Pellet-press-to-sintering-boat nuclear fuel pellet loading system

Patent · Tue Aug 23 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6521237

Bucher, G D

This patent describes a system for loading nuclear fuel pellets into a sintering boat from a pellet press which ejects newly made the pellets from a pellet press die table surface. The system consists of: (a) a bowl having an inner surface, a longitudinal axis, an open and generally circular top of larger diameter, and an open and generally circular bottom of smaller diameter; (b) means for supporting the bowl in a generally upright position such that the bowl is rotatable about its longitudinal axis; (c) means for receiving the ejected pellets proximate the die table surface of the pellet press and for discharging the received pellets into the bowl at a location proximate the inner surface towards the top of the bowl with a pellet velocity having a horizontal component which is generally tangent to the inner surface of the bowl proximate the location; (d) means for rotating the bowl about the longitudinal axis such that the bowl proximate the location has a velocity generally equal, in magnitude and direction, to the horizontal component of the pellet velocity at the location; and (e) means for moving the sintering boat generally horizontally beneath and proximate the bottom of the bowl.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4765453
• Application Number: TRN: 89-003545
• OSTI ID: 6521237
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 27 Apr 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
FUEL PELLETS
LOADING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
NUCLEAR FUELS
PELLETIZING
CONTAINERS
DESIGN
OPERATION
PRESSING
SINTERING
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
FUELS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MATERIALS WORKING
MOLDING
PELLETS
REACTOR MATERIALS
420203* - Engineering- Handling Equipment & Procedures
050900 - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage
050700 - Nuclear Fuels- Fuels Production & Properties