Spring/dimple instrument tube restraint
- Columbia, SC
A nuclear fuel assembly for a pressurized water nuclear reactor has a spring and dimple structure formed in a non-radioactive insert tube placed in the top of a sensor receiving instrumentation tube thimble disposed in the fuel assembly and attached at a top nozzle, a bottom nozzle, and intermediate grids. The instrumentation tube thimble is open at the top, where the sensor or its connection extends through the cooling water for coupling to a sensor signal processor. The spring and dimple insert tube is mounted within the instrumentation tube thimble and extends downwardly adjacent the top. The springs and dimples restrain the sensor and its connections against lateral displacement causing impact with the instrumentation tube thimble due to the strong axial flow of cooling water. The instrumentation tube has a stainless steel outer sleeve and a zirconium alloy inner sleeve below the insert tube adjacent the top. The insert tube is relatively non-radioactivated inconel alloy. The opposed springs and dimples are formed on diametrically opposite inner walls of the insert tube, the springs being formed as spaced axial cuts in the insert tube, with a web of the insert tube between the cuts bowed radially inwardly for forming the spring, and the dimples being formed as radially inward protrusions opposed to the springs.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-90SF18495
- Assignee:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 5265138
- OSTI ID:
- 869032
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
dimple
instrument
tube
restraint
nuclear
fuel
assembly
pressurized
water
reactor
structure
formed
non-radioactive
insert
placed
top
sensor
receiving
instrumentation
thimble
disposed
attached
nozzle
bottom
intermediate
grids
connection
extends
cooling
coupling
signal
processor
mounted
downwardly
adjacent
springs
dimples
restrain
connections
lateral
displacement
causing
impact
due
strong
axial
flow
stainless
steel
outer
sleeve
zirconium
alloy
inner
below
relatively
non-radioactivated
inconel
opposed
diametrically
opposite
walls
spaced
cuts
web
bowed
radially
inwardly
forming
inward
protrusions
steel outer
tube adjacent
outer sleeve
radially inward
radially inwardly
inner sleeve
pressurized water
structure formed
zirconium alloy
signal processor
inner wall
instrumentation tube
cooling water
nuclear fuel
nuclear reactor
stainless steel
fuel assembly
axial flow
water nuclear
inner walls
extends downwardly
diametrically opposite
lateral displacement
signal process
tube placed
inconel alloy
sensor signal
spaced axial
axial cut
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