Replacement of split-pin assemblies in nuclear reactor

Apparatus for replacing an old split-pin assembly of a guide tube of a nuclear reactor with a new split-pin assembly, said old split-pin assembly including an old split pin and an old nut, said guide tube having a flange and said old nut securing said old split-pin in said flange, said new split-pin assembly including a new split pin and a new nut to secure said new split pin to said flange in place of said old split pin, said old split-pin assembly and said guide tube being radioactive, said old split-pin assembly having been severed into fragments, one of said fragments including a portion of said old nut and a portion of said old split-pin threaded to said old nut said one fragment being mounted in said guide tube, said guide tube being mounted submerged under a pool of water with said one nut fragment in a first end position;

• the said apparatus including a hopper for new nuts, and a pick-and-put tool, said hopper to contain a plurality of new nuts and including means, to be connected to said new nuts, for setting one of said new nuts at a second end position in position to be removed, said pick-and-put tool having an object clamping-and-transporting assembly and means, connected to said clamping-and-transporting assembly, for moving said clamping-and-transporting assembly back and forth, between a first intermediate location near said first end position and a second intermediate location near said second end position;
• said clamping-and-transporting assembly including:
• (a) a clamp;
• (b) actuating means, connected to said clamp and operable at both said first and second end positions, to actuate said clamp to engage or disengage an object, and
• (c) means, connected to said clamp and actuating means also operable at both said first and second end positions, for transporting an object engaged by said clamp locally at each said first and second end positions from the corresponding object-engaging location to said intermediate corresponding first or second location;
• the said apparatus also including means positioning, said pick-and-put tool and said hopper at generally the same operative vertical level, submerged in said pool of water, with the flange of a guide tube having mounted thereon and one fragment of a split-pin assembly to be replaced, with said pick-and-put tool having said flange on one side thereof with said one fragment in said first end position and said hopper on the other side thereof with said one new nut in said second end position and said object clamping-and-transporting assembly set so that it is moveable by said moving means and transportable by said clamping-and-transporting assembly between said first end position where said fragment is accessible for local clamping and transporting to the corresponding intermediate location, and said second end position where said one new nut is accessible for clamping, transporting to the corresponding second intermediate location and moving, by said moving means;
• whereby said clamp is transportable to a disposal facility for said fragment at a second intermediate location between said first end position and said second end position and also is transportable from said second end position to the corresponding intermediate location and thence to said flange to position a new nut in position to be threaded to a new split pin in said flange.

Apparatus for replacing an old split-pin assembly of a guide tube of a nuclear reactor with a new split-pin assembly, said old split-pin assembly including an old split pin and an old nut securing said old split pin to said guide tube and said new split-pin assembly including a new split pin and a new nut to secure said new split pin to said guide tube in place of said old split pin, said old split pin and said old nut being radioactive, the said guide tube to be mounted for said replacement submerged in a pool of water with a fragment of an old split-pin assembly in position to be replaced;

• the said apparatus including a pick-and-put tool having a clamping-and-transporting assembly and means, connected to said clamping-and-transporting assembly, operable to move said clamping-and-transporting assembly back and forth between a first position and a second position, the said clamping-and-transporting assembly including
• (a) a clamp,
• (b) actuating means, actuable at each said position, for operating, said clamp to clamp an object, and
• (c) transporting means, operable at each said position, for transporting a clamped object locally between a clamping location and an intermediate location;
• the said apparatus also including means for supplying new nuts, means, connected to said pick-and-put tool, for mounting said pick-and-put tool cooperatively with a guide tube, mounted as aforesaid, so that, in the first position of said pick-and-put tool, the clamp of said clamping-and transporting assembly is actuable by its actuating means at the corresponding clamping location to clamp said fragment and the transporting means of said clamping-and-transporting assembly is operable to transfer to a disposal facility at a said intermediate location between said first and second positions, the fragment in said guide tube of an old split-pin assembly to be replaced, and means mounting said new-nuts supplying means submerged in said pool cooperatively with said pick-and-put tool and said guide tube so that in said second position of said pick-and-put tool the clamp of said clamping-and-transporting assembly is actuable by its actuating means to clamp a new nut in said new-nut supplying means and the transporting means of said clamping-and-transporting assembly is operable to remove said clamped new nut from said new-nut supplying means and to transport said new nut to the corresponding intermediate location, and, said moving means, is operable to transport said new nut to the corresponding intermediate location at said first position and on reverse operation of said transporting means and reverse actuation of said actuating means at said second position to position said new nut in said guide tube for securing a new split pin.