Westinghouse Electric Corporation

John T DiGrande

George D Bucher

David V Lambert

Mark S Stoutamire

Lester C Frye

Thomas B Huggins

Elwyn Roberts

Arlett J Gallagher

A pellet diameter inspection system has a laser scanning apparatus operable for detecting and measuring the outside diameter of the pellets, a pellet transfer apparatus operable for transferring pellets end-to-end in a row along a feed path past the laser scanning apparatus, and a pellet reject apparatus operable for removing from the feed path any off-sized diameter pellets measured by the laser scanning apparatus. The pellet reject apparatus includes an ejector member and a support member capable of supporting the ejector member along and adjacent to one side of the feed path and of moving the ejector member through an eject stroke across the feed path from a home position to an end position in order to remove pellets from the feed path and through a reverse stroke across the feed path from the end position to the home position. The pellet reject apparatus also includes an actuator mounted to the support member and, in turn, mounting the ejector member.

Pellet reject apparatus and method

An inspection system has a pellet diameter inspecting station and an apparatus for transferring pellets past the station. The apparatus includes a stationary support track for aligning and guiding pellets in a row along a linear path, and a transfer mechanism operable through forward and reverse strokes. The transfer mechanism has first and second grippers actuatable between pellet gripping and releasing positions and operable to grip respective rearmost pellets in a first row of pellets to be advanced past the inspecting station and in a second row of pellets previously advanced past the inspecting station. The transfer mechanism is operable to move from an initial position through the forward stroke to advance the pellets at a constant velocity along the linear path. The transfer mechanism actuates the second gripper from its releasing to gripping position before actuating the first gripper from its releasing to gripping position and starts movement from the initial position along the forward stroke before the first gripper is so actuated such that a gap is formed between the previously advanced row of pellets and the row of pellets to be advanced so as to prevent buckling of pellets in the latter row. The transfer mechanism is also operable to actuate the grippers to release the pellets and move through the return stroke relative to the released pellets back to the initial position.

Pellet transfer apparatus and method

An pellet diameter inspection system has a laser scanning apparatus for measuring and detecting the outside diameter of the pellets and an apparatus for transferring pellets past the laser scanning apparatus. A stationary support track aligns and guides pellets in a row along a linear path past the laser scanning apparatus with the pellets being advances along the path by the transfer apparatus operating through forward and reverse strokes. The laser scanning apparatus includes a laser beam light source and receiver disposed on opposite sides of the linear path in a non-orthogonal orientation to the common axis of the aligned pellets and operable for respectively emitting and receiving a laser beam directed across the pellets along a directional path extending in a non-orthogonal orientation to common axis of the pellets which will eliminate detection of adjacent ends of the pellets in the row.

Pellet diameter measurement apparatus and method detecting

A gripper mechanism for sampling nuclear fuel pellets at a predetermined depth in a stack of pellets includes a housing and gripping fingers movably mounted to the housing. The fingers are preferably three relatively thin, arcuate-shaped, blade-like fingers angularly displaced from one another for grasping the pellet at spaced locations about its circumference. The fingers have lower facing surfaces which are brought adjacent to one another for engaging and grasping a pellet when the fingers are moved toward their closed position and retracted remote from one another for disengaging and releasing the pellet when the fingers are moved toward their opened position. Guide members interconnecting the housing with a movable support structure, together with coil springs received about the guide members and extending between the housing and support structure, resiliently and yieldably mount the housing and fingers for movement toward the stack of pellets along a generally linear path ahead of the support structure as the support structure is moved toward the stack. Concurrently the yieldable mounting permits the housing to rock slightly about an axis extending transverse to the linear path for facilitating a burrowing-type movement of the gripping fingers into the stack of pellets to be sampled. Also, a proximity switch detects when the fingers are closed and a load transducer senses when an overload condition has been reached.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, SC, United States of America

John T DiGrande