Nuclear fuel rod accumulation machine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsEdward S. Walker, Wilbur L. Croom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To mechanize the accumulation of nuclear fuel rods into fuel bundle groups, fuel rods are uploaded onto an input table from a succession of trays containing fuel rods of different rod types. The serial number of each fuel rod is read during procession across the input table to an output queue. An input elevator uniformly distributes fuel rods from the output queue to plural levels of an accumulation rack until each level contains an identical number of fuel rods of each rod type necessary to completely assemble one fuel bundle. An output elevator then empties the accumulation rack, one level at a time, to an output table, from which the fuel rods from each level are downloaded into separate bundle trays.
Claims19
A nuclear fuel rod accumulation machine for concurrently accumulating fuel rods of various rod types from a succession of rod trays in a succession of bundle trays, said machine comprising, in combination:
- A. an input table on which fuel rods are uploaded from rod trays for procession from an input queue to an output queue through a reading station;
- B. a serial number reader for reading a unique serial number from each fuel rod while detained at said reading station;
- C. an accumulation rack having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves;
- D. an input elevator for picking up plural fuel rods from said output queue and distributing the fuel rods to said shelves;
- E. an output table;
- and
- F. an output elevator for picking up all of the fuel rods from each of said shelves and depositing the fuel rods on said output table in separate fuel bundle groups for downloading into separate bundle trays.
A method for accumulating fuel rods of various types in bundle groups for assembly in fuel bundles, said method comprising the steps of:
- A. uploading onto an input table fuel rods from rod trays containing fuel rods of different rod types;
- B. reading the serial numbers of successive fuel rods during procession across the input table to an output queue;
- C. distributing fuel rods from the output queue to plural levels of an accumulation rack until each level is filled with the number of fuel rods of each specified rod type necessary to fully assemble one fuel bundle;
- D. successively downloading the fuel rods from each accumulation rack level into separate bundle trays, such that each bundle tray contains all of the fuel rods accumulated on a different one of the accumulation rack levels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.