Claims
- 1. A nuclear reactor containment comprising:
- reactor vessel means disposed in a metal cavity located partially or completely below the surface of the earth in a cavity,
- a cast steel containment member partially surrounding the reactor vessel means and having an inner surface conforming in shape to an exterior surface of the reactor vessel means, said cast steel member having a solid thick base plate which extends at least across a bottom area of said reactor vessel means,
- means located below the base plate but adjacent to it for feeding water to a porous media disposed in the hot zone immediately underneath the base plate, said water being converted to steam when the temperature of the hot zone exceeds the boiling point of water,
- means of venting the steam so formed to the atmosphere, and
- means in contact with said base plate for supporting at least said base plate and for conducting heat away from said base plate.
- 2. The reactor of claim 1 wherein the cast steel member has a thick metal sidewall.
- 3. The reactor of claim 2 additionally including heat dissipating means positioned around at least said sidewall of the cast steel member.
- 4. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting the base plate comprises a plurality of metal piling means in intimate thermal contact with said base plate and which extend downwardly and outwardly into the earth to support at least the base plate and conduct heat away from the reactor into underlying porous media and earth.
- 5. The reactor of claim 4 wherein the piling means are in the form of metal H-Beams.
- 6. In a nuclear reactor having a reactor vessel disposed in a cavity located at least partially below earth's surface, the improvement comprising:
- a cast steel containment member having a base plate section and a sidewall section with inner surfaces which conform in shape to an outer surface of the reactor vessel, said containment member being positioned adjacent to but spaced from the reactor vessel, and
- means in thermal contact with said base plate section for supporting same and for conducting heat therefrom.
- 7. The improvement of claim 6, wherein said base plate section of said containment member includes a flange member extending radially outwardly beyond a perimeter of said sidewall section.
- 8. The improvement of claim 6, additionally including means located below and adjacent to said base plate section for feeding water to a porous media disposed immediately beneath said base plate section, and means for venting any steam formed in said porous media.
- 9. The improvement of claim 6, wherein said base plate section has a thickness of about three feet, and wherein said sidewall section has a thickness of about eight inches.
- 10. The improvement of claim 6, wherein said means for supporting said base plate section comprises a plurality of metal pilings which extend downwardly and outwardly into earth beneath said base plate section, each of said plurality of metal pilings being in contract at one end thereof with said base plate section and additionally function to dissipate heat away from said base plate section.
- 11. The improvement of claim 10, wherein said metal pilings each are in the form of metal H-beams.
- 12. The improvement of claim 6, additionally including heat dissipating means positioned around at least said sidewall section of said containment member.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
The invention described herein arose in the course of, or under, contract number DE-AT03-76SF71032 between the United States Department of Energy and the General Electric Corporation.
US Referenced Citations (13)