Pressure relief system for the containment of a nuclear power facility, nuclear power facility and method of operating a pressure relief system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016019987-A1
Application number	US-201514867198-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2013
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A pressure-relief system for the containment of a nuclear power facility allows reliable operation of a wet scrubber for the pressure relief flow with a simultaneously compact structural design. The pressure relief system has a pressure relief line guided through the containment and can be closed by a shut-off valve, a wet scrubber arranged in a portion of the pressure relief line located inside the containment, for the pressure relief flow which forms in the pressure-relief mode when the shut-off valve is open, a reservoir arranged inside the containment and is fluidically connected to the remaining inner space of the containment such that any overpressure, with respect to the surroundings outside the containment, prevailing in the containment is transferred at least in part to the reservoir, and a supply line leading from the reservoir to the wet scrubber for supplying the wet scrubber with fluid from the reservoir.

First claim

1 . A pressure relief system for a containment in a nuclear power facility, the pressure relief system comprising:
a shut-off valve; a pressure relief line guided through the containment and being closed by said shut-off valve; a wet scrubber disposed in a portion of said pressure relief line disposed inside the containment, for a pressure relief flow forming in a pressure-relief mode when said shut-off valve is open; a reservoir disposed inside the containment and fluidically connected to a remaining inner space of the containment such that any overpressure, with respect to surroundings outside the containment, prevailing in the containment is transferred at least in part to said reservoir; a supply line leading from said reservoir to said wet scrubber for supplying said wet scrubber with a fluid, acting as a washing fluid, from said reservoir; said wet scrubber having a washing fluid tank sealed off from a remaining inner space of the containment; and a throttle portion formed in a portion of said pressure relief line which is upstream of a point at which said pressure relief line passes into said washing fluid tank.

2 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , wherein said throttle portion is configured such that, at a start of a pressure-relieving process and at a pressure of at least 2 bar absolute inside the containment, a pressure inside said washing fluid tank is, in contrast, reduced by at least 0.3 bar.

3 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , wherein said reservoir is a pool which is open towards the remaining inner space of the containment.

4 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , further comprising a filling level control means for the washing fluid supplied by said supply line, said filling level control means being a float valve inside said washing fluid tank.

5 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , wherein said wet scrubber is a Venturi scrubber having a Venturi tube disposed in said washing fluid tank, said Venturi tube having a throat point with a suction port for Venturi injection of the washing fluid into the pressure relief flow.

6 . The pressure relief system according to claim 5 , wherein said wet scrubber has a pool for the washing fluid disposed inside said washing fluid tank and surrounds said suction port of said Venturi tube, a capacity of said pool is substantially smaller than a capacity of said washing fluid tank.

7 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , further comprising a throttle valve disposed in said pressure relief line downstream of said wet scrubber when viewed in a direction of flow of the pressure relief flow, and is configured for critical pressure relief of the pressure relief flow.

8 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , wherein said reservoir is a sump of a pressurized water reactor.

9 . The pressure relief system according to claim 1 , wherein said wet scrubber is dry when in a standby mode.

10 . A nuclear power facility, comprising:
a containment; and a pressure relief system, containing:
a shut-off valve;
a pressure relief line guided through said containment and being closed by said shut-off valve;
a wet scrubber disposed in a portion of said pressure relief line disposed inside said containment, for a pressure relief flow forming in a pressure-relief mode when said shut-off valve is open;
a reservoir disposed inside said containment and fluidically connected to a remaining inner space of said containment such that any overpressure, with respect to surroundings outside said containment, prevailing in said containment is transferred at least in part to said reservoir;
a supply line leading from said reservoir to said wet scrubber for supplying said wet scrubber with a fluid, acting as a washing fluid, from said reservoir;
said wet scrubber having a washing fluid tank sealed off from a remaining inner space of said containment; and
a throttle portion formed in a portion of said pressure relief line which is upstream of a point at which said pressure relief line passes into said washing fluid tank.

11 . A method for operating a pressure relief system according to claim 1 , which comprises the steps of:
during a pressure-relieving process, when the shut-off valve is open, conveying the fluid by means of the supply line from the reservoir to the wet scrubber as a result of a pressure differential, which adjusts according to a flow, between the containment and the wet scrubber.

Assignees

• Areva Gmbh

Inventors

• Eckardt Bernd
• Losch Norbert
• Zehe Frank

Classifications

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

• G21C9/004 Primary

  Pressure suppression · CPC title

• G21F9/02

  Treating gases · CPC title

• B01D47/10

  Venturi scrubbers · CPC title

• G21C9/06

  Means for preventing accumulation of explosives gases, e.g. recombiners · CPC title