Apparatus for vertically segmenting a boiling water reactor control rod blade
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorHAKAN JANSSON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for longitudinally segmenting a cruciform shaped irradiated boiling water reactor control rod having four elongated blades radially extending from a central spline, into four flat panels. The apparatus employs a double bladed band saw with the band saw blades orthogonally oriented at two different elevations and having one side of each band saw blade crossing over the center of the spline of the control rod in between the control rod blades.
Claims20
A tool for making two substantially simultaneous cuts along an elongated length of a spline of a boiling water reactor control rod having four elongated panels radially extending at spaced locations around a circumference of the spline, with each of the panels having two oppositely facing sides and the spine having a central axis extending along the elongated length, the tool comprising:
- a tool base plate;
- a first pair of spaced pulley wheels rotatably supported from one side of the tool base plate with one of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels comprising a drive wheel that is operatively connected to a motor to rotate the drive wheel when the motor is in an on state and a second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels oriented along a first axis extending between the drive wheel and the second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels;
- a first band saw blade extending around the drive wheel and the second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels wherein a first side of the first band saw blade extends between the drive wheel and the second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels and around the second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels and a second side of the first band saw blade extends between the second of the first pair of spaced pulley wheels and the drive wheel and around the drive wheel wherein the first side of the first band saw blade extends over a first opening in the tool base plate that is sized for the boiling water reactor control rod to axially pass through in a direction of the central axis;
- a second pair of spaced pulley wheels rotatably supported from the one side of the tool base plate with one of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels comprising a follower wheel that is operatively connected to the drive wheel to rotate the follower wheel when the motor is in an on state and a second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels oriented along a second axis extending between the follower wheel and the second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels, the second axis being oriented at a fixed angle greater or less than zero relative to the first axis;
- and
- a second band saw blade extending around the follower wheel and the second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels wherein a first side of the second band saw blade extends between the follower wheel and the second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels and around the second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels and a second side of the second band saw blade extends between the second of the second pair of spaced pulley wheels and around the follower wheel wherein the first side of the second band saw blade extends over the first opening in the tool base plate that is sized for the boiling water reactor control rod to pass through.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.