Liquid moderated nuclear reactor

Claim 1

A METHOD OF OPERATING A PRESSURIZED WATER-MODERATED HETEROGENEOUS REACTOR HAVING A CORE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF FISSILE MATERIAL-BEARING FUEL ELEMENTS ARRANGED IN A FIXED LATTICE AND A PLURALITY OF FIXED REGULAR FLOW CHANNELS THERETHROUGH, SAID CORE BEING ARRANGED TO ATTAIN CRITICALITY UNDER PREDETERMINED CONDITIONS OF MODERATED WATER, SAID METHOD COMPROSING THE STEPS OF SUPPLYING MODERATING WATER TO SAID CORE AT A PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2800 TO 3200 P.S.I., DIRECTING MODERATING WATER THROUGH THE CORE TO INCREASE ITS TEMPERATURE ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT CORE MODERATING WATER OUTFLOW IS AT OR CLOSE T THE SATURATED LIQUID TEMPERATURE CORRESPONDING TO ITS PRESSURE AND SO THAT THE MODERATING WATER WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF STAGNANT VAPOR IN PASSING OVER THE FUEL ELEMENTS, MAINTAINING THE LEVEL OF THE MODERATING WATER IN THE REACTOR ABOVE THE CORE, WHILE MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE OF THE MODERATING WATER WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2800 P.S.I. TO 3200 P.S.I., WHICH RANGE INCLUDES THE PREDETERMINED CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CRITICALITY OF THE CORE IS ATTAINED, MAINTAINING A BODY OF STEAM IN CONTACT WITH THE MODERATING WATER COVERING SAID CORE, CIRCULATING THE MODERATING WATER IN SAID CORE THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF THE REACTOR, CIRCULATING A SECONDARY FLUID THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER, EXTRACTING HEAT FROM SAID SECONDARY FLUID IN A PRIME MOVER THAT IS CONNECTED TO A LOADING DEVICE, AND VARYING THE PRESSUE OF THE MODERATING WATER IN SAID CORE WITHIN SAID RANGE BY VARYING THE LOAD ON SIAD PRIME MOVER, A CHANGE IN LOAD CAUSING A CHANGE IN THE PRESSURE AND A RELATIVELY LARGE CHANGE IN THE DENSITY OF THE MODERATING WATER IN THE CORE AND OF THE REACTIVITY OF THE CORE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF OPERATING A PRESSURIZED WATER-MODERATED HETEROGENEOUS REACTOR HAVING A CORE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF FISSILE MATERIAL-BEARING FUEL ELEMENTS ARRANGED IN A FIXED LATTICE AND A PLURALITY OF FIXED REGULAR FLOW CHANNELS THERETHROUGH, SAID CORE BEING ARRANGED TO ATTAIN CRITICALITY UNDER PREDETERMINED CONDITIONS OF MODERATED WATER, SAID METHOD COMPROSING THE STEPS OF SUPPLYING MODERATING WATER TO SAID CORE AT A PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2800 TO 3200 P.S.I., DIRECTING MODERATING WATER THROUGH THE CORE TO INCREASE ITS TEMPERATURE ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT CORE MODERATING WATER OUTFLOW IS AT OR CLOSE T THE SATURATED LIQUID TEMPERATURE CORRESPONDING TO ITS PRESSURE AND SO THAT THE MODERATING WATER WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF STAGNANT VAPOR IN PASSING OVER THE FUEL ELEMENTS, MAINTAINING THE LEVEL OF THE MODERATING WATER IN THE REACTOR ABOVE THE CORE, WHILE MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE OF THE MODERATING WATER WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2800 P.S.I. TO 3200 P.S.I., WHICH RANGE INCLUDES THE PREDETERMINED CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CRITICALITY OF THE CORE IS ATTAINED, MAINTAINING A BODY OF STEAM IN CONTACT WITH THE MODERATING WATER COVERING SAID CORE, CIRCULATING THE MODERATING WATER IN SAID CORE THROUGH A HEAT EXCHANGER DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF THE REACTOR, CIRCULATING A SECONDARY FLUID THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGER, EXTRACTING HEAT FROM SAID SECONDARY FLUID IN A PRIME MOVER THAT IS CONNECTED TO A LOADING DEVICE, AND VARYING THE PRESSUE OF THE MODERATING WATER IN SAID CORE WITHIN SAID RANGE BY VARYING THE LOAD ON SIAD PRIME MOVER, A CHANGE IN LOAD CAUSING A CHANGE IN THE PRESSURE AND A RELATIVELY LARGE CHANGE IN THE DENSITY OF THE MODERATING WATER IN THE CORE AND OF THE REACTIVITY OF THE CORE.