Patent Number: 047864613
Section: description

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Turning first to FIG. 1, there is depicted a nuclear reactor pressure-vessel assembly 100. The assembly comprises a reactor pressure vessel 102 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is a generally cylindrically shaped vessel closed at one end by a generally hemispherically shaped end portion 104. The vessel 102 has a coolant inlet 106 and a coolant outlet 108 formed therein to circulate coolant through the vessel. As viewed in FIG. 1, the top end of the vessel 102 is closed by a reactor pressure-vessel head 110 which sits on a flange portion 112 of the vessel 102. A lower internals assembly 114 is supported within the vessel 102 and hung from the flange 112. The lower internals assembly comprises a perforated lower core support plate 116 and a perforated upper core support plate 118. The lower internals are used to support an array of fuel rod assemblies 120, two of which are illustrated in FIG. 1 by way of example. Positioned axially above the lower internals assembly 114 in the reactor pressure vessel 102 is the upper internals assembly 122. The upper internals assembly is generally disposed within the core barrel 124 of the lower internals assembly 114 and also hung from the flange 112. The upper internals assembly 122 comprises a hat-shaped upper internals top plate 126 and a perforated upper internals barrel 128 disposed within the core barrel 124 and forming an annulus 127 therewith. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the upper internals assembly 122 contains a plurality of control rod guide structure assemblies 130, only two of which are illustrated for clarity. The guide structure assemblies 130 pass through the upper internals top plate 126 forming an annulus therewith through which coolant in the upper head region 132 can pass into the upper internals. Coolant flows into the reactor pressure vessel through the coolant inlet 106. Most of the coolant flows through the inlet annulus 134 and towards the bottom region 136 of the vessel. The coolant then flows up through the perforated lower core support plate 116 and is heated to working temperatures while passing through the lower internals. The coolant then flows through the upper internals, the perforated upper internals barrel and out through the coolant outlet 108. As will be appreciated by the artisan, the rate of coolant flow in a large reactor is tremendous and the forces exerted by the coolant against the upper and lower internals structure as it flows therethrough tends to displace those structures causing vibrations and the like. A small portion of the coolant flows to the upper head region 132 through the annulus 127 and a coolant flow passage 158 (FIG. 4), described in detail below, which is provided in the Belleville spring assembly 138 of the present invention. The coolant flowing into the head region 132 serves the important safety function of maintaining the control rod drive mechanism components which pass through the upper head region at coolant inlet temperatures. Turning now to FIG. 2 there is illustrated a sectional view of the pressure vessel of FIG. 1 omitting the reactor internal details for clarity. As can be appreciated from FIG. 2, a plurality of stud holes 137 are axially spaced about the pressure vessel flange 112 for accommodating stud bolts or the like used to fasten the pressure vessel head 110 to the pressure vessel 102. A series of alignment keys slots 142 are formed in the core barrel 124. In the embodiment illustrated the alignment keys slots are rectangular in shape and each is operable to accommodate a key member 140 (FIG. 1) in order to at least grossly align the core barrel 124 and the pressure vessel 102. As will be appreciated from FIG. 2, a plurality of Belleville spring assemblies 138 are angularly spaced about the flange 144 of the core barrel 124. Each of the assemblies 138, which are described in detail below, are relatively small and have a large deflection capability. Consequently, they require less precision in design and manufacture than a single large Belleville spring or a few large spring assemblies. Moreover, the small Belleville spring assemblies 138 are easily replaced when necessary and can be easily handled, inspected and decontaminated. The small hold down spring assemblies 138 represent a significant cost savings, both in terms of reactor construction and maintenance, over prior art spring assemblies. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a plurality of shim members 146 are provided to limit the amount of travel of the upper internals band with regard to the core barrel. As clearly seen in FIG. 2, the Belleville washer assemblies 138 are positioned on a flange 144 of the core barrel 124 and the shims 146 are dimensioned to prevent the spring assemblies from over deflection or collapse in case of a seismic event or the like by limiting the maximum allowable deflection of the Belleville spring assemblies 138. Turning now to FIG. 3, there is depicted in greater detail a section of the reactor vessel assembly of FIG. 1 in the vicinity of a Bellevile spring assembly 138 indicating reactor coolant flow directions. All upper internals components are omitted for clarity. The core barrel 124 has a flange 144 that sits on a ledge 150 formed along the inside circumference of the reactor vessel 102. A coolant flow passage 152 is formed through the core barrel flange 153 at the site of the Belleville spring 138. The upper internals barrel 128 includes flange 154 which is dimensioned to sit axially above the core barrel flange 144. The flange 154 has a plurality of coolant passages 156 angularly spaced to align with the passages 152 when the core barrel and upper internals barrel are assembled in the pressure vessel. As best seen in FIG. 3, each Belleville spring assembly 138 is disposed between the upper internals barrel flange 154 and core barrel flange 144 and has a connecting coolant flow passage 158 aligned with the passages 152 and 156, thus providing a continuous passage for inlet coolant in the annulus 134 to flow into the upper head region 132 via an upper head annulus 131 (FIG. 1) and then through a small annulus formed in the drive rod hole 160 when the drive rod mechanism (not illustrated) is in place. The upper internals barrel 128 is resiliently supported above and in coaxial alignment with the core barrel 114 by the annularly spaced plurality of Belleville spring assemblies 138 and alignment keys 140. Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a first preferred embodiment of a Belleville spring assembly according to the present invention. Each spring assembly 138 comprises means for carrying a stack of Belleville springs. Such means may comprise a central retainer 162, preferably having an upper flange 164 which seats against the upper internals barrel flange 154. Grooves 166 may be cut into the sealing surface 168 of the flange 164 to improve the seal with the flange 154. The lower portion 170 of the retainer 162 is formed with a tapped length of reduced diameter for accommodating locking nut 172 which is used during the assembly of the hold down spring assembly 138 to preload the springs. A locking pin 174 or other similar fastening device is used to arrest the locking nut 172 on the central retainer 162. Belleville springs 176 are stacked vertically on the retainer 162. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the Belleville springs may be stacked as single layers of opposing spring disks of alternating angular orientation or may be arranged in alternating and opposing groups of two or more spring disks of the same angular orientation. In either manner, a spring assembly is built up which, after assembly, bears against generally flat inner flange surface 178 of the retainer 162 and against the locking nut 172 with a set preload. If the retainer 162 is fabricated without a flange 164, an external snap ring or the like may be used to retain the spring disks. In the embodiment illustrated, the assembly comprises a stack of nine spring disks which, when compressed, exert a force of on the order of 20,000 pounds. If, for example, fifty spring assemblies are mounted on the core barrel flange 144, they will cumulatively exert a force of 1,000,000 pounds against the upper internals which is sufficient to fix the internals in place during normal and accident conditions. The stack of Belleville springs sits in a recess 179 formed in the flange 144. Positioned within a bore 180 of the retainer 162 is a means defining the connecting coolant passage 158 which comprises a bellows flange 182, a spring bellows 184 and a plunger 186. The bellows flange 182 seats against a shoulder 188 formed in the bore 180. A snap ring 190 or similar fastener holds the bellows flange in place in the bore 180. The bellows flange and plunger are provided with shoulders 192 and 194 respectively between which the spring bellows 184 is adapted to be retained. The compressed deflection of the spring assembly is typically in the range of about 1/2 to 1 inch depending upon the specific design chosen. This deflection, which is several times that of a large single Belleville spring, provides protection against unloading due to stress relaxation. With the present invention, a small deformation due to relaxation produces a small change in spring force whereas with the large Belleville spring the same deformation produces a large reduction in loading. The difficulties in replacing a large Belleville spring were previously described. The small spring assemblies of the present invention weight on the order of 50 pounds and are therefore easily handled. Decontamination and inspection of the small spring assembly is far easier and results in less man-rem exposure than is the case with large hold down springs. Preferably, the core barrel cooling passage 152 is formed with a cone shaped seating surface 196 and the plunger 186 is formed with a spherical end which seats against the surface 196 in a generally fluid tight manner under a bias from the spring bellows 194. The plunger 186 has a bore 198 which aligns with a tube 200 extending from the bellows flange 182. The tube 200 is dimensioned to fit within an expanded diameter section 202 of the plunger bore 198 and to be sufficiently spaced from the plunger bore to allow for spring assembly deflection. It will be appreciated that the coolant flow path from the passage 152 to the passage 156 is through the seat 196, the plunger 186 and the bellows flange tube 200. The spring bellows biases the plunger against the seating surface 196 and prevents any coolant flow past the tube 200 from dispersing into the upper internals. Thus, basic design consists of employing multiple stacks of small Belleville springs arranged in a circle on the flange of the core barrel flange 144. The small Belleville springs have the configuration of a conical thick wall washer and are typically 7 to 10 inches in outside diameter with a center hole of 31/2 to 4 inches diameter. Typically 5 to 10 small spring washers are stacked vertically and held together by the cylindrical retainer 162. The bore 180 in the center of the retainer provides space for the connecting flow passage generally 158 with its sealing and expansion accommodating features. Turning now to FIG. 5 there is illustrated a second embodiment of a Belleville spring assembly in accordance with the present invention. The only significant difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 is that an upper plunger 204 is used in lieu of the bellows flange assembly 182 of FIG. 4. The passage 156 is formed with a conical seating surface 206 similar to the surface 196 discussed above against which the generally spherical end 208 of the plunger 204 is biased by the spring bellows 184. The upper plunger 204 is formed with a retaining plate 210 which, after assembly, is restrained to move axially between the snap ring 190 and the shoulder 188 of the retainer 162. Thus, a flow passage is provided with improved sealing and expansion accommodation features. The connecting flow passage, generally 158, does not require leak tightness but it is desirable to minimize leakage between the coolant flow passage and the upper internals interior volume since such leakage will not contribute to head cooling and will reduce the reactor outlet temperature by dilution, and will add to the plant pumping lower load. The flow passage design of the spring assembly of either FIGS. 4 or 5 will achieve this goal. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a single ball and cone seal 186, 196 is utilized at the bottom of the assembly. Leakage is limited at the top of the assembly by tight clearances between the retainer flange 168 and the upper internals barrel flange 154. The element is secured within the retainer by a snap ring. The embodiment of FIG. 5 is similar except that ball and cone seats are furnished at both ends of the flow element to further reduce bypass leakage. As alluded to above, a typical spring assembly may be compressed 1/2 to 1 inch when it is installed for service. As a consequence the flow sealing arrangement must accommodate that movement. A single ply standard spring bellows 184 is preferably incorporated in the assembly to perform this function. The assemblies of the design of either FIGS. 4 or 5 provide a simple and inexpensive means for establishing and controlling a coolant flow to the pressure vessel head region 132. If it is desired to reduce the flow, members having reduced or valved bores can be inserted by removing the snap ring 190 and inserting an appropriately dimensioned element in lieu of the bellows flange 182 of FIG. 4 or the upper plunger 204 of FIG. 5. In a third embodiment of the invention, illustrated in FIG. 6, a hold-down spring assembly 138 is disclosed intended for use in a pressure vessel assembly in which the travel limiting shims 146 of FIG. 2 have been omitted. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the core barrel flange 144 has an increased axial thickness relative to the flanges of FIGS. 4 or 5 and the Belleville spring assemblies 138 are disposed in a generally cylindrically counter bore 209 formed in the flange 144 of the core barrel. This counter bore 209 has a shoulder 205 for supporting the Belleville spring stack. In this embodiment the flange not only supports the spring assemblies 138 but also functions to limit the maximum deflection of the assembly. The spring assemblies of FIG. 6 are designed so that when the upper internals and core are loaded into the pressure vessel, the resulting deflection of the spring assemblies 138 produces a gap 206 between the flanges 154 and 144. If the springs are overloaded due to a seismic event or the like or due to stress relaxation, the maximum additional deflection is limited to a distance equal to the gap 206 after which the flanges 144 and 154 abut one another. The gap 206 is typically on the order of about 60 to 90 mils. Other elements of FIG. 6 are similar to the assemblies of FIGS. 4 and 5 and are not further described in detail. As should now be appreciated, the spring assemblies of the present invention are relatively small and have a large deflection capability. In addition, the Belleville spring assemblies disclosed require less precise design and less manufacturing precision than a single or a few large spring assemblies. Consequently, the present invention can provide the required spring load and deflection capability at lower cost, afford easier replacement, handling, inspection and decontamination. In addition, multiple small spring assemblies provide a degree of redundancy which tolerates some assembly failures. Moreover, the present spring assembly design provides a generally fluid tight flow path for upper head cooling using a flow passage which is easily replaceable and adjustable to change the reactor head cooling flow rate. Importantly, the present small spring assemblies can be load tested before installation which is almost impossible with very large spring assemblies. In addition, the small diameter of the spring assemblies reduces the required reactor flange diameter by 4.5 inches or more with a consequent savings of some 26,000 pounds or more in reactor vessel weight. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. For example, the size and shape of the spring stacks, the various retaining means, and type of coolant passage connections used may be modified within the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.