Compartmentalized safety coolant injection system

Claim 1

A nuclear reactor system wherein pressurized water coolant is circulated from the reactor vessel through at least one reactor coolant supply loop that includes a reactor coolant pump and a steam generator, said system being housed in a containment building, said system comprising: a compartment that includes the reactor vessel; a reactor coolant loop compartment corresponding to each reactor coolant loop that includes the reactor coolant pump and steam generator of a single reactor coolant supply loop, the loop compartment having a water-tight base and sidewalls satisfactory to contain leakage from the coolant loop within the loop compartment; an emergency water storage tank within the reactor containment building that is in communication with the reactor coolant loop compartment through a spillway positioned to drain coolant leakage within the loop compartment above a given level, into the emergency water storage tank; a pump module that is connected to the emergency water storage tank and to the reactor vessel, said pump module being operative to draw coolant from the emergency water storage tank and supply it to the reactor vessel; and a containment building sump located in a lower portion of the containment building separate and normally isolated from the emergency water storage tank and loop compartment, normally serving as a fluid collecting reservoir for substantially all non-radioactive fluids drained in the containment building from outside the loop compartment.