SEALING PLUGS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS

Patent · Mon Nov 21 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4782768

BS>A vertical access tube of a nuclear reactor is sealed by two plugs positioned one upon another and bounding an interspace between them. Each of the plugs comprises a locking portion and a sealing portion and is constituted by three parts mounted in series, two adjacent parts bound an annular groove, the width of it being variable by an axial movement of one of these two parts with respect to the other. The lower of the said grooves comprise packing rings which ensure the fluid tightness by the axial compression of them, while in the other groove locking balls are places which move outwards by an axial compression of them in order to engage into an annular groove provided in the wall of the access tube. The mutual compression of the parts is performed by the upper plug by a tensioning bolt which action may be regulated by an appropriate remote control tool, while the sealing compression of the lower plug is performed by spring action reinforced by the action of the fluid pressure in the reactor, and the compression for the locking mechanism comes from the weight of the top part of this plug. The said lower plug supports on its lower extremity a shielding plug acting against the action of said spring during the insertion process of the plug until the shielding plug comes to rest on a shoulder in the access tube. (NPO)

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-16-015857
• OSTI ID: 4782768
• Report Number(s): FR 1249639
• Country of Publication: France
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CLOSURES
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
LOSSES
PATENT
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REMOTE HANDLING
SHIELDING
TOOLS