specific coolants (if serving as the moderator G21C5/12; compositions per se C09K5/00; {organic coolants G21C5/123}); {Additions to the reactor coolants, e.g. against moderator corrosion (purification and regeneration of the reactor coolants G21C19/30)} · CPC title

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title