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:
Dec. 21, 2004
Filed:
Jul. 15, 2002
Eric R. Willis, San Jose, CA (US);
Sampath Ranganath, San Jose, CA (US);
Paul Van Diemen, Morgan Hill, CA (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
The method facilitates sealing a control rod drive (CRD) housing to a stub tube in a reactor pressure vessel of a nuclear reactor, if any cracks develop proximate a heat affected zone of the stub tube at a CRD housing re-attachment weld. The method includes cutting the CRD housing to separate an upper portion of the CRD housing from a lower portion of the CRD housing. The lower portion remains in place and in substantial alignment with the upper portion of the CRD housing. A lower portion member, which may be the lower portion that was cut, is re-attached to the reactor vessel by a re-attachment weld at a location below potential differential leakage paths along the CRD housing. The heat affected zone (e.g., at the re-attachment weld) is covered with a corrosion resistant material to prevent future leaking, and to protect the weld from inter-granular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC).