Nuclear reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12562288-B2
Application number	US-202118026007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2021
Priority date	Oct 7, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

An object is to change reactor core thermal output. A nuclear reactor includes an annular fuel layer and a heat conductive layer stacked on the fuel layer and extending around a periphery of the fuel layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A nuclear reactor comprising:
an annular fuel layer includes a support with a through hole formed at the center of a disc shape, and nuclear fuel stored within the surface of the support; a heat conductive layer stacked on the fuel layer, in contact with the circular surface of the disc shape of the support, and extending outward in the radial direction of the disc shape of the support beyond the fuel layer; and a shielding part that covers the outer periphery of the fuel layer and forms a hermetically sealed space around the area where the fuel layer is placed; wherein the heat conductive layer protrudes partially from the interior of the shielding portion and transmits heat generated in the fuel layer to the exterior of the shielding portion only by solid heat conduction.

2 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel layer and the heat conductive layer are formed as a single unit, and a plurality of the units are stacked on each other.

3 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , further comprising a control mechanism including a neutron absorber disposed in the through hole of the support and controlling the position of a neutron absorber.

4 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 3 , wherein the control mechanism rotates the neutron absorber to change the distance between it and the nuclear fuel.

5 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 3 , wherein the control mechanism causes a neutron absorber to move in the radial direction to change the distance between the neutron absorber and the nuclear fuel.

6 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 3 , wherein the control mechanism moves the neutron absorber in the axial direction of the through hole of the support.

7 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the heat conductive layer has a radial length of the heat conduction portion that is different from at least one other unit's heat conduction layer.

8 . The nuclear reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel layer is formed by forming a plurality of holes in the support body, and the nuclear fuel is arranged in each of the holes.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Shota
• Kamohara Satoru
• Harai Yasutaka
• Yodo Tadakatsu
• Otsuki Shohei
• Murakami Nozomu
• Nakazato Wataru
• Hasegawa Takashi
• Tanaka Yutaka
• Ishiguro Tatsuo
• Noguchi Hironori
• Kudo Hideyuki
• Noda Takafumi
• Yoshida Kazuhiro

Classifications

• G21C3/36

  Assemblies of plate-shaped fuel elements or coaxial tubes · CPC title

• G21C5/06

  Means for locating or supporting fuel elements {(means forming part of the element G21C3/12)} · CPC title

• G21C3/326

  comprising fuel elements of different composition; comprising, in addition to the fuel elements, other pin-, rod-, or tube-shaped elements, e.g. control rods, grid support rods, fertile rods, poison rods or dummy rods · CPC title

• G21C15/257

  using heat-pipes {(in general F28D, F28F)} · CPC title

• G21C15/12

  from pressure vessel; from containment vessel · CPC title