Method and device for replacing sleeves lining nuclear reactor pressure vessel tubes
AssigneeFramatome
InventorsWade Markham, Ryan Melcher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for restraining a sleeve lining a tube passing through a nuclear reactor pressure vessel is provided. The method includes attaching in situ a radial protrusion on an external surface of the sleeve; and attaching a collar to an end of the tube and coupling the radial protrusion with the collar to retain the thermal sleeve in position.
Claims20
A method for replacing a sleeve lining a tube passing through a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, the sleeve having an end including a radially enlarged end portion configured for resting on a support section of the tube for retaining the sleeve in the tube, the method comprising:
- removing the sleeve from the tube;
- providing a new sleeve with a radially variable end configured for being moved between a radially contracted configuration and a radially expanded configuration;
- and
- installing the new sleeve in the tube such that the radially variable end is received by the support section and the radially variable end retains the new sleeve in the tube, the radially variable end being in the radially contracted configuration during installation and being in the radially expanded configuration after the new sleeve is installed in the tube.
A control rod drive mechanism thermal sleeve for insertion into a control rod drive mechanism nozzle of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, the control rod drive mechanism thermal sleeve comprising:
- a radially variable end configured for being moved between a radially contracted configuration and a radially expanded configuration, the radially variable end configured for retaining the new sleeve in the tube in the radially expanded configuration;
- and
- a further end opposite of the radially variable end, the further end including a funnel having a frustoconical portion having a maximum diameter edge defining an end edge of the further end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.