Method for manufacturing concrete pressure vessels

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURIN A PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PRESSURE VESSEL FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS, WHICH COMPRISES ASSEMBLING THE PRESSURE VESSEL IN SITU FROM PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS INCLUDING PRESTRESSING ELEMENTS AND CONCRETE WALL SEGMENTS HAVING ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS THE PREFABRICATED COMDPONENTS BEING SO FORMED AS TO PROVIDE AN OPENING AT RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID VESSEL, INTRODUCING AN ELASTIC INFLATABLE CONTAINER INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID PRESSURE VESSEL; COVERING THE ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID WALL SEGMENTS AND STRIPS OF PRESSURE-RESISTANT MATERIAL; INFLATING SAID CONTAINER BY PUMPING FLUID THEREIN SO AS TO EXPAND SAID VESSEL AND FORM GAPS BETWEEN THE EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID WALL SEGMENTS, AND FILLING SAID GAPS WITH A PRESSURE-RESISTANT MATERIAL, THE METHOD ALSO COMPRISING THE STEPS OF LINING THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL WITH A LAYER OF STEEL PLATES HAVING ADJACENT EDGES AND, AFTER PRESTRESSING THE VESSEL, LINING SAID LAYER OF STEEL PLATES WITH A LAYER OF AUSTENITIC STEEL PROJECTING OUT OF SAID UPPER OPENING, AND SEALINGLY CONNECTING SAID LAYER OF STEEL PLATES AND SAID LAYER OF AUSTENITIC STEEL OUTSIDE OF SAID UPPER OPENING.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURIN A PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PRESSURE VESSEL FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS, WHICH COMPRISES ASSEMBLING THE PRESSURE VESSEL IN SITU FROM PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS INCLUDING PRESTRESSING ELEMENTS AND CONCRETE WALL SEGMENTS HAVING ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS THE PREFABRICATED COMDPONENTS BEING SO FORMED AS TO PROVIDE AN OPENING AT RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID VESSEL, INTRODUCING AN ELASTIC INFLATABLE CONTAINER INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID PRESSURE VESSEL; COVERING THE ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID WALL SEGMENTS AND STRIPS OF PRESSURE-RESISTANT MATERIAL; INFLATING SAID CONTAINER BY PUMPING FLUID THEREIN SO AS TO EXPAND SAID VESSEL AND FORM GAPS BETWEEN THE EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID WALL SEGMENTS, AND FILLING SAID GAPS WITH A PRESSURE-RESISTANT MATERIAL, THE METHOD ALSO COMPRISING THE STEPS OF LINING THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL WITH A LAYER OF STEEL PLATES HAVING ADJACENT EDGES AND, AFTER PRESTRESSING THE VESSEL, LINING SAID LAYER OF STEEL PLATES WITH A LAYER OF AUSTENITIC STEEL PROJECTING OUT OF SAID UPPER OPENING, AND SEALINGLY CONNECTING SAID LAYER OF STEEL PLATES AND SAID LAYER OF AUSTENITIC STEEL OUTSIDE OF SAID UPPER OPENING.