Patent Number: 047598972
Section: claims

1. Apparatus for determining external dimensional relationships of a nuclear fuel assembly including an array of elongated fuel rods engaged in transverse grids and extending between top and bottom nozzles, said apparatus comprising: support means, positioning means on said support means for fixedly positioning the fuel assembly in a selected orientation to establish a first portion of the fuel assembly as a reference, carriage means mounted on said support means for movement longitudinally of the fuel assembly substantially the entire length thereof when it is disposed in said selected orientation, measuring means on said carriage means, and drive means on said carriage means for moving said measuring means between a retracted condition and a measuring condition disposed in measuring engagement with a second portion of the fuel assembly to measure the position and orientation of said second portion relative to said reference, and processing means responsive to said measurements of said second portion for determining said external dimensional relationships of the fuel assembly. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said positioning means includes means for engaging the top and bottom nozzles for retaining the fuel assembly in said selected orientation. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said selected orientation is with the direction of elongation of the fuel assembly disposed substantially vertically. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, and further including control means coupled to said positioning means and said carriage means and said drive means for remotely controlling the operation thereof. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said control means includes video camera means mounted on said carriage means for viewing the measurement operation. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said measuring means includes a plurality of measuring gauges respectively engageable with the fuel assembly at a plurality of measurement points. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of said measuring gauges measures the distance of its associated measuring point from a fixed reference plane. 8. Apparatus for determining external dimensional relationships of a nuclear fuel assembly including an array of elongated fuel rods engaged in transverse grids and extending between top and bottom nozzles, wherein each of said grids and nozzles has external planar faces arranged in a rectangular configuration, said apparatus comprising: support means, reference means mounted on said support means for cooperation therewith to define mutually perpendicular X and Y and Z reference axes and XZ and YZ reference planes, positioning means on said support means for fixedly positioning the fuel assembly in a selected orientation with the faces of the top nozzle disposed parallel to said Z axis, measuring means carried by said support means for establishing on adjacent faces of each of the grids and nozzles a plurality of measurement points in a measurement plane perpendicular to said Z axis and measuring the distances of said points from said XZ and YZ planes, and processing means for calculating from said measured distances the location of the centre of each of the grids and nozzles in its associated measurement plane and further calculating from said center locations the tilt of the fuel assembly and the bow and twist of the fuel assembly at each of the grids thereof. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said measuring means includes a plurality of measuring gauges respectively engageable with a selected one of said grids and nozzles at said measurement points thereon. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said measurement means includes two measurement gauges movable parallel to said XZ plane and disposed at predetermined distances from said YZ plane and two measurement gauges movable parallel to said YZ plane and disposed at predetermined distances from XZ plane, whereby the coordinates of said measurement points are determined by said predetermined distances and said measured distances. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said support means is disposed so that said Z axis is substantially vertical. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said processing means includes a computer under program control. 13. The apparatus of claim 8, and further including control means coupled to said positioning means and to said measuring means for remotely controlling the operation thereof. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said reference means includes carriage means movable parallel to said Z axis, said measuring means being mounted on said carriage means, said control means being coupled to said carriage means for remotely controlling the operation thereof. 15. Apparatus for determining external dimensional relationships of a nuclear fuel assembly including an array of elongated fuel rods engaged in transverse grids and extending between top and bottom nozzles, wherein each of said grids and nozzles has external planar faces arranged in a rectangular configuration, said apparatus comprising: support means, carriage means mounted on said support means for cooperation therewith to define mutually perpendicular X and Y and Z reference axes and XY and XZ and YZ reference planes, positioning means on said support means for fixedly positioning the fuel assembly in a selected orientation with the faces of the top nozzle disposed parallel to said Z axis, said carriage means and said XY plane being movable parallel to said Z axis and generally longitudinally of the fuel assembly among a plurality of measuring locations respectively disposed adjacent to said nozzles and said grids with said XY plane defining a measurement plane intersecting the faces of the adjacent nozzle or grid, a plurality of measuring means mounted on said carriage means for movement in said XY plane into and out of measuring engagement with intersecting faces of the adjacent nozzle or grid for establishing on the faces a plurality of measurement points and measuring the distances of said points from said XZ and YZ planes, control means for controlling the movement of said carriage means and said measuring means, and processing means for calculating from said measured distances the location of the center of each of the grids and nozzles in its associated measurement plane and further calculating from said center locations the tilt of the fuel assembly and the bow and twist of the fuel assembly at each of the grids thereof. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said positioning means includes means movable into engagement with the top and bottom nozzles for retaining said fuel assembly in said selected orientation. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said control means includes means coupled to said positioning means for controlling the operation thereof. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, and further including chain drive means coupled to said carriage means for effecting movement thereof, and fluid drive means coupled to said positioning means and to said measuring means for effecting movement thereof. 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said support means includes adjusting means for adjusting the orientation of said Z axis. 20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said processing means includes computer means operating under program control.