Heat-treating apparatus for prolonging the life of a pressure vessel, especially a reactor pressure vessel

Heat-treating apparatus for prolonging the life of a pressure vessel formed of thermally resistant material subject to time-dependent structural changes due to neutron flux comprising a heating device positionable within a pressure vessel adjacent to a wall portion thereof which is to be heat-treated;

• and a mounting support for the heating device comprising a hollow substantially cylindrical mounting member;
• means supporting said mounting member and for inserting said mounting member into and for removing said mounting member from the pressure vessel through an opening in the pressure vessel;
• means for flooding the interior of the pressure vessel with protective liquid preparatory to inserting and removing said mounting member and said heating device from the pressure vessel;
• and means for draining said protective liquid from the interior of the pressure vessel prior to actuation of the heating device for heating the adjacent wall portion, said mounting member being an insulating cylinder having outer circumferential contact surfaces and being positionable so that said contact surfaces form sealing contact with the inner peripheral surface of the pressure vessel in a manner that said insulating cylinder defines an annular heating space located adjacent the pressure vessel wall portion to be treated, said mounting member being subdivided over the circumference thereof into a plurality of segments separated by continuous axial parting lines from one another, said mounting-member supporting means comprising separate supporting devices from which the respective segments are suspended and by which said segments are successively insertable into the interior of the pressure vessel and mutually joinable sealingly with axial parting lines into a cylindrical member closed upon itself.

Heat-treating apparatus for prolonging the life of a pressure vessel formed of thermally resistant material subject to time-dependent structural changes due to neutron flux comprising a heating device positionable within a pressure vessel adjacent to a wall portion thereof which is to be heat-treated;

• and a mounting support for the heating device comprising a hollow substantially cylindrical mounting member;
• means supporting said mounting member and for inserting said mounting member into and for removing said mounting member from the pressure vessel through an opening in the pressure vessel;
• means for flooding the interior of the pressure vessel with protective liquid preparatory to inserting and removing said mounting member and said heating device from the pressure vessel;
• and means for draining said protective liquid from the interior of the pressure vessel prior to actuation of the heating device for heating the adjacent wall portion, said mounting member being an insulating cylinder having outer circumferential contact surfaces and being positionable so that said contact surfaces form sealing contact with the inner peripheral surface of the pressure vessel in a manner that said insulating cylinder defines an annular heating space located adjacent the pressure-vessel wall portion to be treated, said mounting member being subdivided over the circumference thereof into a plurality of segments separated by continuous axial parting lines from one another, said mounting-member supporting means comprising a central mast, spreader levers articulatingly connecting said segments to said central mast in a manner that said segments spread out radially with respect to said central mast upon axial displacement of said central mast relative to said segments, and means for sealing respective gaps formed at said axial parting lines by the spreading of said segments.

Heat-treating apparatus for prolonging the life of a pressure vessel formed of thermally resistant material subject to time-dependent structural changes due to neutron flux comprising a heating device positionable within a pressure vessel adjacent to a wall portion thereof which is to be heat-treated;

• and a mounting support for the heating device comprising a hollow substantially cylindrical mounting member;
• means supporting said mounting member and for inserting said mounting member into and for removing said mounting member from the pressure vessel through an opening in the pressure vessel;
• means for flooding the interior of the pressure vessel with protective liquid preparatory to inserting and removing said mounting member and said heating device from the pressure vessel;
• and means for draining said protective liquid from the interior of the pressure vessel prior to actuation of the heating device for heating the adjacent wall portion, said mounting member being an insulating cylinder having outer circumferential contact surfaces and being positionable so that said contact surfaces form sealing contact with the inner peripheral surface of the pressure vessel in a manner that said insulating cylinder defines an annular heating space located adjacent the pressure-vessel wall portion to be treated, the pressure vessel being a reactor pressure vessel and being received in a reactor chamber, said flooding and said draining means serving also for respectively flooding and draining the reactor chamber in addition to the pressure vessel, the reactor chamber being vacant and being shielded by ceiling slabs during actuation of the heating device for heat-treating the adjacent wall portion of the pressure vessel, said mounting-member supporting means comprising a cover plate seatable on the pressure vessel in the region of a cover flange thereof, said cover plate having parts thereof removable so as to open the pressure vessel for controlling temperature distribution in a pressure-vessel space located within the mounting member in the pressure vessel and also in said annular heating space.