System and method for operating a modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9734922-B2
Application number	US-15229308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2008
Priority date	Nov 28, 2006
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments provide modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactors and methods for their operation. Illustrative embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactors, modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor modules, methods of operating a modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor, and the like.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor comprising:
a plurality of neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor modules; and
a plurality of nuclear shielding material receivers configured to removably receive nuclear shielding material such that each neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module is configured to be neutronically shielded from at least one adjacent neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module.

2. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 1 , further comprising nuclear shielding material that is removably received in at least one of the plurality of nuclear shielding material receivers.

3. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 2 , wherein the nuclear shielding material is configured to attenuate at least one radiation type chosen from neutron radiation and Υ radiation.

4. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 3 , wherein the nuclear shielding material includes neutron moderating material configured to slow down a neutron spectrum.

5. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 4 , wherein the neutron moderating material includes low-A material.

6. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 5 , wherein the low-A material includes at least one element chosen from carbon, boron, lithium, and berylium.

7. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 3 , wherein the nuclear shielding material includes neutron absorbing material.

8. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 7 , wherein the neutron absorbing material includes at least one element chosen from lithium and europium.

9. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 3 , wherein the nuclear shielding material includes Υ absorbing material.

10. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 9 , wherein the Υ absorbing material includes high-Z material.

11. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 10 , wherein the high-Z material includes at least one element chosen from tungsten, tantalum, lead, rhenium, gold, platinum, and hafnium.

12. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of nuclear shielding material receivers are disposed proximate at least one of the plurality of neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor modules.

13. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of nuclear shielding material receivers are disposed on an exterior surface of the at least one of the plurality of neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor modules.

14. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of nuclear shielding material receivers are disposed intermediate adjacent neutronically couplable nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor modules.

15. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 2 , wherein the removable nuclear shielding material is removably receivable within a portion of the at least one neutronically shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module.

16. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 15 , wherein the removable nuclear shielding material is removably receivable within an exterior wall of the at least one neutronically shielded nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor module.

17. The modular nuclear fission deflagration wave reactor of claim 15 , wherein the nuclear shielding material receiver includes a port configured to receive a fluid.

Assignees

• Ahlfeld Charles E
• Gilleland John Rogers
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Mcalees David G
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Odedra Ashok
• Terrapower Llc

Inventors

• Ahlfeld Charles E
• Gilleland John Rogers
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Mcalees David G
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Odedra Ashok

Classifications

• G21C1/30

  Subcritical reactors {; Experimental reactors other than swimming-pool reactors or zero-energy reactors} · CPC title

• G21C1/00 Primary

  Reactor types · CPC title

• G21C1/026

  Reactors not needing refuelling, i.e. reactors of the type breed-and-burn, e.g. travelling or deflagration wave reactors or seed-blanket reactors · CPC title

• G21C5/00

  Moderator or core structure; Selection of materials for use as moderator · CPC title

• Y02E30/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic