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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Nuclear fuel rack lateral restraint

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5982705
A lateral restraint device for nuclear fuel racks which can accommodate differential thermal expansion between the racks and a containing enclosure is described. The restraint includes a piston, movable within a cylinder, joined to one or more support pads which contact the wall of the enclosure. A spring is also provided within the cylinder to act upon the piston. The piston is sized to provide a predetermined clearance or opening allowing controlled liquid flow into the cylinder. The piston can be held in a given position within the cylinder with the spring compressed to facilitate installation onto the side of a fuel rack, and subsequently positioned by the expanded spring. Relatively small differential expansion loads are accommodated by the moving piston and spring, while large loads, such as those imposed by a seismic occurrence, are resisted by the hydraulic fluid within the cylinder.
Assignee:
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Patent Number(s):
US 4152602
OSTI ID:
5982705
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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