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US 5,207,977 AGranted
Reactor pressure vessel with forged nozzles
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDilip R. Desai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Inlet nozzles for a gravity-driven cooling system (GDCS) are forged with a cylindrical reactor pressure vessel (RPV) section to which a support skirt for the RPV is attached. The forging provides enhanced RPV integrity around the nozzle and substantial reduction of in-service inspection costs by eliminating GDCS nozzle-to-RPV welds.
Claims2
A reactor vessel for enclosing nuclear fuel and coolant in a nuclear reactor comprising:
- a top, a bottom, and a vertically extending series of generally cylindrical sections extending between said bottom and said top,
- a first of said cylindrical sections having at least one nozzle formation weldlessly formed therein,
- a second of said cylindrical sections having a nozzle welded thereto;
- and
- a support skirt for supporting said reactor pressure vessel on a concrete structure, said support skirt flaring outward toward said concrete structure, said support skirt being welded to said first cylindrical section and to said nozzle formation.
2 more elements
A reactor vessel for enclosing nuclear fuel and coolant in a nuclear reactor comprising:
- a top, a bottom, and a vertically extending series of generally cylindrical sections extending between said bottom and said top,
- a first of said cylindrical sections having at least one nozzle formation weldlessly formed therein, said first cylindrical section having forged therewith a ridge extending below said nozzle formation,
- a second of said cylindrical sections having a nozzle welded thereto;
- and
- a support skirt for supporting said reactor pressure vessel on a concrete structure, said support skirt flaring outward toward said concrete structure, said support skirt being welded to said ridge so that said support skirt is entirely below said nozzle formation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.