Apparatus and method for assembling fuel elements
AssigneeGeneral Atomic Company
InventorSatya Prakash Arya
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nuclear fuel element assembling method and apparatus is preferably operable under programmed control unit to receive fuel rods from storage, arrange them into axially aligned stacks of closely monitored length, and transfer the stacks of fuel rods to a loading device for insertion into longitudinal passages in the fuel elements. In order to handle large numbers of one or more classifications of fuel rods or other cylindrical parts, the assembling apparatus includes at least two feed troughs each formed by a pair of screw members with a movable table having a plurality of stacking troughs for alignment with the feed troughs and with a conveyor for delivering the stacks to the loading device, the fuel rods being moved along the stacking troughs upon a fluid cushion.
Claims23
A nuclear fuel element assembling apparatus having a loading device for introducing stacks of axially aligned fuel rods into each of a plurality of longitudinal passages in a fuel element and comprising
- a conveyor for receiving the plural stacks of axially aligned fuel rods and transferring them to the loading device,
- a reject collection means,
- a stacking assembly including
- a movable table forming a plurality of stacking troughs each in parallel alignment with the conveyor, the table being movable for selective alignment of each stacking trough with the conveyor,
- means for monitoring the length of each stack of fuel rods in the stacking troughs for determining if the stack-length is within acceptable limits, and
- gate means operating in conjunction with the movable table for alternatively directing the stack of fuel rods within a stacking trough to the conveyor means if within an acceptable length range and for otherwise directing the stack of fuel rods to the reject collection means, and,
- multiple feed means for separately feeding selected numbers of fuel rods into the respective stacking troughs to form complete fuel rod stacks.
A nuclear fuel element assembling apparatus being operable under programmed control means for receiving containers each including a large number of fuel rods and for introducing stacks of axially aligned fuel rods into each of a plurality of longitudinal passages in a nuclear fuel element, comprising
- a feed trough means,
- transfer means for transferring an array of side-to-side aligned fuel rods into the feed trough means,
- a plurality of stacking trough means being movable relative to the feeding trough means for selective alignment of the respective stacking troughs therewith,
- means for regulating the passage of a selected number of fuel rods from the feeding trough means to one of the stacking trough means,
- loading trough means also being arranged for alignment with the movable stacking trough means,
- monitoring means being associated with the stacking trough means for monitoring the length of stacks of fuel elements in the stacking troughs,
- gate means operable in conjunction with said movable stacking trough means being responsive to the monitoring means for directing fuel rod stacks of acceptable length to the loading trough means and for otherwise directing the fuel rod stacks to a reject collection means, and
- a fuel rod loading device for receiving the stacks of the fuel rods from the loading trough means and loading them into the longitudinal passages of the nuclear fuel elements.
A stacking apparatus for receiving arrays of cylindrical parts in side-to-side relation and arranging them in axially aligned stacks of selected lengths and/or numbers of parts, comprising:
- a feed trough means for receiving the cylindrical parts in side-to-side arrangement,
- the feed trough means including a pair of parallel screw members, the screw members having helical thread means with a thread pitch approximately equal to the diameter of the cylindrical parts, the screw members being rotatable in unison for shifting the cylindrical parts,
- a stacking assembly including table means forming a plurality of stacking troughs each extending parallel to the axis of the cylinder parts,
- gate means for regulating the passage of individual cylindrical parts from the feed trough means into end-to-end relation upon a selected stacking trough means,
- monitoring means associated with the stacking assembly for inspecting the stacks of axially aligned cylindrical parts, and
- means for receiving the inspected stacks of cylindrical parts from the respective troughs in the stacking assembly,
- the table means of the stacking assembly being movable for selectively aligning the respective stacking troughs with the gate means and the receiving means.
In a method for receiving arrays of fuel rods in side-to-side relation, arranging them in axially aligned stacks of selected lengths and/or numbers of parts for loading into longitudinal passages of nuclear fuel elements, the steps comprising
- laterally moving the fuel rods in side-to-side relation along a feed path,
- individually and longitudinally directly single fuel rods onto a stacking path arranged perpendicular to the feeding path for forming stacks having a selected number of axially aligned fuel rods,
- monitoring the length of the stack of fuel rods,
- directing the stacks of fuel rods toward a loading conveyor line if the length of the stack is within acceptable limits and otherwise directing the stack of fuel rods to a reject collection site, and
- receiving the accepted stack of fuel rods from the loading conveyor line and loading them into the longitudinal passages of the fuel element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.