Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Crane Nuclear, Inc.

David E Morlan

Christopher P Smith

Paul G Anderson

Rodney M Eslinger

Klane B Anderson

An instrument mounting system for repeatable field testing of equipment or other test object, comprising a frame and an inner surface defined at least in part by the frame. Exactly three object contact points are disposed upon the inner surface, the three object contact points defining a plane.

High-stability instrument mounting system for repeatable field testing of equipment

A permanently instrumented actuated valve assembly includes at least one internally-gauged, permanently instrumented shaft functioning as a load bearing component through which an actuator drives a valve element. The shaft has a longitudinal (preferably axial), internal bore generally extending from the one end of the shaft to a point therewithin. A thrust monitoring instrument is mounted within the axial bore and monitors axial forces acting on the shaft to provide an indication of the performance of the valve assembly. Alternatively, one or more transverse bores extending from the internal bore to the external surface of the valve stem are provided with torsional force monitoring instruments being received within such transverse bore(s).

Permanently instrumented actuated valve assembly, with internally-gauged, permanently instrumented shaft

An inspection apparatus is suspended from a robotic positioning arm and is operable to inspect the surface of a boiling water reactor core shroud. The apparatus includes an attachment bracket connected to the robotic positioning arm. A guide is connected to the attachment bracket and receives an arcuate rail having a first end portion and an opposite second end portion. A motor assembly drives the rail within the guide to position the rail at a desired location along the core shroud surface relating to the guide. The rail carries a transducer assembly which is moved along the rail by a chain and sprocket assembly. As the motor assembly drives the rail, the chain and sprocket assembly simultaneously moves the transducer assembly along the rail to inspect the core shroud surface.

Apparatus for inspecting a boiling water reactor core shroud

An optical system for determining the axial load, the torsional load or both on a generally cylindrical member, such as a valve stem in a motor operated valve, includes a first system for producing a test light that is modified by a physical change in the valve stem caused by the load, a second system for receiving the test light and converting the same to a first signal indicative of the physical change, and a third system for converting the first signal to a second signal indicative of the load, preferably by utilizing one or more of the relations defined in Equations 1-3. The physical change in the cylindrical member can be, for example, a diametrical change or a longitudinal change, which can be measured by the first and second systems. The dimensional changes can be related to the axial load according to Hooke's Law or Poisson's relation by the third system when material properties and the geometry of the cylindrical member are known. Similarly, the torsional load applied to the cylindrical member can be obtained by measuring the twist angle between two longitudinally separated planes of the member, and applying a known relation between the twist angle and known geometric and material characteristics of the cylindrical member.

Method and apparatus for measuring axial and torsional loads on a valve

Disclosed is a device for determining the diametral changes in a substantially cylindrical member produced by axial loads imposed on the cylindrical member, such as the valve stem in a motor operated valve assembly. The device is a clamp assembly comprised of a first jaw member and a second jaw member rigidly connected to each other and to the portions of the periphery of the cylindrical member by a pair of studs. The second jaw member has a flexure with a contact surface contacting a peripheral portion of the cylindrical member and a projection extending away from the contact surface to transmit compressive forces representative of diametral changes in the cylindrical member against a compression load cell housed in the second jaw member. The device is useful in the field of valve diagnostics.

Growing community of inventors

Marietta, GA, United States of America

David E Morlan