| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 376268000 | Refueling machines | 13 |
| 20080205577 | Systems for aligning and handling fuel rods within a nuclear fuel bundle - In a spent fuel pool of a nuclear power plant, there is provided a system for aligning a nuclear fuel bundle and handling selected fuel rods within the fuel bundle. The bundle includes water rods, full-length and part-length fuel rods extending through a plurality of fuel spacers provided between top and bottom ends of the bundle, each spacer having a plurality of cells accommodating corresponding fuel and water rods. The system includes a bundle alignment system for aligning the fuel rods and water rods, a rod grapple tool to extract selected part-length rods from the bundle, and a fuel rod guide block slidable onto the top end of the bundle for protecting an uppermost fuel spacer of the bundle, and for aligning fuel rods within individual cells of all the fuel spacers in the fuel bundle | 08-28-2008 |
| 20090060111 | CHANNEL SEATING TOOL FOR NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR SEATING CHANNEL ON THE ASSEMBLY - A tool to slide a channel on a nuclear reactor fuel bundle assembly, the tool includes: a plate having a slot to receive a handle of the fuel bundle and a lower surface that engages an upper edge of the channel; at least one post extends up from the plate, and an arm is attached to a pivot on the post and includes a first end to receive a downward force and a second end adapted to engage the handle of the fuel bundle to apply an upward force to the handle and push down on the channel. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090161811 | REFUELING SUPPORT SYSTEM - Problem: To provide a refueling support system in which fuel transfer procedure establishing operations and associated operations precisely reflecting the fuel burnup conditions can be efficiently performed at the time of scheduled outages at a nuclear power plant. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20100232564 | SYSTEMS FOR ALIGNING AND HANDLING FUEL RODS WITHIN A NUCLEAR FUEL BUNDLE - In a spent fuel pool of a nuclear power plant, there is provided a system for aligning a nuclear fuel bundle and handling selected fuel rods within the fuel bundle. The bundle includes water rods, full-length and part-length fuel rods extending through a plurality of fuel spacers provided between top and bottom ends of the bundle, each spacer having a plurality of cells accommodating corresponding fuel and water rods. The system includes a bundle alignment system for aligning the fuel rods and water rods, a rod grapple tool to extract selected part-length rods from the bundle, and a fuel rod guide block slidable onto the top end of the bundle for protecting an uppermost fuel spacer of the bundle, and for aligning fuel rods within individual cells of all the fuel spacers in the fuel bundle. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20130294565 | METHOD OF REFUELING A NUCLEAR REACTOR - A method of refueling a nuclear reactor that includes the steps of removing the reactor vessel head and upper internals to a storage location and installing a cylindrical tank having open upper and lower ends, on the reactor vessel flange. The cylindrical tank is sealed to the reactor vessel and a penetration on the side of the cylindrical tank is sealed to a refueling canal that is connected to a spent fuel pool. The level of reactor coolant within the reactor vessel is then raised to at least partially fill the cylindrical tank to a level equal to that of the spent fuel pool. The refueling canal is then opened and a refueling machine supported on the reactor vessel is employed to transfer fuel assemblies between the core and the spent fuel pool. | 11-07-2013 |
| 20140023171 | FUEL EXCHANGE APPARATUS - A fuel exchange apparatus, comprising:
| 01-23-2014 |
| 20140198889 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE SHIELDED RELOCATION OF A NUCLEAR COMPONENT - A nuclear component transfer device that incorporates a shielded canister into the mast design of a conventional nuclear refueling machine. A moveable mast telescopes within a stationary mast which is attached to a bridge for lateral positioning. The canister allows for the addition of shielding that is positioned with the movement of the moveable mast without additional motorized components to deploy the shielding during nuclear component movement. The nuclear component is drawn up into the shielded canister as the moveable mast lifts the nuclear component. The nuclear component is then placed into a transfer cart that is also fitted with a shielded canister. The transfer is made without exposing the nuclear components resulting in completely shield movement. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20140198890 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOVING THE UPPER INTERNALS FROM A NUCLEAR REACTOR PRESSURIZED VESSEL - A lifting fixture for removing the upper internals from a reactor to provide access to the core for refueling that does not require flooding of a refueling canal. The invention provides a means of shielding and ventilation that is integral to a lifting rig used to remove the upper internals. The lifting rig provides a means for personnel to decouple the drive rods from the rod cluster control assemblies so the drive rods can be lifted from the core with the upper internals while shielding maintenance personnel without flooding the area above the reactor. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20140198891 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REFUELING A NUCLEAR REACTOR HAVING AN INSTRUMENTATION PENETRATION FLANGE - Apparatus and a method for retracting in-core instrument thimble tubes from the reactor core prior to refueling a nuclear reactor with top mounted instrumentation. The apparatus includes a penetration flange interposed between the head flange and the reactor vessel flange through which the instrumentation cabling passes. The penetration flange is connected to the upper internals and can be raised relative thereto to retract instrumentation thimbles from the core prior to removal of the upper internals from the reactor vessel for refueling. The penetration flange is removed from the vessel with the upper internals. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20160118150 | Method and Apparatus for the Shielded Relocation of a Nuclear Component - A nuclear component transfer device that incorporates a shielded canister into the mast design of a conventional nuclear refueling machine. A moveable mast telescopes within a stationary mast which is attached to a bridge for lateral positioning. The canister allows for the addition of shielding that is positioned with the movement of the moveable mast without additional motorized components to deploy the shielding during nuclear component movement. The nuclear component is drawn up into the shielded canister as the moveable mast lifts the nuclear component. The nuclear component is then placed into a transfer cart that is also fitted with a shielded canister. The transfer is made without exposing the nuclear components resulting in completely shield movement. | 04-28-2016 |
| 376269000 | With magazine | 1 |
| 20130315364 | DEVICE FOR TURNING A CONTAINER, PARTICULARLY FOR NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY, TURNING ASSEMBLY, AND NUCLEAR POWER PLANT - A device for turning a container about a turning axis is provided. The device includes a stationary holding member and two bearing members which are spaced apart along the turning axis on each side of a space for receiving a container, and which are capable of being used for bearing on the container while enabling the rotation of the container about the turning axis relative to the bearing members. The device includes a movable holding member that is mounted onto the stationary holding member so as to rotate about the turning axis, at least one bearing member being supported by the movable holding member while being mounted onto the movable holding member so as to rotate about the drive axis, the or each bearing member supported by the movable holding member not rotating about the turning axis relative to the stationary holding member when the movable holding member rotates about the turning axis relative to the stationary holding member. | 11-28-2013 |
| 376271000 | Upper axial transfer | 2 |
| 20160049212 | Method for In-Core Instrumentation Withdrawal From the Core of a Pressurized Water Reactor - A method of removing the upper internals assembly from a nuclear reactor pressure vessel for refueling that simultaneously disconnects two or more of the in-core instrument thimble assemblies from the reactor vessel penetrations through which their signal cables extend. The signal cables are connected to the penetrations with an electrical connector that supports the two or more in-core instrumentation thimble assembly signal leads. Before the electrical connector is disconnected, water in the vessel is lowered below the connection so that the process is performed in a dry environment. | 02-18-2016 |
| 20160203882 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOVING THE UPPER INTERNALS FROM A NUCLEAR REACTOR PRESSURIZED VESSEL | 07-14-2016 |
