Patent Number: 041490878
Section: description

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a drum body 1 (FIG. 1) contains an axle 2, whereupon there is mounted a holder 3 rotatable about its axis. For this purpose, the lower end of the axle 2 is made rotatable in a bushing 4, whereas the upper end is rigidly coupled to a gear 5 which abuts through a bearing 6 against a lid 7. In the holder 3 there are provided sockets 8, 9 and 10 made as vertical bores to receive rod-type fuel assemblies 11. The lid 7 has openings 12 through which extend pipes 13 of a recharging channel which communicates the inside of the drum with that of a box 14 housing a recharging mechanism 15 with a grip 16. The sockets 8, 9 and 10 (FIG. 2) are arranged in three concentric rows along the circumference of the holder 3. There are sixty nine sockets in each row. The sockets 8, 9 and 10 are so arranged in the holder 3 that the axies of three sockets 8, 9 and 10 of different rows are all inside a circle 17 whose center is outside the drum. The circle 17 is the trajectory described by the grip 16 of the recharging mechanism 15. The openings 12 in the lid 7 are located at points where the trajectory described by the grip 16 intersects with the axis of three sockets 8, 9 and 10 of different rows. FIG. 3 shows an alternative arrangement of the sockets 8, 9 and 10 in the holder 3. The axies of the three sockets 8, 9 and 10 are all on a direct line 18 which is the trajectory described by the grip 16 of the recharging mechanism 15. The proposed drum for storing fuel assemblies of a nuclear reactor is charged as follows. The drum's drive (not shown) rotates the holder 3 through the gear 5 until the axes of the socket 8, 9 and 10 are matched with those of the pipes 13 of the recharging channel. The grip 16 of the recharging mechanism 15 arranged in the box 14 starts moving along the trajectory 17 (describing a circle), which trajectory 17 intersects with the axis of the sockets 8, 9 and 10 toward the pipe 13 of the recharging channel, which is opposite the first socket 8 of the holder 3. The grip 16, which holds a fuel assembly 11, inserts the latter through the pipe 13 and the opening 12 into the socket 8 of the holder 3. The grip 16 of the recharging mechanism 15 is then lifted into the box 14, grips the next fuel assembly 11 and likewise installs it in the socket 9 of the holder 3. Then the recharging mechanism 15 puts the third fuel assembly in the socket 10. As the fuel assemblies 11 are being placed in the sockets 8, 9 and 10, the holder 3 remains stationary. Following the insertion of the three fuel assemblies into the sockets 8, 9 and 10, the holder 3 is turned so that the tenth sockets 8, 9 and 10 (counting from the filled sockets) come under the openings 12. These sockets are filled as described above. Thus, following each turn of the holder 3, each tenth socket 8, 9 and 10 (counting from the last filled socket) comes under the opening 12. After a full turn of the holder 3, under the opening 12 there come the sockets 8, 9 and 10 which are adjacent to those which were filled first. Thus fuel assemblies 11 are inserted into all the sockets 8, 9 and 10 of the holder 3. During a removal of the fuel assemblies 11 from the drum to the box 14, the sequence of events is reversed. The proposed design of a drum for storing fuel assemblies of a nuclear reactor makes it possible to place the fuel assemblies 11 in the sockets 8, 9 and 10 of the holder 3 through the pipes 13 of the recharging channel, without additionally turning the holder 3, which prolongs the life of the drum due to reduced wear of friction parts and simplifies the holder drive. The invention provides for spaced arrangement if the sockets 8, 9 and 10, containing the fuel assemblies 11, in the holder 3, which prevents overrunning and jamming of said holder 3 and cuts down the recharging time.