Apparatus for producing controllable slow neutron chain reaction

Claim 1

A NEURTONIC REACTION SYSTEM COMPRISING (A) A REACTOR CORE CONTAINING A CRITICAL MASS OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL SUSPENDED AS A POWDER IN A COOLANT GAS, SAID REACTOR CORE BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THERE IS SUBSTANTIALLY NO MODERATION WITHIN THE REACTOR CORE OF FAST NEUTRONS RESULTING FROM THE FISSIONING OF SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL (B) A MODERATOR SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THE REACTOR CORE, SAID REACTOR CORE HAVING A HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION AT THE MIDPOINT OF ITS VERTICAL AXIS AND ELSEWHERE ALONG ITS VERTICAL AXIS SHOWING NO MORE THAN ONE EXTERNAL BOUNDING SURFACE BETWEEN SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND SAID MODERATOR, (C) A PLURALITY OF HEAT EXCHANGERS LOCATED EXTERIORLY OF THE REACTOR CORE AND MODERATOR, (D) CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE REACTOR CORE WITH EACH HEAT EXCHANGER FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE SUSPENSION OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM THE REACTOR CORE TO THE HEAT EXCHANGERS, (E) RETURN CONDUIT MEANS FROM EACH HEAT EXCHANGER TO THE REACTOR CORE FOR RETURNING THE SUSPENSION OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM THE HEAT EXCHANGER TO THE REACTOR CORE, (F) MEANS IN EACH REACTOR CORE-HEAT EXCHANGER CIRCUIT IN WHICH THE SUSPENSION OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL IS CIRCULATED FOR CONTINUOUSLY CYCLING THE SUSPENSION OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL THEREIN AND THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, (G) MEANS FOR ADDITION OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND COOLANT GAS TO THE SYSTEM, AND (H) MEANS FOR REMOVAL OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND FISSION PRODUCTS FROM THE SYSTEM,

Claim 3

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A CONTROLLABLE SLOW NEUTRON CHAIN REACTION WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FORMING IN A FISSION ZONE A CRITICAL MASS OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL, SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL BEING SUSPENDED AS A POWDER IN A COOLANT GAS, CONTINUOUSLY MODERATING THE FAST NEUTRONS FORMED IN THE FISSION ZONE BY USE OF A MODERATOR IN A MODERATING ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF SUSPENDED FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUPUSLY REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM EACH OF SAID STREAMS WITHIN THE MODERATING ZONE BUT OUTSIDE OF THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING EACH OF SAID STREAMS FROM WHICH FISSIONABLE MATERIAL HAS BEEN REMOVED TO HEAT EXCHANGE IN ONE OF A PLURALITY OF HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES WHERE ENERGY FROM THE FISSION IS REMOVED AS HEAT, THE CONDITIONS IN EACH HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE BEING SUCH THAT A CRITICAL MASS OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL DOES NOT EXIST THEREIN DURING OPERATION OF THE PROCESS, AND CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING THE COOLANT GAS FROM EACH HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE ALONG WITH THE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY SEPARATED THEREFROM IN SAID REMOVAL STEP BACK TO THE FISSION ZONE, SAID FISSSIONALBE MATERIAL POWDER WHILE IN SAID FISSION ZONE BEING CONTINUOUSLY MOVED WITH THE COOLANT GAS THROUGH THE ZONE AT SUBATANTIALLY THE VELOCITY OF THE COOLANT GAS.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A CONTROLLABLE SLOW NEUTRON CHAIN REACTION WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FORMING IN A FISSION ZONE A CRITICAL MASS OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL, SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL BEING SUSPENDED AS A POWDER IN A COOLANT GAS, CONTINUOUSLY MODERATING THE FAST NEUTRONS FORMED IN THE FISSION ZONE BY USE OF A MODERATOR IN A MODERATING ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF SUSPENDED FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUPUSLY REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL FROM EACH OF SAID STREAMS WITHIN THE MODERATING ZONE BUT OUTSIDE OF THE FISSION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING EACH OF SAID STREAMS FROM WHICH FISSIONABLE MATERIAL HAS BEEN REMOVED TO HEAT EXCHANGE IN ONE OF A PLURALITY OF HEAT EXCHANGE ZONES WHERE ENERGY FROM THE FISSION IS REMOVED AS HEAT, THE CONDITIONS IN EACH HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE BEING SUCH THAT A CRITICAL MASS OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL DOES NOT EXIST THEREIN DURING OPERATION OF THE PROCESS, AND CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING THE COOLANT GAS FROM EACH HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE ALONG WITH THE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY SEPARATED THEREFROM IN SAID REMOVAL STEP BACK TO THE FISSION ZONE, SAID FISSSIONALBE MATERIAL POWDER WHILE IN SAID FISSION ZONE BEING CONTINUOUSLY MOVED WITH THE COOLANT GAS THROUGH THE ZONE AT SUBATANTIALLY THE VELOCITY OF THE COOLANT GAS.