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:
Aug. 18, 1987
Filed:
Jul. 14, 1986
Frank J Formanek, West Suffield, CT (US);
Combustion Engineering, Inc., Windsor, CT (US);
Abstract
A tool (78) for grasping a multiplicity of nuclear fuel rods (42) to remove them from a nuclear fuel assembly (32) and relocate them, preferably, into a fuel consolidation device (86). The tool has a gripper head (200) reciprocably guided within a shroud (80). A distinct jaw mechanism (216) for grasping each of the multiplicity of fuel rods is carried by a common frame (214) and actuated and controlled by a distinct means (232, 234, 242). A key feature of the gripper head is that each jaw mechanism (216) has an neck portion (244) to offset the actuation means (232, 234) from the moving jaw portion (220). The shroud carries alignment means (82, 206) for precisely orienting the tool relative to a targeted group of rods within the assembly, so that the spacing of the rods is maintained as they are pulled up into the shroud by the gripper head.