Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Space Industries Partnership, L.p.

Frank W Cooper, Jr

Harry N Andrews

Bruce A Howard

David A Snyder

Herbert E Ferree

Raymond P Castner

Joseph R Herberg

George F Dailey

Warren R Junker

Bruce W Bevilacqua

Gregory L Calhoun

Leonard R Golick

David J Fink

Robert T Berringer

David A Chizmar

Annette M Costlow

Bernard L Silverblatt

Bruce J Taszarek

John P Vogeleer

Harvey D Kucherer

John K White

Matthew J Randazzo

Bernard A Brill, Iii

Charles B Knight

Frank M Pekar

Raymond P Gastner

Iftikhar A Rana

Thomas M Epperson

A ring latched coupler includes a male assembly having a plurality of grooves and a female assembly having a plurality of slots. The female assembly is configured to receive the male assembly. A latching ring is rotatably carried by the female assembly. The latching ring is configured such that upon rotation of the male and female assemblies relative to the latching ring, portions of the latching ring extend through the slots in the female assembly to engage grooves in the male assembly.

Ring latched coupler

A rack for holding a plurality of tools includes a plate member having openings for receiving tools, detent pins for releasably securing the plate member to a surface, detent clips associated with each opening for releasably securing a tool within the associated opening and pin members associated with each opening for interacting with a tool using device to permit engagement and disengagement of the tool to the tool using device.

Portable robotic tool rack

A servicing machine for a steam generator is accurately set up in the generator channel head with a pivoted arm mounted for rotation in a plane parallel to the tubesheet. The angular position of the arm, the longitudinal position of a carriage mounted on the arm and the vertical position of a platform on the carriage are remotely controlled to maneuver a probe used in mapping the precise location of the thousands of holes in the tubesheet. Various operations are then performed at each precise hole location by tools carried by the arm mounted carriage to prepare for installation of new tubing. The operation of a pair of remotely controlled pivoted arms, one on each side of the channel head divider plate, is coordinated to automatically position the ends of U-shaped tubes in corresponding holes in the tubesheet on opposite sides of the divider plate and to secure the same in place.

Method for servicing a steam generator

Apparatus for processing the damaged tubes of a steam generator. This apparatus includes a sleeving tool for inserting sleeves in the tubes, a high-roller tool for rolling the sleeves at their upper ends where they have been expanded, and a low-roller tool for rolling the sleeves at their lower ends in the tube sheet. Each tool is provided with locking pins which engage tubes adjacent to a tube to be processed and suspend the tool in processing position. The sleeves are inserted in the tubes and are rolled by rolls driven by a hydraulic motor. For sleeve insertion and for high and low rolling, the motor is controlled by a servo control valve. The feedback signal to this valve is derived from a flow transducer in the feed line for the motor. The feedback for the force of sleeve insertion is the pressure across the motor derived from pressure transducers in the conductors through which the motor is supplied. For insertion speed and for rolling speed, the feedback is derived from a fluid-flow transducer. The passage of fluid through the servo valve is capable of varying continuously responsive the controlling error signal. The cage or roll tube and mandrel of the low roller are advanced into the sleeve by a piston of a hydraulic cylinder. The flow of fluid to the locking pins and to this hydraulic cylinder is controlled by a directional control valve.

Sleeving of tubes of steam generator

A system for removing debris from a nuclear fuel assembly includes a work platform disposable on the fuel assembly racks in a spent fuel pol. A support stand is mounted on the work platform and has a sliding support plate movable between a support position engageable with the lower end of the fuel assembly, and a retracted position permitting lowering of the fuel assembly through an opening in the work platform into one of the racks. A tool manipulation assembly is disposable on the platform and includes a rotatable turret-type tool mount carrying four different cleaning tools, including a pick, a brush, a water lance and a water-actuated tweezers. The tool manipulating assembly includes drive means for effecting X-Y-Z movement of the tool mount for working on the fuel assembly. Each tool is resiliently mounted in a tool holder which yields if the tool engages the fuel assembly in a given direction with a predetermined force, generating an alarm signal to prevent damage to the tool assembly. The turret mount is indexible among four positions and is yieldably held in each to prevent harmful side loading of the fuel assembly. Counterweighting permits vertical movement of the tool mount with minimal forces.

Debris removal system for a nuclear fuel assembly

To limit the exposure of personnel to radioactivity within the channel head of a steam generator of a nuclear-reactor plant a cartridge sleeve-blank loader for automatically sleeving a plurality of tubes without the intervention of personnel is provided. The cartridge loader includes a turret or drum which carries a plurality of sleeve blanks around its periphery. A lifter engages the bottom of each sleeve bank in its turn at a sleeve insertion position of the turret and inserts the sleeve blank into a tube. Successive sleeve blanks are indexed to the insertion position for insertion into tubes. The sleeve blanks are slightly bowed or curved so that when a sleeve blank is inserted as a sleeve into a tube, the sleeve, since the tube is linear, exerts a restoring force on the wall of a tube which holds the sleeve in the tube when the lifter is retracted. In inserting the sleeve blank, the lifter moves at a low speed until the leading end of the sleeve enters a tube. Then the speed of insertion is increased. The turret is readily removable from the sleeve loader by use of a unique handle assembly so that any empty turret can be removed in a short time. In the practice of the invention, a loaded cartridge sleeve-blank loader is loaded ready for insertion outside of the channel head. Once all the sleeve blanks on a turret are inserted, an operator enters the manway of the channel head and removes the unloaded turret. The loaded turret is handed to him and he inserts it. The replacing operation can be accomplished by exposing the operator to radiation for no more than about 75 seconds.

Sleeving of tubes of steam generator in hostile environment

A nuclear reactor fuel assembly grid measuring method and device, including a grid measuring tool mounted on an X, Y, X positioner having a force limiter for each of these three axes and a grid clamping tool. The grid measuring tool is a combination of: a movable, spring-loaded, caliper assembly; a caliper stand assembly; and a base assembly. TV cameras are mounted on the base assembly to allow remote viewing and positioning of the caliper assembly and monitoring of the overall measuring process. An additional separate force limiter is provided near the caliper assembly to prevent excessive force from being applied to the delicate fuel assembly grids. Measurements are taken only after the caliper assembly is positioned upon the grid. Finally, a linear variable differential transformer is associated with the caliper assembly for enhancing accuracy of the measurements.

Nuclear reactor fuel assembly grid measuring method and device

Apparatus for processing the damaged tubes of a steam generator either to prepare the tubes for insertion of a sleeve, or to insert a sleeve or to treat the sleeve after it is inserted. This apparatus includes a drilling tool for drilling out plugs, a sleeving tool for inserting sleeves in the tubes, a high-roller tool for rolling the sleeves at their upper ends where they have been expanded, and a low-roller tool for rolling the sleeves at their lower ends in the tube sheet. The sleeves are inserted in the tubes and are rolled by rolls driven by a hydraulic motor. For drilling, for sleeve insertion and for high and low rolling, the motor is controlled by a servo control valve.

Suspension of tools for sleeving of tubes of steam generator

An apparatus is disclosed for inspection of tubing, and more particularly, the determination of the extent of erosion in the wall of a heat exchange tube of a nuclear reactor. An ultrasonic transducer assembly is movable axially and rotatably in a helical path for producing both thickness and position signals to provide a map of wall thickness.

Ultrasonic nondestructive tubing inspection system

A flexible vibration stabilizer and method for reducing vibration in a tube in a shell and tube heat exchanger wherein the stabilizer is an elongated flexible cable or chain which may have a plurality of rigid members loosely or fixedly mounted thereon. A plug may be used for simultaneously mounting the stabilizer to the tube and for sealing same.

Flexible stabilizer for degraded heat exchanger tubing

Sleeves inserted in the coolant conductors of a steam generator of a nuclear-reactor plant are rolled by remotely controlled apparatus minimizing the time which personnel must spend within the radioactive environment of the channel head of the steam generator. A sleeve is rolled by a tube provided with rolls which are normally retracted and which, during a rolling operation, are extended into rolling engagement with the sleeve by a rotating tapered mandrel. The mandrel advances into the tube rotating the rolls while progressively increasing the pressure between the rolls and the sleeve. The sleeve is rolled near its upper end and also at its lower end in its region which is within the tube sheet by upper and lower rolling tools. The tube carrying the rolls is moved into the sleeve by a remotely controlled drive. The drive is a low voltage motor for the upper tool and a hydraulically driven piston for the lower tool. When the tube reaches its uppermost position in contact with the tube sheet or the end of the sleeve in the coolant conductor the mandrel is automatically actuated, responsive to the actuation of a switch to move into the tube to extend the rolls in the tube into progressively increasing pressure engagement with the sleeve and also to rotate as it moves into the tube. The translational drive for the mandrel is a low voltage electric motor for the upper tool and a pneumatically driven piston for the lower tool. The rotational drive for both tools is a hydraulic motor. That the desired upper rolling has been reached, is automatically determined by a thrust bearing on the mandrel which stops the advance of the mandrel into the tube at a proper diameter of the mandrel. The lower rolling is stopped responsive to the reactive torque of the hydraulic motor and may also be stopped by timing. In either case the three drives are reversed. The mandrel, in a direction opposite to its motion during insertion, is retracted, the rolls are removed from engagement with the sleeve and the tube is moved out of the sleeve.

Apparatus for sleeving tubes in hostile environments

An improved fluid mandrel having an eddy current probe connected thereto is disclosed herein. The eddy current probe generally comprises a probe body which is detachably connectable to the bottom of a fluid mandrel on one end, and a source of hydraulic fluid on the other end. The probe body includes a pair of sensing coils which are separated along the longitudinal axis of the body by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the metallic structure desired to be detected. The improved mandrel finds particular application in performing expansions which eliminate the clearance between heat exchange tubes extending through the baffle plates in nuclear steam generators. In such an application, the sensing coils of the probe are longitudinally spaced the same distance as the thickness of the baffle plates in order to generate a sharp and unambiguous electronic signal indicative of the relative positions of the mandrel and the baffle plate.

Mandrel having an eddy current probe

A fiberscope inspection system for a nuclear steam generating plant includes an optical unit and a transport unit respectively coupled to opposite ends of the fiberoptic cable and mounted at spaced-apart points on a trolley beneath the tube sheet, with the fiberoptic cable hanging freely in a catenary between the two units, both of which are coupled by cable to a remote control station. The optical unit is self-contained and includes a light source, a video camera and a focusing mechanism and chain and sprocket remotely-controlled drive means for controlling the focusing mechanism. The transport unit includes a cartridge comprising a coil of a steel drive tape, the leading end of which is welded to a split-sleeve coupling disposed in clamping engagement with the leading end of the fiberoptic cable, the tape being engageable by a drive sprocket for driving same to feed and retract the fiberoptic cable. Position sensing means are provided for monitoring the position of the fiberscope probe.

Fiberscope delivery system

The sleeving method comprises inserting a metal sleeve within a tube so as to bridge the defective region of the tube. The sleeve is constructed to have teeth on the outside thereof that are capable of tightly contacting the inside surface of the defective tube and creating a labyrinth-type seal therebetween. Once such a sleeve has been inserted into the defective tube, the sleeve is internally expanded in the area of the sleeve wherein the teeth are located. The expansion of the sleeve in the area wherein the teeth are located causes the teeth to closely contact the inside surface of the tube. The other end of the sleeve can then be either similarly attached to the tube or welded to the tube. Next, the remainder of the sleeve is internally expanded which causes the sleeve to shrink in length which results in the teeth slightly penetrating the inside surface of the tube thereby creating a leak tight seal therebetween.

Sleeving method

An adjustable face milling cutter is carried on a turntable rotatable about a central axis that is coaxial with the cylindrical shell of the steam generator in which the tubesheet is located, to machine a circular path on the upper tubesheet surface. For complete circle-by-circle scanning of the tubesheet surface, the radius of the circular machined path is variable by virtue of mounting the milling cutter on the outer periphery of a circular mounting member turnable to different locked rotary positions about an off-center pivot axis on the turntable. The rotary support for the turntable is at its outer periphery, as provided by an encircling support ring which in turn is supported by a ball bearing assembly having an inner race secured to the turntable top and an outer race secured to the support ring top; teeth on the inner race being provided to accommodate a motor-operated drive gear. The support ring is centered in the steam generator shell by jack screws and is supported by such shell via a circular array of support lugs welded to the inner wall of such shell.

Growing community of inventors

Monroeville, PA, United States of America

Frank W Cooper, Jr