Cooling system in a nuclear plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11915836-B2
Application number	US-202017097407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A cooling system in a nuclear power plant is disclosed, including a boundary section disposed inside a containment to enclose a reactor coolant system, and configured to restrict steam containing radioactive materials generated in the reactor coolant system from leaking into paths other than a discharge part. An In-Containment Water Storage Tank (IRWST) is disposed outside the boundary section and is configured to store refueling water therein. An emergency cooling tank is disposed outside the containment and is provided with a condensation heat exchanger. A gas-liquid separator is connected to the emergency cooling tank outside the containment. A return line is configured to connect the gas-liquid separator and the boundary section such that condensate generated by condensing the steam within the boundary section, through the emergency cooling tank and the gas-liquid separator, is discharged toward the boundary section upon an occurrence of a nuclear power plant accident.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling system in a nuclear power plant, the system comprising:
a boundary section disposed inside a containment configured to be divided into a first area and a second area disposed inside the containment, the boundary section disposed between the first area (Lower Containment Area (LCA)) and the second area (Upper Containment Area (UCA)) of a radioactive material suppression facility, wherein the boundary section is formed to surround the first area (LCA), wherein the first area (LCA) is a first space of an inner area of the boundary section, and the second area (UCA) is a second space that is an upper area inside the containment at the outside of the boundary section, wherein the boundary section is configured to prevent steam and radioactive materials from leaking into the second space (UCA) when an accident occurs in the nuclear power plant, and then the first space (LCA) contains steam or radioactive materials;
an In-Containment Refueling Water Storage Tank disposed outside the boundary section and configured to store refueling water therein;
an emergency cooling tank disposed outside the containment and provided with a condensation heat exchanger;
a gas-liquid separator disposed outside the containment and connected to the emergency cooling tank; and
a return line configured to connect the gas-liquid separator and the boundary section such that condensate is discharged toward the boundary section upon an occurrence of the nuclear power plant accident, the condensate being generated by condensing the steam of the boundary section through the emergency cooling tank and the gas-liquid separator,
wherein the return line extends from a condensate discharge line of the gas-liquid separator and is disposed such that the condensate separated through the gas-liquid separator passes through the in-containment refueling water storage tank,
wherein if the nuclear power plant accident occurs, steam and air discharged to the containment are introduced into the condensation heat exchanger through a steam line, and at least part of the introduced steam is condensed and introduced into the gas-liquid separator disposed at a rear end of the condensation heat exchanger, to be separated into non-condensable gas and the condensate,
wherein the non-condensable gas separated through the gas-liquid separator flows into the containment along a non-condensable gas line, and the condensate separated through the gas-liquid separator flows into the boundary section along the return line.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a steam line valve, a non-condensable gas line valve, and a return line valve,
wherein the steam line valve, the non-condensable gas line valve, and the return line valve are open by power supplied from a battery during the nuclear power plant accident, and
in response to opening the steam line valve, the non-condensable gas line valve, and the return line valve, the steam and air accommodated in the boundary section is introduced into the condensation heat exchanger of the emergency cooling tank.

3. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the emergency cooling tank stores emergency cooling water therein to exchange heat with the steam discharged from a boundary section within the condensation heat exchanger, and
the system further comprises an emergency cooling water makeup line configured to make up externally supplied emergency cooling water into the emergency cooling tank.

4. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the steam accommodated in the boundary section is discharged into the refueling water accommodated in the in-containment refueling water storage tank through a discharge line due to a pressure difference between inside and outside of the boundary section during the nuclear power plant accident.

5. The cooling system of claim 4 , wherein the discharge line is provided with a check valve disposed therein to prevent backflow, and
the steam of the boundary section is discharged into the refueling water accommodated in the in-containment refueling water storage tank through a jet device, the jet device being disposed in a lower end portion of the discharge line to be adjacent to a bottom surface of the in-containment refueling water storage tank and having a plurality of jet holes.

6. The cooling system of claim 4 , wherein the in-containment refueling water storage tank is provided with a radioactive material suppression tank disposed on an upper end thereof to accommodate alkaline cooling water.

7. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a reactor coolant system,
wherein the boundary section comprises:
a first boundary portion disposed to enclose the reactor coolant system; and
a second boundary portion communicating with the first boundary portion and disposed to enclose a safety injection system for injecting emergency cooling water into the reactor coolant system.

8. The cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the safety injection system comprises at least one of a safety injection tank and a core makeup tank connected to the reactor coolant system in a communicating manner.

Assignees

• Korea Atomic Energy Res

Inventors

• Kang Kyungjun
• Jung Moon
• Chun Jihan
• Kang Hanok

Classifications

• G21C15/18 Primary

  Emergency cooling arrangements; Removing shut-down heat · CPC title

• G21C15/16

  comprising means for separating liquid and steam (separating in general B01D; steam traps F16D) · CPC title

• G21C15/253

  for gases, e.g. blowers · CPC title

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

• F16K35/14

  interlocking two or more valves · CPC title