Sieves
AssigneeUnited Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
InventorsKenneth Hartley, Arthur Edward McIntosh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sieve unit, particularly for spherical nuclear fuel particles, in which the particles are fed to a bed of spheres disposed in layers on a mesh screen to provide, when efficiently packed, an effective pore path of a diameter not greater than that of the mesh screen and means are provided for vibrating the unit so that the spheres are efficiently packed.
Claims5
A sieve unit for separating spherical particles from undesirably shaped particles and debris, the unit comprising a bed of uniformly sized spheres disposed in efficiently packed layers in a substantially orthorhombic formation on a mesh screen, the spheres being of a size which packed efficiently provide an effective pore path of a diameter not greater than that of the mesh screen, and means for vibrating the spheres so as not to destroy the substantially orthorhombic formation.
A method of grading nuclear fuel particles in which the particles are fed to a sieve unit comprising a bed of uniformly sized spheres disposed in layers on a mesh screen to provide when efficiently packed an effective pore path of a diameter not greater than that of the mesh screen, vibrating the sieve unit so that the spheres are efficiently packed in a substantially orthorhombic formation so as to provide said effective pore path, and collecting the fuel particles which pass through the unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.