Homogeneous-liquid metal-fast reactor

963,528. Reactors. UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION. Oct. 29, 1962 [Dec. 13, 1961], No. 40858/62. Heading G6C. A method of removing heat and fission products from a plutonium containing molten fuel in the core of a homogeneous reactor characterized in that a coolant immiscible with the fuel is circulated through the core in actual contact with the fuel so that some fuel is entrained with the coolant leaving the core and subsequently separating the fuel and coolant whereby heat and fission products are transferred to the coolant. As shown, a vessel 1 of tantalum, closed at the top by a shield 37, has suspended from a top flange 2 a cylindrical structure 3 supporting a primary sodium coolant pump 4 having inlets 5, the pump outlet duct 10 being defined by a tube 11. A heat exchanger 6 surrounding the tube 11 has inlets and outlets 13,14 for the primary sodium, the cooled sodium passing to a surge chamber 15. A secondary sodium circuit for generating steam is connected at 20 to the vessel 1 and has annular inlet and outlet channels 16, 17 connected to the exchanger 6. The chain reaction may be terminated in an emergency by a rod 29 having a piston 22 normally held in the upper position in a housing 28 by fluid pressure in a conduit 21. On interruption of the pressure in conduit 21 the weight of sodium entering through a vent 24 drives the rod 29 down. Spiral baffles 31 at the lower end of the tube 11 impart a rapidly rotating movement to the sodium flowing through the duct 10, the sodium passing through a flow reversal region 32 and an annular duct 43 to the heat exchanger 6. The core 27 has a top shield 30 having peripheral fluid communication ducts 35 through which the molten fuel is continuously drawn in a jet pumping action by the flow of coolant. The fuel is an alloy of plutonium, cerium and cobalt. Thus in the region 32 the fuel is intimately mixed with the sodium and heat and fission products are transferred to the latter. Due to the rotational movement of the mixture imparted by the baffles 31 the heavy components i.e. the fuel, is separated in the region 34 and is returned by a baffle 36 and annular path 42 to the core 27. A breeder blanket 41 is provided.