Nuclear fuel rod loader for pulling fuel rods into a fuel assembly skeleton

Patent · Tue May 31 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6961435

Boatwright, D A

In a nuclear fuel rod loader for pulling a nuclear fuel rod from a fuel rod magazine into spacer grids of a nuclear reactor fuel assembly skeleton, a nuclear fuel rod gripper for releasably engaging an internal circumferential groove of a nuclear fuel rod end plug cavity, the gripper is described comprising: (a) an outer tube having an end portion; and (b) an inner shaft insertable in the outer tube. The outer surface of the outer tube is connected to the inner surface of the outer tube at the closed slot end of each slot by a transition surface. Each transition surface includes a generally outwardly-facing, longitudinally-running, chamfer surface and a generally open-slot-end-facing stress relief surface, with the chamfer surface coextensive with the outer surface of the outer tube and the stress relief surface coextensive with the inner surface of the outer tube.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4747997
• OSTI ID: 6961435
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
42 ENGINEERING
420203 -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
DESIGN
EQUIPMENT
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MANIPULATORS
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
OPERATION
REACTOR CHARGING MACHINES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR FUELING
REMOTE HANDLING
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT