Small Boiling Reactor Power and Heating Plant

Small Boiling Reactor Power and Heating Plant -M. Treshow 

Remotely located, inaccessible areas with demand for electric power offer the best possible background for nuclear power plant applications due to the problems of fuel transportation which makes other kinds of power very expensive to produce. 

A boiling reactor power plant is one which lends itself particularly well to production of economic heat as a by-product to electrical power. 

The reactor, shown in Fig. 14, is designed to operate with a total power level of 5-l/Z mw. It is horizontal only as far as tank and control rods are concerned. The core is cooled by natural convection. Zirconium is considered for base metal in the core instead of aluminum in order to operate with a pressure of 600 psi. 

The tank is divided into two compartments - reactor compartment and steam-separating compartment - by means of a partition which forms a weir. This weir determines the maximum water level in the reactor compartment. The minimum water level is determined by the position of the 6-inch feedwater pipe. 

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