US20160225470A1 - Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system - Google Patents
Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system Download PDFInfo
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- US20160225470A1 US20160225470A1 US14/612,461 US201514612461A US2016225470A1 US 20160225470 A1 US20160225470 A1 US 20160225470A1 US 201514612461 A US201514612461 A US 201514612461A US 2016225470 A1 US2016225470 A1 US 2016225470A1
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- contactor
- nuclear reactor
- power plant
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- 239000002826 coolant Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 50
- 238000007872 degassing Methods 0.000 title description 5
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 50
- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 230000002285 radioactive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 17
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000011261 inert gas Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000011148 porous material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000001307 helium Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910052734 helium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N helium atom Chemical compound [He] SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010908 plant waste Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000004992 fission Effects 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 5
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 238000010926 purge Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000007689 inspection Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910052743 krypton Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- DNNSSWSSYDEUBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N krypton atom Chemical compound [Kr] DNNSSWSSYDEUBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009849 vacuum degassing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910052724 xenon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N xenon atom Chemical compound [Xe] FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000002378 acidificating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 e.g. Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004880 explosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011010 flushing procedure Methods 0.000 description 1
- 231100001261 hazardous Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 150000002431 hydrogen Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003758 nuclear fuel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011236 particulate material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002901 radioactive waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002912 waste gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
- G21C19/00—Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g. within its pressure vessel
- G21C19/28—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core
- G21C19/30—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core with continuous purification of circulating fluent material, e.g. by extraction of fission products deterioration or corrosion products, impurities, e.g. by cold traps
- G21C19/303—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core with continuous purification of circulating fluent material, e.g. by extraction of fission products deterioration or corrosion products, impurities, e.g. by cold traps specially adapted for gases
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
- G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
- G21F9/04—Treating liquids
- G21F9/06—Processing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D19/00—Degasification of liquids
- B01D19/0031—Degasification of liquids by filtration
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D19/00—Degasification of liquids
- B01D19/0036—Flash degasification
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D53/00—Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
- B01D53/22—Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by diffusion
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
- G21C15/00—Cooling arrangements within the pressure vessel containing the core; Selection of specific coolants
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
- G21C19/00—Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g. within its pressure vessel
- G21C19/28—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core
- G21C19/30—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core with continuous purification of circulating fluent material, e.g. by extraction of fission products deterioration or corrosion products, impurities, e.g. by cold traps
- G21C19/307—Arrangements for introducing fluent material into the reactor core; Arrangements for removing fluent material from the reactor core with continuous purification of circulating fluent material, e.g. by extraction of fission products deterioration or corrosion products, impurities, e.g. by cold traps specially adapted for liquids
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21D—NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- G21D3/00—Control of nuclear power plant
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
- G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
- G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
- G21F9/02—Treating gases
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
- G21C19/00—Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g. within its pressure vessel
- G21C19/20—Arrangements for introducing objects into the pressure vessel; Arrangements for handling objects within the pressure vessel; Arrangements for removing objects from the pressure vessel
- G21C19/207—Assembling, maintenance or repair of reactor components
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
- Y02E30/30—Nuclear fission reactors
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to a process for removing dissolved gasses from reactor coolant in a nuclear power plant and more particularly to apparatus for removing dissolved hydrogen and fission gases from the reactor coolant by passing the coolant over a membrane and extracting the gasses by applying a vacuum.
- some fission gases e.g., xenon and krypton, created by the fission reactions occurring in the nuclear fuel, may enter the reactor coolant system and become dissolved in the reactor coolant.
- the concentration of radioactive gases and hydrogen must be reduced to avoid excessive radiation exposure to plant maintenance inspection personnel and reduce the likelihood of an explosion due to a potential spark setting off a flammable mixture of air and hydrogen in the containment atmosphere.
- Reactor coolant has previously been degassed using a volume control tank connected to the reactor coolant system.
- the reactor coolant system primarily includes such nuclear steam supply system components as the reactor vessel, the steam generators, the reactor coolant pumps and the connecting piping.
- the volume control tank is part of the system known as the chemical and volume control system which operates in the degassing mode by flashing the dissolved hydrogen and radioactive gases out of the reactor coolant and into the vapor space of the volume control tank.
- An example of such a system could be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425.
- letdown flow a relatively small flow of reactor coolant referred to as the letdown flow is diverted from the reactor coolant system and through the chemical and volume control system.
- This stream is first cooled then purified in a mixed bed demineralizer, filtered to remove dissolved ionic or suspended particulate material and passed to the volume control tank.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425 proposes an improvement to this chemical and volume control system procedure and reduces the time required to effectively degas the reactor coolant.
- the method proposed by the patent provides for vacuum degassing a reactor coolant system. The method comprises draining down the reactor coolant system to approximately the mid-point of the hot leg and maintaining the reactor coolant system in an unvented condition during the drain-down operation. Any flashed reactor coolant in the primary side of the steam generator is then refluxed.
- flashed reactor coolant means liquid coolant which flashes into the steam phase as a result of lower ambient pressure. Refluxed means condensed and cooled.
- the bulk of the reactor coolant as well as the refluxed reactor coolant, are circulated through a residual heat removal system to cool the reactor coolant.
- a vacuum is drawn on the reactor coolant system to evacuate any gas stripped from the reactor coolant.
- the step of draining the coolant system establishes a partial vacuum in the unvented reactor vessel and reactor coolant system during drain-down. The partial vacuum is sufficient to cause the reactor coolant to boil at the prevailing temperatures in the reactor coolant system whereby the degassing occurs during the drain-down step.
- FIG. 1 shows one prior art embodiment of a vacuum degassing system 10 that is currently in use.
- the letdown flow enters the system at the inlet 12 and is directed to an inlet 14 of a degasifier column vessel 16 where it enters the interior of the vessel through a spray head 18 .
- a vacuum is drawn on the vessel through conduit 20 by the degasifier vacuum pumps 36 .
- Excess reactor coolant which is not evaporated is drawn from the vessel by discharge pumps 22 , with pulse dampeners 24 employed to smooth out the pulses generated by the diaphragm discharge pumps 22 .
- the coolant that is drawn through the discharge pumps 22 is exhausted to a holding tank 26 for return to the system or disposal.
- the water vapor and non-condensable gases that are separated from the coolant in the degasifier column 16 are routed through a demister 28 to remove any entrained coolant and conveyed to a vapor condenser 30 in which it is placed in heat exchange relationship with chilled water that enters and exits the vapor condenser through inlets and outlets 32 and 34 .
- the radioactive gases and hydrogen are then drawn by vacuum pumps 36 to a degasifier separator 38 .
- the separated coolant is then drawn off by the degasifier separator pumps 40 and discharged to the holding tank 26 .
- the radioactive gas and hydrogen are vented from the degasifier separator 38 vapor space to the reactor plant radioactive waste gas system 42 .
- the nitrogen purge line 44 is provided to purge any residual hydrogen and radioactive gases prior to maintenance.
- a nuclear reactor power plant sub-system for removing radioactive gases and hydrogen gas from a reactor coolant.
- the sub-system includes a contactor housing a membrane that divides an interior of the contactor housing into an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, wherein the membrane has pores that pass the radioactive and the hydrogen gases from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber, but prevent the reactor coolant from passing through to the outlet chamber.
- a vacuum generator is connected to the outlet chamber for drawing a vacuum on the outlet chamber.
- a liquid outlet conduit is connected to an outlet nozzle on the inlet chamber for conveying a degasified portion of the reactor coolant to a desired location.
- a gas outlet conduit is connected to an outlet nozzle on the outlet chamber for conveying the radioactive and hydrogen gases to a nuclear reactor power plant waste gas system.
- a “sweep” gas system is connected to the outlet chamber for supplying a relatively small inert gas purge flow in the outlet chamber and preferably, the inert gas is nitrogen.
- the sweep gas in combination with the application of a vacuum, enhances the efficiency of the membranes for dissolved gas removal, thus minimizing the required number of contactors.
- the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel. Alternately, the contactor housings may be connected in series.
- the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings with at least some of the plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel and some of the parallel connected contactor housings are connected in series with at least one other of the plurality of contactor housings.
- the contactors may be operated without a sweep gas, but may require additional contactors in series and/or parallel.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of a prior art vacuum degasification system
- FIG. 2 is a schematic layout of one embodiment of the components of this invention that replace the portion of the system of FIG. 1 within the dotted lines;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic layout of the system of FIG. 2 with an additional contactor housing placed in series with the two parallel arrangements of contactor housings to further improve the quality of the output.
- This invention utilizes a known and established technology of gas membranes to remove dissolved gases from the reactor coolant. While this is a known and proven technology for some applications, it has not been previously employed to handle mildly acidic and radioactive solutions as exists in interfacing with the primary coolant of a nuclear reactor system, as evidenced by the alternative reactor degasing systems proposed in the past and described in the evaluation of prior art set forth in the Background of U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425.
- one or more alternate “contactors” which respectively house a gas membrane are aligned in series and/or parallel, as required to handle the desired flow and the degree of gas removal.
- a vacuum is applied to the gas side of the membrane to pull dissolved gases from the liquid through tiny pores in the walls of the membrane.
- a small inert gas sweep gas e.g., nitrogen, flow on the vacuum side is used to enhance dissolved gas removal. This gas flow minimizes the number of required contactors.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 show two contactors 46 in parallel though it should be appreciated that one, three or four or more contactors may be employed in parallel as necessary to handle the rate of flow that is required.
- FIG. 3 shows the two contactors in parallel as shown in FIG. 2 , with a third contactor in series with the output of the two contactors in parallel to further reduce the amount of gases that may remain within the degassed coolant stream.
- the letdown stream enters the system at the inlet 12 and is distributed through inlet conduit 48 to each of the inlets 50 on the contactors 46 .
- a vacuum is applied to the gas side of the membrane at the gas outlet 52 by the vacuum pumps 54 and a small inert gas flow, preferably of nitrogen, is introduced at the gas inlets 56 from a nitrogen source 58 .
- inert gas is meant a gas that will not react with the stripped gasses, i.e., the radioactive gases or hydrogen, to form an undesirable or hazardous gas mixture when vented to the waste gas system.
- helium gas may be used, whereas oxygen may not be used.
- the membrane within the contactor 46 has pores small enough to prevent the coolant from passing to the gas outlet 52 , but large enough to enable the hydrogen and radioactive gases to pass through the membrane.
- Such contactors are available commercially, such as Liqui-Cel, available from Membrana Corporation, Charlotte, N.C.
- the degasified coolant then exits the contactor 46 at the outlet 60 and is conveyed by the outlet conduit 62 to a holding tank 26 where it can be returned to the reactor system or disposed of.
- As many contactors 46 can be arranged in parallel as necessary to handle as much volume of gas laden coolant as is needed to be recycled or disposed of.
- the extracted hydrogen and radioactive gases and the nitrogen sweep gas are then circulated by the vacuum pumps 54 to the plant radioactive gas waste system 42 .
- the nitrogen source 58 also provides flow in the gas lines to purge the gas exit side of the system, for maintenance.
- a source of clean demineralized water 44 is provided for flushing of the liquid side of the contactors and piping prior to maintenance.
- FIG. 3 is identical to FIG. 2 except an additional contactor 46 is positioned in series with the parallel arrangement of contactors 46 shown in FIG. 2 and provides another stage of degasification to enhance the purity of the coolant that exits the system. Sensors are provided throughout the system to monitor the efficacy of the process.
Abstract
An in-line dissolved gas removal membrane-based apparatus for removing dissolved hydrogen and fission gases from the letdown stream from a reactor coolant system.
Description
- 1. Field
- The present invention relates generally to a process for removing dissolved gasses from reactor coolant in a nuclear power plant and more particularly to apparatus for removing dissolved hydrogen and fission gases from the reactor coolant by passing the coolant over a membrane and extracting the gasses by applying a vacuum.
- 2. Related Art
- During pressurized water reactor plant shutdowns, it is a common practice to drain the reactor coolant system to a level below the reactor vessel flange to the mid-plane of the reactor vessel coolant outlet nozzles. That mid-plane coincides with the mid-plane of the connecting “hot leg” piping leading to the steam generators. This drain-down permits inspection, testing and maintenance, during shutdown, of pumps, steam generators, support structures and other primary system components.
- During reactor operation, some fission gases, e.g., xenon and krypton, created by the fission reactions occurring in the nuclear fuel, may enter the reactor coolant system and become dissolved in the reactor coolant. Subsequent to shut down, but before refueling and maintenance operations commence, the concentration of radioactive gases and hydrogen must be reduced to avoid excessive radiation exposure to plant maintenance inspection personnel and reduce the likelihood of an explosion due to a potential spark setting off a flammable mixture of air and hydrogen in the containment atmosphere.
- Reactor coolant has previously been degassed using a volume control tank connected to the reactor coolant system. Generally, the reactor coolant system primarily includes such nuclear steam supply system components as the reactor vessel, the steam generators, the reactor coolant pumps and the connecting piping. The volume control tank is part of the system known as the chemical and volume control system which operates in the degassing mode by flashing the dissolved hydrogen and radioactive gases out of the reactor coolant and into the vapor space of the volume control tank. An example of such a system could be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425.
- Typically, a relatively small flow of reactor coolant referred to as the letdown flow is diverted from the reactor coolant system and through the chemical and volume control system. This stream is first cooled then purified in a mixed bed demineralizer, filtered to remove dissolved ionic or suspended particulate material and passed to the volume control tank.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425 proposes an improvement to this chemical and volume control system procedure and reduces the time required to effectively degas the reactor coolant. The method proposed by the patent provides for vacuum degassing a reactor coolant system. The method comprises draining down the reactor coolant system to approximately the mid-point of the hot leg and maintaining the reactor coolant system in an unvented condition during the drain-down operation. Any flashed reactor coolant in the primary side of the steam generator is then refluxed. As used in the above mentioned patent, flashed reactor coolant means liquid coolant which flashes into the steam phase as a result of lower ambient pressure. Refluxed means condensed and cooled. The bulk of the reactor coolant as well as the refluxed reactor coolant, are circulated through a residual heat removal system to cool the reactor coolant. A vacuum is drawn on the reactor coolant system to evacuate any gas stripped from the reactor coolant. Preferably, the step of draining the coolant system establishes a partial vacuum in the unvented reactor vessel and reactor coolant system during drain-down. The partial vacuum is sufficient to cause the reactor coolant to boil at the prevailing temperatures in the reactor coolant system whereby the degassing occurs during the drain-down step.
-
FIG. 1 shows one prior art embodiment of avacuum degassing system 10 that is currently in use. The letdown flow enters the system at theinlet 12 and is directed to aninlet 14 of adegasifier column vessel 16 where it enters the interior of the vessel through aspray head 18. A vacuum is drawn on the vessel throughconduit 20 by thedegasifier vacuum pumps 36. Excess reactor coolant which is not evaporated is drawn from the vessel bydischarge pumps 22, withpulse dampeners 24 employed to smooth out the pulses generated by thediaphragm discharge pumps 22. The coolant that is drawn through thedischarge pumps 22 is exhausted to aholding tank 26 for return to the system or disposal. The water vapor and non-condensable gases that are separated from the coolant in thedegasifier column 16 are routed through ademister 28 to remove any entrained coolant and conveyed to avapor condenser 30 in which it is placed in heat exchange relationship with chilled water that enters and exits the vapor condenser through inlets andoutlets vacuum pumps 36 to adegasifier separator 38. The separated coolant is then drawn off by thedegasifier separator pumps 40 and discharged to theholding tank 26. The radioactive gas and hydrogen are vented from thedegasifier separator 38 vapor space to the reactor plant radioactivewaste gas system 42. Thenitrogen purge line 44 is provided to purge any residual hydrogen and radioactive gases prior to maintenance. - This traditional approach requires significant energy to operate large vacuum pumps, multiple components, e.g., degasifier columns, transfer pumps, separator vessels, interconnecting piping, valves, and instrumentation, and requires significant building space and support systems, e.g., cooling/chilled water. Thus, while these systems have a long track record, further improvement is desired that will simplify the design, reduce the energy required to operate the system, the amount of building space that is required to house the system and reduce the capital and maintenance costs of the system.
- These and other objects are achieved by a nuclear reactor power plant sub-system for removing radioactive gases and hydrogen gas from a reactor coolant. The sub-system includes a contactor housing a membrane that divides an interior of the contactor housing into an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, wherein the membrane has pores that pass the radioactive and the hydrogen gases from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber, but prevent the reactor coolant from passing through to the outlet chamber. A vacuum generator is connected to the outlet chamber for drawing a vacuum on the outlet chamber. A liquid outlet conduit is connected to an outlet nozzle on the inlet chamber for conveying a degasified portion of the reactor coolant to a desired location. Similarly, a gas outlet conduit is connected to an outlet nozzle on the outlet chamber for conveying the radioactive and hydrogen gases to a nuclear reactor power plant waste gas system.
- In one embodiment, a “sweep” gas system is connected to the outlet chamber for supplying a relatively small inert gas purge flow in the outlet chamber and preferably, the inert gas is nitrogen. The sweep gas, in combination with the application of a vacuum, enhances the efficiency of the membranes for dissolved gas removal, thus minimizing the required number of contactors. In still another embodiment, the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel. Alternately, the contactor housings may be connected in series. In still another embodiment, the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings with at least some of the plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel and some of the parallel connected contactor housings are connected in series with at least one other of the plurality of contactor housings. In still another embodiment, the contactors may be operated without a sweep gas, but may require additional contactors in series and/or parallel.
- A further understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of a prior art vacuum degasification system; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic layout of one embodiment of the components of this invention that replace the portion of the system ofFIG. 1 within the dotted lines; and -
FIG. 3 is a schematic layout of the system ofFIG. 2 with an additional contactor housing placed in series with the two parallel arrangements of contactor housings to further improve the quality of the output. - This invention utilizes a known and established technology of gas membranes to remove dissolved gases from the reactor coolant. While this is a known and proven technology for some applications, it has not been previously employed to handle mildly acidic and radioactive solutions as exists in interfacing with the primary coolant of a nuclear reactor system, as evidenced by the alternative reactor degasing systems proposed in the past and described in the evaluation of prior art set forth in the Background of U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,425.
- In accordance with this invention, one or more alternate “contactors” which respectively house a gas membrane are aligned in series and/or parallel, as required to handle the desired flow and the degree of gas removal. Liquid containing primarily dissolved hydrogen and the radioactive gases, i.e., xenon and krypton, enters the contactors at a relatively low pressure and exits the membranes degassed to the desired level. A vacuum is applied to the gas side of the membrane to pull dissolved gases from the liquid through tiny pores in the walls of the membrane. In addition, a small inert gas sweep gas, e.g., nitrogen, flow on the vacuum side is used to enhance dissolved gas removal. This gas flow minimizes the number of required contactors. Inlet and outlet dissolved hydrogen analyzers monitor the membranes' performance. Such a system is illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3 .FIG. 2 shows twocontactors 46 in parallel though it should be appreciated that one, three or four or more contactors may be employed in parallel as necessary to handle the rate of flow that is required.FIG. 3 shows the two contactors in parallel as shown inFIG. 2 , with a third contactor in series with the output of the two contactors in parallel to further reduce the amount of gases that may remain within the degassed coolant stream. - Referring back to
FIG. 2 , the letdown stream enters the system at theinlet 12 and is distributed throughinlet conduit 48 to each of theinlets 50 on thecontactors 46. A vacuum is applied to the gas side of the membrane at thegas outlet 52 by thevacuum pumps 54 and a small inert gas flow, preferably of nitrogen, is introduced at thegas inlets 56 from anitrogen source 58. By “inert gas” is meant a gas that will not react with the stripped gasses, i.e., the radioactive gases or hydrogen, to form an undesirable or hazardous gas mixture when vented to the waste gas system. For example, helium gas may be used, whereas oxygen may not be used. The membrane within thecontactor 46 has pores small enough to prevent the coolant from passing to thegas outlet 52, but large enough to enable the hydrogen and radioactive gases to pass through the membrane. - Such contactors are available commercially, such as Liqui-Cel, available from Membrana Corporation, Charlotte, N.C. The degasified coolant then exits the
contactor 46 at theoutlet 60 and is conveyed by theoutlet conduit 62 to aholding tank 26 where it can be returned to the reactor system or disposed of. Asmany contactors 46 can be arranged in parallel as necessary to handle as much volume of gas laden coolant as is needed to be recycled or disposed of. The extracted hydrogen and radioactive gases and the nitrogen sweep gas are then circulated by thevacuum pumps 54 to the plant radioactivegas waste system 42. Thenitrogen source 58 also provides flow in the gas lines to purge the gas exit side of the system, for maintenance. A source of cleandemineralized water 44 is provided for flushing of the liquid side of the contactors and piping prior to maintenance. -
FIG. 3 is identical toFIG. 2 except anadditional contactor 46 is positioned in series with the parallel arrangement ofcontactors 46 shown inFIG. 2 and provides another stage of degasification to enhance the purity of the coolant that exits the system. Sensors are provided throughout the system to monitor the efficacy of the process. - While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.
Claims (7)
1. A nuclear reactor power plant subsystem for removing radioactive gasses and hydrogen gas from a reactor coolant comprising:
a contactor housing a membrane that divides an interior of the contactor into an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, wherein the membrane has pores that pass the radioactive and hydrogen gasses from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber, but prevent the reactor coolant from passing through to the outlet chamber;
a vacuum generator connected to the outlet chamber for drawing a vacuum on the outlet chamber;
a liquid outlet conduit connected to an outlet nozzle on the inlet chamber for conveying a degasified portion of the reactor coolant to a desired location; and
a gas outlet conduit connected to an outlet nozzle on the outlet chamber for conveying the radioactive and hydrogen gasses to a nuclear reactor power plant waste gas system.
2. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 1 including an inert sweep gas supply connected to the outlet chamber for supplying a relatively small inert gas sweep flow in the outlet chamber.
3. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 2 wherein the inert gas is nitrogen.
4. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 2 wherein the inert gas is helium.
5. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 1 wherein the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel.
6. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 1 wherein the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings connected in series.
7. The nuclear reactor power plant subsystem of claim 1 wherein the contactor housing comprises a plurality of contactor housings with at least some of the plurality of contactor housings connected in parallel and some of the parallel connected contactor housings connected in series with at least one other of the plurality of the contactor housings.
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US14/612,461 US20160225470A1 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2015-02-03 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
ES16746926T ES2744438T3 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
JP2017538334A JP2018510326A (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Reactor coolant degassing equipment |
CN202010971098.0A CN112076501A (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Method for removing radioactive gases and hydrogen from nuclear reactor coolant |
PCT/US2016/012272 WO2016126356A1 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
CN201680008509.8A CN107206292A (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Equipment for being deaerated for nuclear reactor cooling system |
RU2017130911A RU2704220C2 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing nuclear reactor cooling system |
KR1020177024555A KR20170113616A (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing a reactor coolant system |
TR2019/10817T TR201910817T4 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor cooling system. |
RU2019133152A RU2793943C2 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing the cooling system of a nuclear reactor |
EP16746926.1A EP3253476B1 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-06 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
TW108121756A TWI690941B (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-30 | Method of removing radioactive gases and hydrogen gas from a nuclear reactor coolant |
TW105103046A TWI666652B (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2016-01-30 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
US15/407,508 US10566101B2 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2017-01-17 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
JP2020081744A JP2020126073A (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2020-05-07 | Apparatus for degassing nuclear reactor coolant system |
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US14/612,461 US20160225470A1 (en) | 2015-02-03 | 2015-02-03 | Apparatus for degassing a nuclear reactor coolant system |
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EP (1) | EP3253476B1 (en) |
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EP3253476B1 (en) | 2019-06-19 |
CN112076501A (en) | 2020-12-15 |
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JP2020126073A (en) | 2020-08-20 |
WO2016126356A1 (en) | 2016-08-11 |
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JP2018510326A (en) | 2018-04-12 |
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CN107206292A (en) | 2017-09-26 |
RU2704220C2 (en) | 2019-10-24 |
TR201910817T4 (en) | 2019-08-21 |
RU2017130911A3 (en) | 2019-04-23 |
US10566101B2 (en) | 2020-02-18 |
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