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. 01, 2017
Filed:
Aug. 06, 2014
Robin D. Sprague, Wilmington, NC (US);
David Jonathan Keck, Wilmington, NC (US);
Robin D. Sprague, Wilmington, NC (US);
David Jonathan Keck, Wilmington, NC (US);
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC, Wilmington, NC (US);
Abstract
A method of storing a chimney assembly of a reactor pressure vessel during a nuclear reactor outage includes detaching a chimney barrel with upper chimney partitions therein from a top guide assembly of the reactor pressure vessel. A height of the upper chimney partitions is less than a height of the chimney barrel so as to leave a plenum region in a top section of the chimney barrel. The top guide assembly includes lower chimney partitions therein. The lower chimney partitions are removed from the top guide assembly and inserted into the plenum region of the chimney barrel so as to be on the upper chimney partitions. As a result, the chimney assembly can be stored in a relatively compact form during a reactor outage. The chimney assembly includes a combination of at least the chimney barrel, the upper chimney partitions, and the lower chimney partitions.