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

Patent · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 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., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
• 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

Related Subjects

jacking
mechanism
upper
internals
structure
liquid
metal
nuclear
reactor
raising
gears
drive
shafts
transmit
force
single
motor
mechanically
synchronized
ball
jacks
raise
support
columns
rides
slot
housing
fixed
head
locking
plates
rotated
bring
bolt
holes
alignment
set
corresponding
raised
lowered
position
column
plate
aligned
surface
mates
supported
installed
bolted
periods
operation
sized
react
forces
occur
potentially
loads
refueling
enable
conventionally
available
equipment
fulfill
precision
requirements
task
space
support column
drive shaft
nuclear reactor
liquid metal
reactor operation
upper internals
metal nuclear
internals structure
support columns
bolt holes
jacking mechanism
reactor head
transmit force
drive shafts
/376/976/