Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Francis C McNerney

Clarence D John, Jr

Thomas M Sanders

An apparatus for processing the interiors of elongated hollow tubes having open opposite ends, such as by acid etching, water rinsing, steam cleaning or air drying the tube interiors, includes a pair of tube clamping mechanism being operable between tube clamping and unclamping conditions. The clamping mechanisms when in their clamping conditions support the tubes in stationary side-by-side spaced positions for processing and at locations on the tubes displaced inwardly from their opposite ends. The apparatus also has a pair of fluid supply manifolds each being displacable between disengaged and engaged positions with respect to the open opposite tube ends and having nozzles for engaging the respective tube ends to seal off the interior of the tube from the external atmosphere when the manifolds are in their engaged positions. A selector valve is mounted in each manifold and is selectively operable to provide communication between at least one source of pressurized processing fluid and the tube interior through the respective manifold. A pair of pneumatic actuator mechanisms are used for displacing the manifolds between their disengaged and engaged positions. The apparatus also has a frame and the clamping mechanisms, manifolds and actuator mechanisms are mounted thereon for movement toward and away from one another to place them at different distances from one another corresponding to the different lengths of the tube being processed.

Tube flush etching, rinsing and drying apparatus and method

In a fuel rod tube manufacturing system, a tube processing subsystem and method include the steps of arraying, flush etching and rinsing, drying, inspecting and plugging groups of the tubes. At an inlet stage, the tubes are dispensed one at a time from a bundle thereof numbering in the hundreds of such tubes. The dispensed tubes are arrayed in a side-by-side relationship at an assembling stage into a group thereof numbering in the fives of such tubes. Successive groups of the arrayed tubes are delivered to succeeding etch and rinse, drier, and inspection stations where the groups of arrayed tubes are respectively flush etched and rinsed, dried, and inspected. After inspection, accepted tubes are separated from rejected ones and conveyed one at a time to a plug stage where the tubes are plugged to seal the interiors thereof.

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Murrysville, PA, United States of America

Francis C McNerney