Jacking mechanism for upper internals structure of a liquid metal nuclear reactor

Patent · 01 January 1984

OSTI ID:864850

Gillett, James E ^[1]; Wineman, Arthur L ^[1]

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1. Greensburg, PA

A jacking mechanism for raising the upper internals structure of a liquid metal nuclear reactor which jacking mechanism uses a system of gears and drive shafts to transmit force from a single motor to four mechanically synchronized ball jacks to raise and lower support columns which support the upper internals structure. The support columns have a pin structure which rides up and down in a slot in a housing fixed to the reactor head. The pin has two locking plates which can be rotated around the pin to bring bolt holes through the locking plates into alignment with a set of bolt holes in the housing, there being a set of such housing bolt holes corresponding to both a raised and a lowered position of the support column. When the locking plate is so aligned, a surface of the locking plate mates with a surface in the housing such that the support column is then supported by the locking plate and not by the ball jacks. Since the locking plates are to be installed and bolted to the housing during periods of reactor operation, the ball jacks need not be sized to react the large forces which occur or potentially could occur on the upper internals structure of the reactor during operation. The locking plates react these loads. The ball jacks, used only during refueling, can be smaller, which enable conventionally available equipment to fulfill the precision requirements for the task within available space.

• Research Organization: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AC15-76CL02395
• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4427621
• OSTI ID: 864850
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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/376/976/
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