Pellet loader

A pellet loader for loading a sintering boat with a single layer array comprising a plurality of cylindrical-shaped fissile fuel pellets, the pellet loader comprising:

• a rigid frame, including a generally rectangular-shaped plate having a downward facing bottom surface, a first fixed wall depending from a first peripheral end of the plate, and a second fixed wall depending from a second peripheral end of the plate adjacent the first peripheral end;
• lift means for lifting and lowering the frame coupled to an upper side of the plate by an upright;
• a first movable wall adjacent a third peripheral end of the plate;
• an elongated, L-shaped member adjacent a fourth peripheral end of the frame having a pivot connection to the frame defining an axis of rotation extending in a first direction about normal to the first fixed wall, the L-shaped member including an about horizontally extending first leg adjacent the upper side of the plate defining a pivot arm, and an about vertically depending second leg defining a second movable wall opposing the second fixed wall, wherein a generally rectangular-shaped, open-bottomed region is defined by the bottom surface, the first and second fixed walls and the first and second movable walls;
• first motive means including a first linear actuator operatively coupling between the frame and the first movable wall for moving the first movable wall rectilinearly in about the first direction;
• second motive means including a second linear actuator operatively coupling between the frame and the pivot arm for rotating the second movable wall about the axis of rotation such that a bottom end of the second movable wall distal the frame moves toward and away from the second fixed wall;
• and
• a control system operatively connected to each of the first and second linear actuators for controlling movement of the first movable wall and the second movable wall, and operatively connected to the lift means for controlling the lifting and lowering of the frame.

A method of loading a sintering boat with a plurality of upright, cylindrical-shaped fissile fuel pellets, comprising the steps of:

• arranging the fuel pellets in a square lattice array having a rectangular-shaped perimeter;
• first clamping a first pair of peripheral spaced apart sides of the array between an about vertically extending first fixed wall and a first movable wall parallel to and opposing the first fixed wall, including the step of moving the first movable wall rectilinearly in a first direction extending about normal to the first fixed wall towards the first fixed wall;
• second clamping a second pair of peripheral spaced apart sides of the array between an about vertically extending second fixed wall and a second movable wall about parallel to and opposing the second fixed wall about simultaneously with the first clamping, including the step of rotating the second movable wall towards the second fixed wall about an axis parallel to the first direction;
• lifting the array with a lift mechanism coupled to the first and second fixed walls and the first and second movable walls;
• lowering the array onto an upward facing surface within the sintering boat with the lift mechanism;
• and
• releasing the array, including the steps of moving the first movable wall away from the first fixed wall and rotating the second movable wall away from the second fixed wall.