Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Kenneth K Klapper

David A Boatwright

Robert Duncan

Wade H Widener

Thomas B Huggins

Denis Yeo

Jacob X Huang

A top end plug design for a nuclear fuel rod or control rod that maximizes the fuel rod length and internal volume for high burn-up, but limits plenum spring melting for eutectic formation margin. The press fit length of the top end plug is increased to increase the distance from the center of heat from the TIG welding process that seals the end plug to the cladding, to the back face of the end plug. A hole in the back of the end plug is enlarged to recover the volume loss from the press fit length increase.

Nuclear fuel element

A nuclear fuel pellet unloading apparatus includes a transfer housing pivotally movable between an upright position remote from a pellet deposit site and an inverted position adjacent to the deposit site, and convertable between opened and closed conditions. In its upright position and closed condition, the housing receives a sintering boat loaded with nuclear fuel pellets and holds the boat while retaining the pellets within the boat as the boat is moved from upright to inverted orientations upon pivoting of the housing from its upright to inverted position. An actuator is operated for causing pivoting of the housing from its upright to inverted position and back to its upright position. A latch member latches the housing in its closed condition when the housing is disposed in its upright position and as the housing is pivoted from its upright position toward its inverted position. A release member actuates the latch member as the housing reaches its inverted position to unlatch the housing and render it capable thereafter of converting from closed to opened condition upon reverse pivoting of the housing from the inverted position back toward the upright position by operating the actuator, thereby allowing dispensing of pellets from the opened housing and open top of the boat to the pellets deposit site.

Nuclear fuel pellet sintering boat unloading apparatus and method

A novel weld chamber and process for using such weld chamber are disclosed. A flow of shielding gas through the weld chamber is regulated to provide a constant pressure in the weld chamber while the shielding gas flow sweeps away metal vapors.

Pressurized weld chamber

A welding apparatus has a welding chamber with an access opening allowing passage of a cladding tube end fitted with an end plug to a welding position therein. A rotatable end plug stop assembly disposed in the chamber and axially aligned with the access opening is adapted to engage the end plug when inserted in the welding chamber. An end of a electrode of a girth welding assembly disposed in the welding chamber adjacent to the rotatable end plug and tube end and in generally orthogonal relation thereto is operable to form a girth weld circumferentially joining the end plug and cladding tube end. An end seal welding assembly mounted to the end plug stop assembly and having an electrode with an end disposed adjacent to and in axial alignment with an axial bore of the end plug is operable to form an end seal weld therein. The end seal welding assembly also defines a path for flow of a fill gas along the electrode and both into the welding chamber and the end plug axial bore before formation of the end seal weld therein. The end plug stop assembly includes an end stop which receives an end seal welding electrode and flow of fill gas along the electrode, and an end plug-engaging insert adapted to fit in the end stop and engage the end plug leading end portion.

Fuel rod end plug welding apparatus and method

An apparatus for applying an end plug to a nuclear fuel rod tube end includes a stationary base, a support carriage and a track assembly mounting the support carriage on the base for reciprocal movement relative to the base. The apparatus also includes a plugger guide supported on the carriage for movement therewith. The plugger guide has an elongated central bore with one end for receiving the end plug and an opposite end for receiving the tube end. The plugger guide contains a plurality of sets of bearings in spaced axial positions along the bore which adapts it to guide the tube end toward the end plug for application of the end plug into the tube end as the carriage is moved.

Plugger guide for aligning an end plug and a fuel rod tube end

An orientation device for properly orienting nuclear fuel rod end plugs (18) in their proper mode for ultimate use and processing includes a funnel (12) the inside diameter (d) of which is greater than the diameter (D) of each end plug (18), and the diameter (D) of each plug (18) is greater than the length (L) of each plug. The plugs (18) are permitted to pass through the funnel bore (30), however, only when the longitudinal axis of each plug is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the funnel bore (30) because the diagonal dimension (DG) of each plug as defined between any point on the plug's upper peripheral surface (26) and a point disposed diametrically opposite the first point upon the lower peripheral surface (28) is greater than the diameter (d) of the funnel bore. Each plug (18) also includes a large diameter portion (20) having the diametrical dimension D, and a smaller diameter portion (22), and in order to insure the ultimate proper orientation of each plug such that the smaller diameter portion (22) is disposed downwardly, the plugs (18) are pivoted 90.degree. by a deflector plate (38) and are transferred to a second re-orientation zone which includes a semicircular trough (36) and a rectangularly configured trough (42) having rails (44) defined within the sidewalls for supporting the plugs (18') in their correctly oriented vertical mode. The plugs (18') are discharged through a port (58) to a shuttle mechanism for subsequent processing.

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Columbia, SC, United States of America

Kenneth K Klapper