General Electric Company

Other

Charles A Dalke

Jack Toshio Matsumoto

Charles W Dillmann

Alex B Fife

Charles W Relf

Kenneth R Izzo

Karl B Larsen

John Allan Sies

Bradley G Stoll

Gene W Comstock

Gary H Hankin

Jan N Hodges

Charles E Burdg

Tsi-Pin Choong

Don G Umble

A top guide to shroud head interface is described. In one embodiment, the interface includes a top guide that includes a flange that is configured to engage a corresponding flange of the shroud head. The top guide flange includes a plurality of frusto-conical shaped guide pins extending from the top surface of the flange. The shroud head flange includes a plurality of guide pin openings configured to align with the guide pins located on the top guide flange. Each guide pin opening includes a frusto-conical portion that extends through the flange from the bottom surface of the shroud head flange and has a slope equal to the slope of the frusto-conical pins. Each guide pin opening also includes a cylindrical portion that extends from the small base of the frusto-conical portion of the guide pin opening to the top surface of the shroud head flange. The diameter of the frusto-conical guide pin opening at the bottom surface of the shroud head flange is configured to be larger than the diameter of the frusto-conical guide pin immediately adjacent the top surface of the top guide flange. The frusto-conical guide pins and guide pin openings provide for suitable clearances between the guide pins and the guide pin openings to accommodate any flexing of the shroud head flange during installation.

Conical shaped seismic guide pins and mating openings

Methods and assemblies for cleaning a control rod guide tube in a nuclear reactor are described. An assembly, in accordance with one embodiment, includes a support housing and a flush tube. The support housing includes a bore extending between its first and second ends. The flush tube also includes a bore extending between its first and second ends. The flush tube extends through the support housing bore and is movably coupled to the support housing adjacent the first end of the support housing. The second end of the flush tube extends from the support housing and includes a flush nozzle which is movable between a first, or latched, position and a second, or open, position.

Methods and assemblies for cleaning a control rod guide in a nuclear

A restraint assembly which is a bolted lattice structure for preventing the in-core guide tubes from experiencing excessive flow induced vibrations is described. In one embodiment, the restraint assembly includes upper and lower restraint brackets secured to an in-core housing and in-core guide tube assembly. The restraint brackets are located approximately equal distance from the end supports of the in-core guide tube and in-core housing assembly. The upper restraint bracket is welded between sections of the in-core guide tube, and the lower restraint bracket is welded between the in-core guide tube and the in-core housing. Each bracket includes four flanges, and each flange has tapped, or threaded, openings therein. Each bracket also includes cylindrical sections extending from the flanges, and in one embodiment, the cylindrical sections have inner and outer diameters which match the inner and outer diameters of the in-core housing and the in-core guide tube. The brackets are interconnected by plates and threaded bolts. More specifically, the brackets of each ICGT and ICH assembly are connected to brackets of adjacent assemblies by plates and bolts. The bolts are sized and torqued to ensure that a sufficient preload is maintained to prevent any slippage. The bolt heads are tack welded to the restraint plates after final assembly. The assembly also includes a shroud attachment plate and a restraint support bracket configured to be welded to a shroud.

In-core guide tube restraint for a boiling water reactor

A device for carrying out a surveillance program to monitor the environmental effect of radiation and high-temperature oxygenated water on the shroud material in an operating reactor. The device is a holder containing shroud material specimens and encapsulated neutron flux monitors. The holder is installed on the shroud wall and left in place for a predetermined period of reactor operation time for the purpose of monitoring the neutron fluence effect on the shroud material specimens housed in the holder. The specimen holder is later removed from the reactor. The specimens are removed from the holder and examined in a laboratory to determine any changes in material properties. The specimen holder comprises a bolt-like device having a hollow head and a threaded shaft. The hollow head provides space for material specimens and neutron flux monitors. The specimen holder is attached to the shroud wall by screwing the threaded shaft into a threaded hole in shroud wall.

Material surveillance specimen holder for core shroud of boiling water

Methods and apparatus for polishing seal surfaces in a nuclear reactor are described. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a universal joint which has a universal joint housing and a drive shaft extending therefrom. A polishing plate is secured to the universal joint housing. A working surface of the polishing plate is configured to polish the seal surfaces. The seal surfaces of incore monitor housings and valves may, for example, be polished using various embodiments of the apparatus.

Methods and apparatus for polishing seal surfaces in a nuclear reactor

A fuel bundle assembly for a boiling water nuclear reactor includes an open ended tubular channel subdivided into four quadrants by at least two interior partitions, each quadrant having a sub-fuel bundle assembly having a plurality of fuel rods extending between upper and lower tie plates. An inter-bundle support plate receives a lower end of the channel and has four flow openings at an upper end thereof, such that the lower tie plate of each sub-fuel bundle supported in a respective one of the openings in the support plate. In one embodiment, the sub-fuel bundles within a channel are separated by a cruciform shaped coolant passage. In a second embodiment, the cruciform coolant passage is omitted to thus provide a homogeneous sub-fuel bundle configuration.

Large BWR fuel channel design

A device for easily installing and removing strain gauge instrumentation and associated wiring on the inside of in-core monitor housings. A vibration sensor is attached to an inside diameter of a cylindrical housing. A signal cable is coupled to the vibration sensor and extends into an exterior of the reactor pressure vessel. A protective assembly minimizes the damage inflicted on the signal cables during handling. The signal cables are helically wound in an annular space between a pair of concentric thin-walled tubes and then passed through cable penetration bores formed in the body of a flange insert. The flange insert supports the concentric tube assembly and is sandwiched between the housing flange and the in-core monitor instrument flange of a conventional in-core monitor assembly.

Strain gauge instrumentation device for in-core monitor housings

One aspect of the present invention comprises an apparatus for storing an end effector nestably adjacent a pipe to which it is attached and for moving the end effector into a working position laterally-displaced from said pipe is disclosed. Such apparatus desirably is part of the robotic welding apparatus wherein the end effector is a welding head. This apparatus comprises a pair of pipe segments in rotating end-abuttable relationship, each segment bearing a ring gear about its circumference; a pair of helical lotus petals having an in inner surface which conforms to the outer surface of the pipe segment to which each lotus petal is hingedly attached at its distal end, each lotus petal being attached hingedly at their respective distal ends to a lotus petal hinge attachment stage; drive means drivably connected to each of said ring gears for separately driving each pipe segment; and an end effector carried by said lotus petal hinge attachment stage. Each lotus petal and said lotus petal hinge attachment stage, and thus said end effector, are nestably stored adjacent their respective pipe segments. The end effector is movable to a working position laterally-displaced from said pipe by said drive means driving said pipe segments in opposite directions. The end effector is movable horizontally (Y axis motion) by driving said pipe segments differentially in the same direction.

Robotic welder for nuclear boiling water reactors

A stopper apparatus for use in blocking the unvalved nozzle of a cooling fluid filled nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes a plug, typically in the shape of a frusto-conical member having inflatable gaskets for sealing against a seat of generally unknown surface characteristics and means for positioning and urging the plug into position to seal the nozzle. The plug is typically positioned by suspension cables whereby the apparatus can be temporarily inserted and removed from the pressure vessel. The urging means is generally a two-way hydraulically driven jack controlled by remotely-actuated hydarulic lines. The apparatus is a tool which permits temporary sealing of a submerged outlet in a reactor vessel to permit maintenance on a fluid recirculation loop.

Outlet plug for recirculation loop of nuclear reactor

A microprocessor controls pressure transducer testing, calibration, and adjustment. A transducer or unit under test (UUT) receives a fluid pressure signal from a test line, and outputs a corresponding electrical signal. A test pressure is output from a fluid pressure module which is connected to the UUT. A human operator is interrogated by the microprocessor based control unit as to (1) identifying details about the desired pressure UUT to be tested, and (2) the anticipated electrical range to be encountered in reply to an applied test pressure. The microprocessor then sequentially generates electrical output signals which are sent to the test lines to generate the test pressure pulses from a fluid pressure supply. The pressure test pulses are delivered to the UUT. As the UUT receives the sequence of pressure test pulses, the microprocessor records the output electrical signals generated by the UUT, and compares them to an internal reference pressure transducer output. Display of the results occurs with preferably the percent error calculated at each step. Provision for pressure transducer UUT calibration is made by providing the calibration instrument with the ability to issue tonal and visual signals in response to UUT adjustments, thus providing sense and amount of adjustments of the zero point and span range of the transducer under test.

Instrument for calibrating pressure gauges

The present invention relates to a metering dispenser attachment for packaged fluent products, and more particularly to a dispenser attachment adapted to be mounted on an exterior surface of the package for cooperation with an existing dispensing opening. A metering chamber is included for receiving products through the dispensing opening and accumulating a predetermined amount when the package is turned upside down. Dispensing of the accumulated product is then achieved when the package is turned right side up.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Charles A Dalke