Pellet inspection apparatus
Apparatus for inspecting nuclear fuel pellets in a sealed container for diameter, flaws, length and weight. The apparatus includes, in an array, a pellet pick-up station, four pellet inspection stations and a pellet sorting station. The pellets are delivered one at a time to the pick-up station by a vibrating bowl through a vibrating linear conveyor. Grippers each associated with a successive pair of the stations are reciprocable together to pick up a pellet at the upstream station of each pair and to deposit the pellet at the corresponding downstream station. The gripper jaws are opened selectively depending on the state of the pellets at the stations and the particular cycle in which the apparatus is operating. Inspection for diameter, flaws and length is effected in each case by a laser beam projected on the pellets by a precise optical system while each pellet is rotated by rollers. Each laser and its optical system are mounted in a container which is free standing on a precise surface and is provided with locating buttons which engage locating holes in the surface so that each laser and its optical system is precisely set. The roller stands are likewise free standing and are similarly precisely positioned. The diameter optical system projects a thin beam of light which scans across the top of each pellet and is projected on a diode array. The fl GOVERNMENT CONTRACT CLAUSE The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder with the Department of Energy bearing No. EY-67-14-C-2170.
- Research Organization:
- Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-14-2170
- Assignee:
- The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Number(s):
- 4,349,112
- Application Number:
- 06/136122
- OSTI ID:
- 864332
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 1980 Mar 31
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Apparatus and method for classifying fuel pellets for nuclear reactor
Apparatus and method for classifying fuel pellets for nuclear reactor
Related Subjects
inspection
apparatus
inspecting
nuclear
fuel
pellets
sealed
container
diameter
flaws
length
weight
array
pick-up
station
stations
sorting
delivered
time
vibrating
bowl
linear
conveyor
grippers
associated
successive
pair
reciprocable
pick
upstream
deposit
corresponding
downstream
gripper
jaws
selectively
depending
particular
cycle
operating
effected
laser
beam
projected
precise
optical
rotated
rollers
mounted
free
standing
surface
provided
locating
buttons
engage
holes
precisely
set
roller
stands
likewise
similarly
positioned
projects
light
scans
top
diode
fl
government
contract
clause
described
course
subcontract
thereunder
department
energy
bearing
ey-67-14-c-2170
free standing
fuel pellet
fuel pellets
nuclear fuel
laser beam
diode array
sealed container
inspection apparatus
diameter optical
precisely positioned
pellet inspection
inspecting nuclear
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