Mobile boration system

• US 9,281,087 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Swantner, Stephen R., Vanston, Ryan T., Fournier, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wasil, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/639,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20150187448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 376/282, 376/909, 137/87.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/687 Devices for dosing solid compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/02 Non-contaminated water, e.g. for industrial water supply
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle for biological treatment C02F2203/008
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 15/182 comprising powered means, e.g. pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 9/033 by an absorbent fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 1/02 Arrangements of auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/04 Safety arrangements emergency protection of reactor G21C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/00 Energy generation of nuclear origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2496 Self-proportioning or correlating systems

Abstract

A mobile boration system (60) has a number of components that are mobile and include a water source (10), H₂BO₃ powder supply (14), a mixer to mix the solution (20) capable of providing a boric acid solution (30) with minimal air entrainment and optional heat exchanger(s) (12), and wherein the system (60) is capable of transport to a nuclear power plant facility by land, sea or air, rather than being in place in a large vulnerable footprint.

Claims

1. A mobile boration system configured to provide nuclear reactor systems with borated coolant that can mix components of the borated coolant on-site, to provide borated water, the mobile boration system comprising:

a) a water source or a connection to a water source;

b) a water soluble boron powder source;

c) a heater to heat the water;

d) a pump operable to provide a motive force to move water to a desired location;

e) a metering system configured to provide a metered flow of the boron powder source and water heated by the heater;

f) a mixer configured to provide metered mixing of the heated water and the water soluble boron source to provide a metered concentration of water/boric acid slurry;

g) a dilution tank;

h) a hot stream conduit connected between the mixer and the dilution tank, configured to convey the heated water/boric acid slurry to the dilution tank;

i) a dilution stream conduit connecting an inlet port on the dilution tank to a cool dilution stream relative to the heated water/boric acid slurry;

j) a diluted boric acid output connected to an exit port on the dilution tank for conveying a mixture of the dilution stream and the heated water/boric acid slurry to a nuclear reactor system;

k) a transport arrangement configured to transport the mobile boration system to the nuclear reactor system, wherein the transport arrangement eliminates the need for onsite storage of conventionally large volumes of borated/boric acid water solutions; and

l) an insulated chamber housing the mixer and a length of the hot stream conduit with the dilution tank outside of the insulated chamber.

2. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the heater heats the water/boric acid slurry in the mixer.

3. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the pump of (e) is selected from the group consisting of a positive displacement pump and a centrifugal pump with a flow meter.

4. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the water soluble boron powder source is supplied by a hopper and a screw feed conveyor.

5. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the mixer is a mechanical mixer which can provide sufficient agitation to ensure the slurry goes into solution with air entrainment of less than 1 vol. %.

6. The mobile boration system of claim 4, wherein the screw feed conveyor and the hopper can provide a controlled volume flow of the water soluble boron powder source.

7. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the transport arrangement is selected from a truck trailer, a railcar flatbed, a sea transport or an air transport.

8. The mobile boration system of claim 1, including a tank containing a chemical additive, said additive facilitating dissolution of the water soluble boron powder source in the volume of water.

9. The mobile boration system of claim 1, wherein the water source is selected from the group consisting of pumped water or tank water.

10. The mobile boration system of claim 1 including an environmental control system for heating an inside of the insulated chamber.

11. The mobile boration system of claim 1 including a compressor connected to the dilution tank to supply compressed air to the upper interior of the dilution tank.

12. The mobile boration system of claim 1 including a control system which is responsive to an operator input of set points to automatically control a concentration of boric acid exiting the dilution tank.

13. The mobile boration system of claim 1 including an H₂BO₃ powder delivery system that includes a compressed air input that provides an air blanket to prevent powder agglomeration caused by moisture migration to the interface between the water soluble boron powder source and the mixer.

14. The mobile boration system of claim 13 wherein the mixer is maintained substantially at atmospheric pressure.