Fast nuclear reactor

Claim 2

A fast reactor cooled by liquid sodium comprising a main reactor vessel having a vertical axis a reactor core supported by said main vessel, a primary vessel within said main vessel and containing said reactor core, said primary vessel separating hot liquid sodium discharged from said reactor core and cold liquid sodium, heat exchangers within said main reactor vessel, pumps circulating the cold liquid sodium discharged from said heat exchangers to said reactor core, an annular lateral skew section for said primary vessel, openings through said section receiving said heat exchangers and said pumps, said primary vessel having a shape of revolution about the vertical axis of said main vessel, a turned down edge for said skew section at the exterior of said primary vessel and means joining said turned down edge to said main vessel at a lower extremity of said edge, outlets of said heat exchangers being adjacent the lower surface of said skew section.

Claim 3

A fast reactor according to claim 1, said skew section of said primary vessel being below an upper extremity of said reactor core and a top portion of said skew section being a short distance above outlet levels of said exchangers.

Claim 4

A fast reactor according to claim 1, including at least one baffle-plate element for said main vessel, an annular space between said plate and said main vessel for the circulation of an upward flow of cold liquid sodium discharged from said heat exchangers and a counter-baffle-plate element and an annular space between said baffle-plate and said counter-baffle-plate through which said liquid sodium circulates downwards at the same flow rate into the cold liquid sodium.

Claim 5

A fast reactor according to claim 1 including a horizontal support grid for said reactor core, a lateral conical shell connecting said grid to said main vessel, turned down edge of said skew section of said primary vessel being joined directly to said conical shell adjacent the junction of said skew section with said main vessel.

Claim 6

A fast reactor cooled by liquid sodium comprising a main reactor vessel having a vertical axis, a reactor core supported by said main vessel, a primary vessel within said main vessel and containing said reactor core, said primary vessel separating hot liquid sodium discharged from said reactor core and cold liquid sodium, heat exchangers within said main reactor vessel, pumps circulating the cold liquid sodium discharged from said heat exchangers to said reactor core, an annular lateral skew section for said primary vessel, openings through said section receiving said heat exchangers and said pumps, said primary vessel having a shape of revolution about the vertical axis of said main vessel, a turned down edge for said skew section at the exterior of said primary vessel, at least one baffle-plate element and one counter-baffle-plate element for said main vessel which define with said vessel wall an annular space for circulating a flow of cold liquid sodium, and means joining said turned down edge of said skew section of said primary vessel to said counter-baffle-plate element.

Claim 7

A fast reactor cooled by liquid sodium comprising a main reactor vessel having a vertical axis, a reactor core supported by said main vessel, a primary vessel within said main vessel and containing said reactor core, said primary vessel separating hot liquid sodium discharged from said reactor core and cold liquid sodium, heat exchangers within said main reactor vessel, pumps circulating the cold liquid sodium discharged from said heat exchangers to said reactor core, an annular lateral skew section for said primary vessel, openings through said section receiving said heat exchangers and said pumps, said primary vessel having a shape of revolution about the vertical axis of said main vessel, a turned down edge for said skew section at the exterior of said primary vessel, at least one baffle-plate element and one counter-baffle-plate element for said main vessel which define with said vessel wall an annular space for circulating a flow of cold liquid sodium, and means joining said turned down edge of said skew section of said primary vessel to said counter-baffle-plate element.