( 25 of 25 ) |
United States Patent | 4,773,826 |
Mole | September 27, 1988 |
A DC electromagnetic pump for circulating liquid-metal coolant through a nuclear reactor. The metal is circulated through ducts which are disposed in an annulus. Opposite walls of the ducts serve as electrodes to transmit current radially with respect to the annulus through the liquid metal in the ducts. The radial current is supplied by a homopolar generator. The walls of the ducts joining the electrodes are of composite structure. They include metal plates insulated from the electrodes backed up by insulators and are capable of withstanding the pressure of the liquid metal. These composite wall structures may also be of thin metal strips of low electrical conductivity backed up by sturdy insulators. A circumferential electric field is supplied to the liquid metal by a toroidal electromagnet which has core sections interposed between the ducts. The windings of the electromagnet extend over the ducts to suppress flux leakage. The windings are composed of metal which is superconductive at low temperatures and the electromagnet is maintained at a temperature at which it is superconductive. The liquid helium for maintaining the windings at superconductive temperature is fed through the conductor which supply the excitation for the electromagnet.
Inventors: | Mole; Cecil J. (Monroeville, PA) |
Assignee: |
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
(Pittsburgh,
PA)
|
Appl. No.: | 06/347,754 |
Filed: | February 10, 1982 |
Current U.S. Class: | 417/50 ; 376/402; 976/DIG.14; 976/DIG.201 |
Current International Class: | G21C 15/00 (20060101); G21C 1/03 (20060101); G21C 15/247 (20060101); H02K 44/04 (20060101); G21C 1/00 (20060101); H02K 44/00 (20060101); H02K 044/00 () |
Field of Search: | 417/50 510/10 376/315,395,402,403,404 |
2715190 | August 1955 | Brill |
2770196 | November 1956 | Watt |
3219851 | November 1965 | Kidwell |
3567339 | March 1971 | Paine |
4314171 | February 1982 | Hatch |
2112791 | Jun., 1972 | FR | |||
0035404 | Mar., 1979 | JP | |||
2070148 | Sep., 1981 | GB | |||
Yevick, John G. et al., Fast Reactor Technology, M.I.T. Press, 1966, pp. 175-185. . Super Copper, Phelps Dodge, New York, N.Y.. |