Molten fuel nuclear reactor with neutron reflecting coolant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10867710-B2
Application number	US-201715783895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that utilize neutron-reflecting coolants or a combination of primary salt coolants and secondary neutron-reflecting coolants. Further configurations are described that circulate liquid neutron-reflecting material around a reactor core to control the neutronics of the reactor. Furthermore, configurations which use the circulating neutron-reflecting material to actively cool the containment vessel are also described. A further configuration is described that utilizes a core barrel between a reactor core volume of molten fuel salt and a reflector volume, in which the reflector volume contains a plurality of individual reflector elements separated by an interstitial space filled with molten fuel salt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nuclear reactor comprising:
a nuclear reactor core volume configured to hold molten fuel salt during a sustained nuclear fission reaction;
a neutron reflector assembly of a plurality of reflector elements separated by an interstitial space within a reflector volume surrounding the nuclear reactor core volume, the interstitial space configured to hold molten fuel salt;
a fixed core barrel between the nuclear reactor core volume and the neutron reflector assembly; and
the neutron reflector assembly being further configured to adjust fast neutron flux and thermal neutron flux within the nuclear reactor core volume by altering reflectivity characteristics of reflector material in the reflector elements;
wherein each reflector element is a reflector tube containing at least some neutron reflecting material and the interstitial space is separated from the nuclear reactor core by the fixed core barrel; and
wherein the fixed core barrel is arranged to allow molten fuel salt to pass between the reactor core volume and the interstitial space between the reflector tubes in the reflector volume.

2. The nuclear reactor of claim 1 wherein the interstitial space contains a chloride salt.

3. The nuclear reactor of claim 2 wherein the chloride salt has an enriched amount of the Cl isotope.

4. The nuclear reactor of claim 1 wherein at least one of the reflector tubes is rotatable.

5. The nuclear reactor of claim 1 wherein at least one of the reflector tubes includes a neutron absorbing element in addition to the reflecting material.

6. The nuclear reactor of claim 5 wherein the neutron absorbing element is a partial liner inside a casing of the reflector tube.

7. The nuclear reactor of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one insertable core barrel sized to fit within and adjacent to the fixed core barrel and, thereby, reducing the nuclear reactor core volume.

8. The nuclear reactor of claim 1 wherein at least two of the reflector tubes in the plurality of reflector elements have different radius values.

9. A nuclear reactor comprising:
a nuclear reactor core volume configured to hold molten fuel salt during a sustained nuclear fission reaction;
a neutron reflector assembly of a plurality of reflector elements separated by an interstitial space within a reflector volume surrounding the nuclear reactor core volume, the interstitial space configured to hold molten fuel salt;
a fixed core barrel between the nuclear reactor core volume and the neutron reflector assembly; and
the neutron reflector assembly being further configured to adjust fast neutron flux and thermal neutron flux within the nuclear reactor core volume by altering reflectivity characteristics of reflector material in the reflector elements;
wherein each reflector element is a reflector tube containing at least some neutron reflecting material and the interstitial space is separated from the nuclear reactor core by the fixed core barrel; and
wherein at least one of the reflector tubes is rotatable.

10. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 wherein the interstitial space contains a chloride salt.

11. The nuclear reactor of claim 10 wherein the chloride salt has an enriched amount of the Cl isotope.

12. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 wherein the fixed core barrel is arranged to allow molten fuel salt to pass between the reactor core volume and the interstitial space between the reflector tubes in the reflector volume.

13. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 wherein at least one of the reflector tubes includes a neutron absorbing element in addition to the reflecting material.

14. The nuclear reactor of claim 13 wherein the neutron absorbing element is a partial liner inside a casing of the reflector tube.

15. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 further comprising:
at least one insertable core barrel sized to fit within and adjacent to the fixed core barrel and, thereby, reducing the nuclear reactor core volume.

16. The nuclear reactor of claim 9 wherein at least two of the reflector tubes in the plurality of reflector elements have different radius values.

17. A nuclear reactor comprising:
a nuclear reactor core volume configured to hold molten fuel salt during a sustained nuclear fission reaction;
a neutron reflector assembly of a plurality of reflector elements separated by an interstitial space within a reflector volume surrounding the nuclear reactor core volume, the interstitial space configured to hold molten fuel salt;
a fixed core barrel between the nuclear reactor core volume and the neutron reflector assembly; and
the neutron reflector assembly being further configured to adjust fast neutron flux and thermal neutron flux within the nuclear reactor core volume by altering reflectivity characteristics of reflector material in the reflector elements;
wherein each reflector element is a reflector tube containing at least some neutron reflecting material and the interstitial space is separated from the nuclear reactor core by the fixed core barrel; and
wherein at least two of the reflector tubes in the plurality of reflector elements have different radius values.

18. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 wherein the interstitial space contains a chloride salt.

19. The nuclear reactor of claim 18 wherein the chloride salt has an enriched amount of the Cl isotope.

20. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 wherein at least one of the reflector tubes is rotatable.

21. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 wherein at least one of the reflector tubes includes a neutron absorbing element in addition to the reflecting material.

22. The nuclear reactor of claim 21 wherein the neutron absorbing element is a partial liner inside a casing of the reflector tube.

23. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 further comprising:
at least one insertable core barrel sized to fit within and adjacent to the fixed core barrel and, thereby, reducing the nuclear reactor core volume.

24. The nuclear reactor of claim 17 wherein the fixed core barrel is arranged to allow molten fuel salt to pass between the reactor core volume and the interstitial space between the reflector tubes in the reflector volume.

25. A nuclear reactor comprising:
a nuclear reactor core volume configured to hold molten fuel salt during a sustained nuclear fission reaction;
a neutron reflector assembly of a plurality of reflector elements separated by an interstitial space within a reflector volume surrounding the nuclear reactor core volume, the interstitial space configured to hold molten fuel salt;
a fixed core barrel between the nuclear reactor core volume and the neutron reflector assembly; and
the neutron reflector assembly being further configured to adjust fast neutron flux and thermal neutron flux within the nuclear reactor core volume by altering reflectivity characteristics of reflector material in the reflector elements;
wherein the core barrel is arranged to allow molten fuel salt to pass between the reactor core volume and the interstitial space between the reflector elements in the reflector volume.

26. The nuclear reactor of claim 25 wherein the interstitial space contains a chloride salt.

27. The nuclear reactor of claim 26 wherein the chloride salt has an enriched amount of the Cl isotope.

28. The nuclear reactor of claim 25 wherein each reflector element is an annular element containing at least some neu

Assignees

• Terrapower Llc

Inventors

• Cisneros Jr Anselmo T
• Freeman Charles Gregory
• Kramer Kevin
• Latkowski Jeffery F

Classifications

• G21C15/28

  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

• G21C15/02

  Arrangements or disposition of passages in which heat is transferred to the coolant; {Coolant flow control devices (G21C19/04 takes precedence; coolant flow control through fuel assemblies, e.g. flow restrictors G21C3/322)} · CPC title

• G21C11/06

  Reflecting shields, i.e. for minimising loss of neutrons · CPC title

• G21C7/27

  Spectral shift control · CPC title

• G21C1/326

  wherein the heat exchanger is disposed next to or beside the core · CPC title