Regulation of the pebble flow in a pebble-bed reactor

The cylindrical core tank of the pebble bed reactor has a funnel-shaped outlet at its bottom end with one single discharge tube. The cylindrical part of the pebble bed has a height-to-diameter ratio of 0.5. In order to achieve an approximately constant vertical velocity of the OTTO program in the Juelich AVR and the Uentrop THTR reactors, respectively, there is a small cone mounted on supports in the outlet. Its tip is pointed upward and its largest diameter has a distance to the wall of the funnel sufficient to accommodate the diameter of the spheres. At high powers the outlet and the cone are built up of graphite blocks. They are equipped with numerous vertical channels for coolant passage. The cone may also be a rotationally symmetrical body with a rhombic longitudinal section which rests upon the outlet on radial bars. (orig./PW)