US 3,939,039 AGranted

Reactor core clamping device

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsKatumi Seki, Masaru Kawara, Yasuo Tachi

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Abstract

A nuclear reactor with a reactor core having a plurality of individual core elements is provided with a clamping device for at least some of the core elements, which clamping device includes a plurality of pawls pivotally mounted to the interior of each wall of the hexagonal outer wrapping tube for movement between a position within the wrapper tube and a position extending through an adjacent hole in the side wall of the wrapper tube, and an operating tube axially slidably mounted within the wrapper tube for moving the pawls between their two positions. When the pawls are extended by the operating tube, they will move outwardly a predetermined distance transversely of the core element to cooperatively engage other core elements and clamp the assembly. A lock mechanism is provided to lock the operating tube and wrapper tube in one position of the pawls, preferably the withdrawn position, to assist in inserting and removing the core element.

Claims14

Dependent claims

For use in a nuclear reactor having a core, a clamping device for clamping a plurality of core elements together in forming the core, comprising:

projection means being movably mounted on a core element for movement between a withdrawn position and a position projecting outwardly from a core element toward another core element when the core elements are arranged within the core of a nuclear reactor;
operating means for moving said projection means from its withdrawn position to its projected position a predetermined length to clamp the core element in cooperation with other core elements of the nuclear reactor core;
a wrapper tube forming the exterior of the core element mounting with its longitudinal axis extending generally vertical in the reactor core and being of hexagonal shape in horizontal cross section;
said projection means being provided adjacent the upper portion of said wrapper tube;
said operating means being mounted within said wrapper tube for vertical movement;
said wrapper tube having a hole within one of its side walls for said projection means;
said projection means moving generally horizontally from within said wrapper tube in its withdrawn position horizontally through its hole to project horizontally beyond said hole and outside of said wrapper tube in its projected position;
and separate lock means for locking said vertically moving operating means and said wrapper tube against relative movement in one of said projection means positions.

5 more elements

For use in a nuclear reactor having a core, a clamping device for clamping a plurality of core elements together in forming the core, comprising:

projection means being movably mounted on a core element for movement between a withdrawn position and a position projecting outwardly from the core element toward another core element when the core elements are arranged within the core of a nuclear reactor;
operating means for moving said projection means from its withdrawn position to its projected position a predetermined length to clamp the core element in cooperation with other core elements of the nuclear reactor core;
a wrapper tube having a longitudinal axis to be parallel with the longitudinal axes of other wrapper tubes when mounted within the nuclear reactor core and having a hexagonal shape in cross section transverse to said longitudinal axis;
said projection means including a plurality of pawls pivotally connected to said wrapper tube, and each pawl having a configured cam slot spaced from said pivotal connection;
said operating means including an operating tube mounted within said wrapper tube for axial longitudinal movement with respect to said wrapper tube, and said operating tube having a plurality of arms mounting a plurality of pins each in engagement within a corresponding curved configured cam slot of said pawls;
said wrapper tube having a hole in its side walls immediately adjacent each of said pawls;
and said operating means projecting said pawls through their respective wrapper tube holes by movement of said operating tube axially with respect to said wrapper tube to correspondingly move said pins in the same direction relative to said cam slots for camming said pawls about their pivotal connections through their respective holes.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.