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:
Nov. 14, 2006
Filed:
May. 13, 2004
Trevor Davis, Charlotte, NC (US);
Jack Matsumoto, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Trevor Davis, Charlotte, NC (US);
Jack Matsumoto, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus is provided for inspecting material arranged within an annular recess such as weld beads, particularly weld beads between the shroud, core plate and support structures within a boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR). The apparatus comprises a track support, a generally arcuate track, a carriage, a sensor support and a sensor. The track is configured to correspond and align generally with an inner surface of a shroud or other encompassing structure with the sensor support and sensor configured to be extended into and then moved horizontally along the annular recess. The sensor may be configured with a plurality of sensor elements, such as ultrasonic transducers or eddy current sensors that may be configured to analyze different properties or different regions relative to the sensor location.