The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 29, 2021
Filed:
Feb. 13, 2018
Westinghouse Electric Company Llc, Cranberry Township, PA (US);
Robert L. Oelrich, Jr., Columbia, SC (US);
Peng Xu, Columbia, SC (US);
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for pressurizing SiC clad rods of a nuclear core component. A lower end of the rod is sealed with a lower end plug and an upper end of the rod is sealed between the cladding and an external piece of an upper end plug that has a through opening through which a separate internal piece of the upper end plug extends. The internal piece of the upper end plug is initially moveable within the through opening between an upper position that forms a gas tight seal and a lower position that forms a gaseous path through the through opening. The rod is placed in a pressure chamber pressurized to a desired pressure. When the pressure is reduced within the pressure chamber the internal pressure in the rod biases the internal piece of the upper end plug in the upper sealed position.