US 12,614,644 B2Granted

In-vessel core component handling systems and methods

AssigneeTerraPower, LLC

InventorsDaniel R. Althouse, Nickolas Clark, Jeffrey Derenthal, Thomas Ekstrom, Victoria Graham, Joseph Heath, Matthew M. Mareka, Bryan W. Sardo, Nathan Smith, Zachariah Snyder, Olivera Ulicevic

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Abstract

An in-vessel fuel transfer machine may be permanently affixed to a nuclear reactor and remain in place during power operations. The in-vessel fuel transfer machine may include a pantograph machine that positions a grapple in order to access any fuel socket location within the core and move any of the core assemblies between the core, an in-vessel fuel storage area, and a fuel elevator. The grapple may be positioned through a combination of movements, such as, rotating a rotating plug assembly, rotating the in-vessel fuel transfer machine, extending the pantograph arms, and shuttling the grapple along a leg. The grapple may be compliant to accommodate deformed core assemblies and may be configured to pivot to more closely align to an eccentric core assembly handling socket or be moveable in a horizontal plane to accommodate a deformed core assembly during insertion or withdrawal.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An in-vessel fuel transfer machine, comprising:

a drive assembly, the drive assembly configured to be mounted above a reactor head of a nuclear reactor;
a telescoping guide tube operatively coupled to the drive assembly and extending through the reactor head;
a pantograph mechanism coupled to the telescoping guide tube, the pantograph mechanism comprising:
an upper arm having a first upper arm end and a second upper arm end, the upper arm operatively coupled to the telescoping guide tube at the first upper arm end;
a lower arm having a first lower arm end and a second lower arm end, the lower arm operatively coupled to the telescoping guide tube at the first lower arm end;
a leg coupled to the second upper arm end and the second lower arm end, the leg defining a pathway;
a grapple coupled to the leg, the grapple configured to travel on the pathway;
and
a pantograph driveline selectively engageable with the upper arm and the lower arm, the drive assembly configured to rotate the upper arm and lower arm away from the telescoping guide tube;
wherein the grapple is configured to float by disengaging the pantograph driveline to allow the grapple to move in a horizontal plane in response to external forces applied to the grapple.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/361,781Filed 28 Jul 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 29 Jul 2022
Published: US 2024/0312655 A119 Sep 2024
Granted: 28 Apr 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

G21C 19/26
Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g.…:…
B25J 9/102
Characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements: gears specially adapted therefor, e.g. reduction gears
B25J 13/085
By means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices: force or torque sensors
B25J 15/0004
Gripping heads and other end effectors: with provision for adjusting the gripped object in the hand