Integral boiling and superheating nuclear reactor and pressure tube assembly therefor

Claim 2

IN A NEUTRONIC REACTOR, AN OUTER VESEL, A SOLID MODERATOR LATTICE DISPOSED IN SID VESSEL AND FORMING A PLURALITY OF FLOW OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, A RE-ENTRANT PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLY DISPOSED IN EACH OF SAID OPENINGS AND HAVING A PORTION THEREOF PASSING THROUGH SAID OUTER VESSEL, MEANS FOR CIRCULATING A LIQUID COOLANT THROUGH EACH OF SAID PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLIES, FISSIONABLE MATERIAL DISPOSED WITHIN EACH OF SAID PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLIES IN A HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID LIQUID COOLANT, MEANS FOR PRODUCING SUPERHEATED VAPOR WITHIN EACH OF SAID PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLIES, AND MEANS FOR CURCULATING A COOLING FLUID THROUGH SAID VESSEL IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH SAID MODERATOR LATTICE AND WITH THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLIES TO PROMOTE HEAT TRANSFER FROM SID MODERATOR LATTICE TO SAID PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLIES.

Claim 3

A PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLY FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PRESSURE TUBE HAVING AN INLET APERTURE AND AN OUTLET APERTURE, A PLURALITY OF SPACED ANNULAR FISSILE FUEL ELEMENTS LOCATED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID PRESSURE TUBE, SAID FUEL ELEMENTS FORMING A PLURALITY OF REVERSE FLOW PASSAGES COMMUNICATING SERIALLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH SAID INLET AND OUTLET APERTURES SO AS TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS FLOW PATH FROM SAID INLET APERTURE TO SAID OUTLET APERTURE FOR A COOLANT FLOWING FROM SAID INLET APERTURE, SAID ANNULAR FUEL ELEMENTS BEING TO SAID OUTLET APERTURE IN A HEAT EXCHANGING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COOLANT AND HAVING SUFFICIENT FISSILE FUEL MATERIAL ADJACENT EACH OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES TO CONVERT THE COOLANT FROM A LIQUID TO A SUPERHEATED VAPOR BY THE ABSORPTION OF HEAT FROM SAID FUEL ELEMENTS DURING THE PASSAGE OF SAID COOLANT THROUGH SAID FLOW PASSAGES.

Claim 4

A PRESSURE TUBE ASSEMBLY FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PRESSURE TUBE HAVING AN INLET APERTURE AND AN OUTLET APERTURE, A PLURALITY OF SPACED ANNULAR FISSILE FUEL ELEMENTS LOCATED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID PRESSURE TUBE, SAID FUEL ELEMENTS FORMING A PLURALITY OF REVERSE FLOW PASSAGES COMMUNICATING SERIALLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH SAID INLET AND OUTLET APERTURES SO AS TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS FLOW PATH FROM SAID INLET APERTURE TO SAID OUTLET APERTURE FOR A COOLANT FLOWING FROM SAID INLET APERTURE, SAID ANNULAR FUEL ELEMENTS BEING TO SAID OUTLET APERTURE IN A HEAT EXCHANGING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COOLANT AND HAVING SUFFICIENT FISSILE FUEL MATERIAL ADJACENT EACH OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES TO CONVERT THE COOLANT FROM A LIQUID TO A SUPERHEATED VAPOR BY THE ABSORPTION OF HEAT FROM SAID FUEL ELEMENTS DURING THE PASSAGE OF SAID COOLANT THROUGH SAID FLOW PASSAGES.