摘要:
A locking connection for releasably attaching a handling socket to the duct tube of a fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor. The connection comprises a load pad housing mechanically attached to the duct tube and a handling socket threadably secured within the housing. A retaining ring is interposed between the housing and the handling socket and is formed with a projection and depression engageable within a cavity and groove of the housing and handling socket, respectively, to form a detachable interlocked connection assembly.
摘要:
A nuclear reactor fuel assembly with two support plates and a holding rod connecting the two support plates rigidly with mutual spacing, the holding rod having a longitudinal axis passing through both support plates, and being held at one end in a lead-through in one of the two support plates, includes, in the lead-through, an elongated holding body for the holding rod rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof, and displaceable in direction of the longitudinal axis thereof coaxially with the lead-through; the holding body being rigidly connectible by a rotation relative to the holding rod about the longitudinal axis thereof to an end of the holding rod and tightenable against a holding shoulder in the one support plate and detachable from the holding rod; and a spring element braced against the support plate and pressing the holding body elastically against the holding shoulder.
摘要:
A bottom end member (17b) on a retrievable fuel pin (13b) secures the pin (13b) within a nuclear reactor (12) by engaging on a transverse attachment rail (18) with a spring clip type of action. Removal and reinstallation if facilitated as only axial movement of the fuel pin (13b) is required for either operation. A pair of resilient axially extending blades (31) are spaced apart to define a slot (24) having a seat region (34) which receives the rail (18) and having a land region (37), closer to the tips (39) of the blades (31) which is normally of less width than the rail (18). Thus an axially directed force sufficient to wedge the resilient blades (31) apart is required to emplace or release the fuel pin (13b) such force being greater than the axial forces on the fuel pins (13b) which occur during operation of the reactor (12).
摘要:
A reconstitutable fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor which includes a mechanical, rather than metallurgical, arrangement for connecting control rod guide thimbles to the top and bottom nozzles of a fuel assembly. Multiple sleeves enclosing control rod guide thimbles interconnect the top nozzle to the fuel assembly upper grid. Each sleeve is secured to the top nozzle by retaining rings disposed on opposite sides of the nozzle. Similar sleeves enclose the lower end of control rod guide thimbles and interconnect the bottom nozzle with the lowermost grid on the assembly. An end plug fitted in the bottom end of each sleeve extends through the bottom nozzle and is secured thereto by a retaining ring. Should it be necessary to remove a fuel rod from the assembly, the retaining rings in either the top or bottom nozzles may be removed to release the nozzle from the control rod guide thimbles and thus expose either the top or bottom ends of the fuel rods to fuel rod removing mechanisms.
摘要:
A pad of a fuel assembly with a wrapper tube is pressed out from the interior of the wrapper tube to provide a band-like pad. The pad is reinforced by a reinforcing member fitted in a hollow portion of the pad. The pad is joint to the reinforcing member, or made so that swelling of the pad does not exceed that of the reinforcing material.
摘要:
A top nozzle for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly which includes an orifice plate designed to receive control rod guide tubes extending upwardly from the top of the fuel assembly. Nozzle pin extensions connected to the orifice plate are axially coextensive with the guide tubes and project upwardly through a top nozzle hold-down plate, and through openings in the upper core plate in the reactor. The hold-down plate is spring biased into an upper core plate engaging position and since the pin extensions are adapted to move in the core plate and against the action of the springs, the top nozzle thus becomes effective in accommodating upwardly acting hydraulic forces which tend to lift the fuel assembly, and to accommodate differential expansion of parts in the fuel assembly as compared to the core barrel in which the assembly is located. The number of pins disposed in the hold-down plate move in slots formed in each of the guide tube extensions and the uppermost position of the fuel assembly is determined when the pin is in the bottom of its slot in each of the guide tubes.
摘要:
Method and apparatus for adjusting the level of fuel rods in a fuel assembly which includes a tool having an end insertable between a fuel assembly nozzle plate and the exposed ends of fuel rods. The insertable end of the tool includes stationary and movable plates, the movable plate having a portion which rests on flanges in a forked end of the stationary plate while the other end of said movable plate is bent in a manner such that it lies above the stationary plate. A pair of gears are located in the space defined by the spaced ends of said plates, and screw threaded shafts extend through threaded openings in the movable plate and into gears located in the space between the ends of the plates, so that when one of the shafts is rotated, the force transmitted through said gears causes the other shaft to rotate and the coaction of both threaded shafts thus causes the movable plate to move in a direction away from the stationary plate, and in so doing, cause the fuel rod in contact with the movable plate to be moved in an axial direction and into a position where the end thereof lies in the same plane as the ends of other fuel rods in the assembly.
摘要:
.Iadd.A nuclear reactor with control rods in channels between fuel assemblies wherein the fuel assemblies incorporate guide rods which protrude outwardly into the control rod channels to prevent the control rods from engaging the fuel elements. The guide rods also extend back into the fuel assembly such that they are relatively rigid members. The guide rods are tied to the fuel assembly end or support plates and serve as structural members which are supported independently of the fuel element. Fuel element spacing and support means may be attached to the guide rods..Iaddend.
摘要:
An apparatus for preventing "floating" of nuclear-reactor fuel assemblies due to hydraulic forces is disclosed. The apparatus uses a holddown column made of the same material as the core barrel. The column is positioned in a center guide-tube location in the fuel assembly in such a manner as to enable it either to slide within the center guide tube or, if the center guide tube is replaced by the column, to slide through openings in the spacer grids. The lower end of the holddown column engages the lower end fitting of the fuel assembly, and the upper end of the column engages a flow plate to which holddown force is applied. As a consequence of this arrangement, holddown force is transmitted from the flow plate through the holddown column to the lower end fitting. Movement of the fuel assembly is thereby prevented without a compression load being applied to the fuel-assembly structure. In addition, variations due to thermal expansion in the distance between the lower core plate and the upper core plate are largely made up for by corresponding variations in the holddown column because the holddown column and the core barrel can be made of the same material.
摘要:
A fuel assembly includes a bundle of vertical fuel rods. Some of the rods are tying rods provided with extended upper end plugs, and the rest of the rods are spring-furnished ones, the spring forces balancing the tying forces exerted by the tying rods between a top plate and a bottom plate. The top plate is grid-like and provided with attachment holes for the upper end plugs. The lower end plugs of the tying rods are screwed in threaded holes in the bottom plate. Each of the upper end plugs of the tying rods has a portion located above the top plate and provided with a nut. Rotation of the nut is limited by at least one downwardly directed projection on the nut, the end surface of which lies below the upper edge of the top plate. The maximally allowable length of this projection is less than the maximum shortening of the springs that can be carried out by exerting a downwardly directed force on the top plate. With such a projection length the projections can clear the side and the nut can be rotated and removed.