MOBILE BORATION SYSTEM

• US 20150187448A1
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Published: 07/02/2015
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,281,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 apparatus capable of providing nuclear reactor systems with borated coolant that can mix components on-site, to provide borated water, the mobile apparatus comprising:

a) a mobile transportation means comprising;

b) a connection to a water source;

c) a H₂BO₃ powder or other water soluble boron source;

d) a heater to heat the water;

e) a pump or other motive force to move water to a desired location;

f) a mixer configured to provide metered mixing of the water and H₂BO₃ powder or other water soluble boron source to generate a preselected, metered appropriate concentration of initial water/boric acid slurry, which slurry during continued mixing provides a relatively hot borated/boric acid water solution;

g) a dilution tank;

h) a hot stream conduit connected between the mixer and the dilution tank for conveying the relatively hot borated/boric acid water solution to the dilution tank;

i) a dilution stream conduit connecting the dilution tank to a relative cool dilution stream compared to the relatively hot borated/boric acid water solution; and

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 hot borated/boric acid water solution to a nuclear reactor system.

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

3. The mobile boration apparatus 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 apparatus of claim 1, wherein the H₂BO₃ powder source is a hopper and a screw feed conveyor.

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

6. The mobile boration apparatus of claim 4, wherein the screw feed of the hopper can provide a controlled volume flow of H₂BO₃ powder.

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

8. The mobile boration apparatus of claim 1, including a tank containing a chemical additive, said additive facilitating dissolution of the H₂BO₃ in the water.

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

10. The mobile boration apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mixer and a substantial length of the hot stream conduit is maintained in an insulated chamber.

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

12. The mobile boration apparatus of claim 10 wherein the dilution tank is outside of the insulated chamber.

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

14. The mobile boration apparatus 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.

15. The mobile boration apparatus 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 powder source and the mixer.

16. The mobile boration apparatus of claim 15 wherein the mixer is maintained substantially at atmospheric pressure.