Sodium heated steam generator

Claim 1

Liquid metal steam generation apparatus comprising: a. a pressure vessel; b. lower tube sheet means within said vessel dividing the latter into high pressure and low pressure regions; c. means for circulating hot liquid metal through the low pressure region of said vessel; d. means for supplying feedwater into the high pressure region of said vessel; e. evaporative means including tube assemblies of annularly arranged inner and outer tubes extending from said high pressure region through said lower tube sheet means into said hot liquid metal within the low pressure region for carrying said feedwater within the inner tubes into said low pressure region, said tube assemblies carrying within the annular spaces said feedwater during evaporation back through said lower tube sheet means for discharge into the high pressure region as saturated steam; f. superheater means for receiving said saturated steam from said evaporative means in said high pressure region for producing superheated steam, consisting of tube assemblies of annularly arranged inner and outer tubes extending into said hot liquid metal within said low pressure region for carrying within annular spaces said saturated steam which is superheated during passage therethrough and returning the superheated steam in the inner tubes through said lower tube sheet means, the latter thereby being subject only to saturated steam temperatures within said vessel; and g. upper tube sheet means in said high pressure region spaced above said lower tube sheet means for receiving said superheated steam and delivering same from said steam generator.