Ball-type control for a nuclear reactor

Claim 1

A NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPRISING A PRESSURE VESSEL, A CORE LOCATED WITHIN SAID VESSEL AND CONTAINING A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL TO ESTABLISH AND SUSTAIN A CHAIN-TYPE FISSION REACTION, A NUMBER OF ELONGATED CONDUITS DISPOSED IN A REGULAR ARRANGEMENT WIITHIN SAID VESSEL, EACH OF SAID CONDUITS COMPRISING A FIRST SECTION LOCATED WITHIN AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CORE AND AN ADJOINING SECOND SECTION LOCATED EXTERIORLY OF SAID CORE AND POSITIONED ABOVE SAID FIRST SECTION, A PLURALITY OF BODIES EACH CONTAINING A HIGH NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS SECTION MATERIAL POSITIONED WITHIN EACH OF SAID CONDUITS AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLING THE FIRST SECTIONS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID BODIES HAVING A TRANSVERSE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS BUT SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID CONDUIT SO THAT THE BODIES ARE FREELY MOVABLE THROUGH SAID CONDUITS, A FIRST FLUID CONNECTION TO THE LOWER PART OF EACH OF SAID CONDUITS AND A SECOND FLUID CONNECTION TO THE UPPER PART OF EACH OF SAID CONDUITS FOR THE PASSAGE OF PRESSURIZED FLUID THERETHROUGH CONTINUOUSLY IN EITHER DIRECTION WHILE MAINTAINING THE REACTOR IN OPERATION, FIRST MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID FIRST FLUID CONNECTION AT A FIRST SELECTED PRESSURE, SECOND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID SEOND FLUID CONNECTION AT A SECOND SELECTED PRESSURE WHICH IS HIGHER THAN SAID FIRST SELECTED PRESSURE AT SAID FIRST FLUID CONNECTION FOR POSITIVE INSERTION OF SAID BODIES FROM SAID SECOND SECTIONS INTO FIRST SECTIONS MEANS PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF SAID BODIES BEYOND SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS OF SAID CONDUITS, AND REGULABLE FLUID FLOW MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH AT LEAST SAID SECOND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID SECOND FLUID CONNECTION FOR INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLING THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF PRESSURIZED FLUID THROUGH EACH OF SAID CONDUITS TO THEREBY POSITION SAID BODIES SELECTIVELY IN FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS OF SAID CONDUITS TO CONTROL REACTIVITY DURING REACTOR OPERATION AS WELL AS TO CONTROL START UP AND SHUTDOWN OF THE FISSION REACTION.