Dry coolant for primary stage of nuclear reactors

Abstract

Nuclear reactors are customarily cooled by water from a natural source in the area. Water brings impurities to and surrounds the fuel rods with a mix of materials, some of which react with the fuel rod contents. Changing the coolant to a pure, inert gas sourced from its cryogenic liquid form with ambient pressure gives greater control of the situation and enables running the reactor at the critical point of water so the cycle of coolant is released to the purifier carrying whatever material is expelled by the fuel rods and the steam cycle leaves the radiator from the reactor chamber as steam leaving little, if any, water release from the nuclear plant with no impurities but what is emitted by the fuel rods themselves contaminating the rod environment. Eliminating the hot water surrounding the plant, security of the Nuclear site is greater since infrared sighting is prevented with shielding just the reactor. Reactor byproducts can be separated and isolated to protect the environment and provide radioactive reagents for research. Liquid Nitrogen availability also provides the fixed fire and crises control for the entire facility eliminating water damage and electrical arcing keeping the computer and control system functional through crises situations. It is predicted that running the Nuclear reactor at 374° C., the critical point of water, can make a smaller system for the same level of power production from a steam generator and can provide mobility of the system is small scale.

1 . A method of steam generation in nuclear reactors that operates dual chambers, one, with the fuel rods bathed in pure, inert Nitrogen gas and the other housing the water for conversion to steam to power the generators that:
 a. operates with dry fuel rods at the critical point of water—all steam temperature.   b. provides a radiator interface between the hot gas and the water component.   c. requires less, if not no, external area for cooling of water components.   d. separates out gaseous products of fission before release into the air.   e. generates a greater quantity of steam from pure water than water coolant systems, and,   f. maintains a store of Liquid Nitrogen or a Noble gas for fire and crises handling throughout the facility.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the pure, inert Nitrogen gas cloud sustained at or above 374° C. keeps fuel rods from Oxygen preventing meltdown from oxidation reactions but absorbs the heat of fission in the primary segment of steam generated nuclear power production. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of heat transfer at critical point for water sustaining a steam environment for the steam generator to produce electrical power in the secondary component. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  of purifying the inert gas by creating a gradient for cooling the Nitrogen being recycled so the fission products released as particles, condensed gases and, as Nitrogen reaches the liquefying temperature, the hydrogen, helium and neon formed separate out rising above the cold molecular Nitrogen gas and can be captured in an inverted cylinder type separator and stored, as in mylar balloons. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , which provides fire and crises protection for the entire facility protecting the computer and control mechanisms as well as the building and physical work areas of the power plant because the stored Liquid Nitrogen can be directed to flow into the fire and crises control piping to areas affected by crises. 
     
     
         6 . A method of steam generation of electrical power that can vary in size of reactor equipment giving better flexibility to use than water cooled primary systems since the need for external cooling is self-contained and does not include bodies of water. 
     
     
         7 . A method of thermal control of the primary sector of nuclear reactors regulated by infusing the sector with the same inert gas just evaporated from its liquid phase making small additions to the gas volume giving rapid thermal cooling of the fuel rod environment enabled with:
 a. thermal tracking of the ambient temperature of the primary sector of the nuclear reactor with both high temperature limits and low temperature limits for intervention.   b. high temperature limits reached activate cryogenic liquid infusion into the primary sector a stream of just evaporated inert gas lowers the ambient temperature of the primary sector until the temperature is again within the range of normal operation.   c. low temperature limits reached activate slowing the circulatory action of the inert gas so less “fresh” just evaporated gas flows in preserving the heat of fission of the fuel rods to maintain the gas environment at the critical point of water, 374° C.   d. general cycling of the inert gas in the primary sector provides a slow flow of the just evaporated gas into the chamber and exhaust of the hot gas out for cooling and purifying of accumulated fission products keeping a clean fuel rod environment.