Organic liquid moderated and cooled nuclear reactors

Claim 1

A NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT PRESSURE VESSEL OF A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FORM; AN UPRIGHT TUBULAR BARRIER EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER END OF THE PRESSURE VESSEL TO THE UPPER END OF TE PRESSURE VESSEL AND DEFINING WITH THE SIDE WALL OF THE PRESSURE VESSEL AN ANNULAR SPACE; A CORE STRUCTURE DISPOSED IN THE TUBULAR BARRIER IN THE LOWER REGION OF THE PRESSURE VESSEL; AN ANNULAR BAFFLE IN THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE PRESSURE VESSEL AND THE TUBULAR BARRIER DIVIDING THE ANNULAR SPACE INTO AN UPPER RIGION AND A LOWER REGION; A HEAT EXCHANGER DISPOSED IN THE UPPER REGION OF THE ANNULAR SPACE; SPACE LAYERS OF FERROUS-BASED MATERIAL ENCLOSING THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF THE CORE STRUCTURE, THE LAYERS BEING DISPOSED TRANSVERSE TO PATHS OF NETURONS FROM THE REACTOR CORE AND DEFINING WITH EACH OTHER AND THE WALL OF THE PRESSURE VESSEL A PLURALITY OF FLOW PATHS WITHIN THE LOWER REGION OF THE ANNULAR SPACE; MEANS DEFINING FLOW PATH APERTURES IN THE LAYERS OF FERROUS-BASED MATERIAL FOR FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE FLOW PATHS; A MASS OF LIQUID FUNCTIONING AS A MODERATOR AND CORE COOLANT FILLING THE PRESSURE VESEL: AND PUMP MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE LIQUID INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOWER REGION AND CAUSING THE LIQUID TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY TO THE LOWER REGION OF THE ANNULAR SPACE AND THE FLOW PATHS IN THE SPACES BETWEEN THE LAYERS OF FERROUS-BASED MATERIAL, THROUGH THE APERTURES TO THE CORE STRUCTURE, UPWARDS THROUGH THE CORE STRUCTURE AND ALONG THE INTERIOR OF THE TUBULAR BARRIER TO THE UPPER PART OF THE PRESSURE VESSEL AND TO RETURN IN CONTERFLOW THROUGH THE UPPER REGION OF THE ANNULAR SPACE AND SAID HEAT EXCHANGER.