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:
Mar. 03, 1992
Filed:
May. 29, 1990
Dennis J Cadwell, Murrysville, PA (US);
Richard D Franklin, Jeannette, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
Method is disclosed herein for removing debris from nuclear fuel assemblies which have been in service in a nuclear reactor. The method generally comprising immersing the fuel assembly in a pool of water which may be the cask loading pit of a nuclear facility, securing the fuel assembly in a spent fuel rack, enveloping the spent fuel rack in a rectangular sleeve in order to isolate the water surrounding the fuel assembly from the balance of the water in the cask loading pit, and discharging a series of pressure pulses into the isolated water from a pressure pulse source to create shock waves that exert momentary forces on the fuel rods sufficient to dislodge debris therefrom but insufficient to create a liftoff between the fuel rods and the spring fingers of the grids which retain them within the fuel assembly.