Patent Number: 
Section: description

FIG. 1 is a top sectional view of a boiling water nuclear reactor pressure vessel 10. Reactor pressure vessel 10 includes a vessel wall 12 and a shroud 14 which surrounds the reactor core (not shown) of pressure vessel 10. An annulus 16 is formed between vessel wall 12 and shroud 14. The space inside annulus 16 is limited with most reactor support piping located inside annulus 16. Cooling water is delivered to the reactor core during a loss of coolant accident through core spray distribution header pipes 18 and 20 which are connected to downcomer pipes 22 and 24 respectively. Downcomer pipes 22 and 24 are connected to shroud 14 through sparger T-boxes 26 and 28 respectively, which are attached to shroud 14 and internal sparger pipes 30. Distribution header pipes 18 and 20 diverge from an upper T-box 32 coupled to a safe end 42 of core spray nozzle 44. Header pipes 18 and 20 are coupled to upper T-box by pipe connectors 46 and 48 respectively. Pipe connectors 46 and 48 may be any pipe connectors known in the art, for example, ball flange connectors. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a sparger T-box attachment assembly 50 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Sparger T-box attachment assembly 50 couples downcomer pipes 22 and 24 to sparger T-boxes 26 and 28 respectively, and clamps sparger pipes 30 to sparger T-boxes 26 and 28 to prevent separation of sparger pipes 30 from sparger T-boxes 26 and 28 in the event of a connecting weld failure. The sparger T-box attachment assembly includes a downcomer pipe coupling 52 and a sparger T-box clamp 54. Referring also to FIG. 3, downcomer pipe coupling 52 includes a cylindrical outer housing 56 having a first end 58 and a second end 60. First end 58 is configured to couple to downcomer pipe 22 by any suitable means, for example by welding. A flange 62 extends from second end 60 of outer housing 56. Flange 62 is received into a circular groove 64 machined into shroud 14. Groove 64 is located so as to be concentric with sparger T-box 26 penetration through shroud 14. A center portion 66 having a threaded axial bore 68 therethrough is connected to outer housing 56 by a plurality of vanes 70 extending from an inner surface 72 of outer housing 56 to center portion 66. A draw bolt 74 threadedly engages axial bore 68 of said center portion 66. Draw bolt 74 connects downcomer pipe 52 to sparger T-box clamp 54. Of course, coupling 52 can be used to connect downcomer pipe 24 to sparger T-box 28. Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 6, sparger T-box clamp 54 includes an anchor 76 having a draw bolt opening 78, and a plurality of legs 80 extending from a first face 82 of anchor 76. Legs 80 are configured to engage an inside surface 84 of shroud 14 and are machined or trimmed so that anchor face 82 is parallel to an exterior surface 86 of sparger T-box 26. A first and a second clamp block 88 and 90 are connected to opposite sides 92 and 94 of anchor 76. Clamp blocks 88 and 90 are positioned to be substantially aligned with one another. Specifically, clamp blocks 88 and 90 are connected to sides 92 and 94 of anchor with dove-tail joints 96 and 98 respectively. Dove-tail joints 96 and 98 permit clamp blocks to move relative to anchor 76 which eliminates the imposition of any stress on the sparger pipe to sparger T-box welds. Clamp blocks 88 and 90 partially surround sparger pipe 30. Each clamp block 88 and 90 includes a threaded stop bolt opening 100 extending therethrough. A stop bolt 102 extends through each stop bolt opening 100. Each stop bolt 102 has a conical shaped distal end 104 which is sized to mate with a conical shaped opening 106 machined in sparger distribution header pipes 30. The conical shape of stop bolt end 104 and mating opening 106 minimizes interference with the flow stream in pipe 30 and also seals opening 106 to minimize leakage. Referring also to FIG. 7, clamping elements 108 and 110 are connected to clamp blocks 88 and 90 respectively by clamp bolts 112. Clamp bolts 112 extend through clamp bolt openings 114 in clamp blocks 88 and 90, and clamp bolt openings 116 in clamping elements 108 and 110. Spherical nuts 118 secure clamp bolts 112. Clamping elements 108 and 110 oppose clamp blocks 88 and 90 to provide a clamping action as clamp bolts 112 are tightened. A clamp bolt keeper 120 couples to clamp bolt head 122 to prevent clamp bolt 112 from loosening. Keeper 120 includes a crimp collar 124 threaded into a spherical collar 126. Crimp collar 124 to spherical collar 126 threads are opposite of the threads on clamp bolt 112. Specifically, in one embodiment, clamp bolt 112 has right hand threads, and spherical collar 124 has left hand threads. In an alternate embodiment, clamp bolt 112 has left hand threads, and spherical collar 124 has right hand threads. To hold clamp bolt 112 in place, crimp collar 124 is deformed into flutes 128 in clamp bolt head 122. Referring also to FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and 11, spherical seats 130 are machined into clamp blocks 88 and 90, and into clamping elements 108 and 110. Spherical seats 130 are concentrically aligned with clamp bolt openings 114 and 116. Also, spherical nut 118 and spherical collar 126 are keyed to clamp blocks 88 and 90 and clamping elements 108 and 110. Specifically, spherical nut 118 and spherical collar 126 includes a key portion 129, and spherical seats include a keyway 131 sized to receive key portion 129. The interface of key portion 129 with keyway 131 prevents spherical nut 118 and spherical collar 126 from rotating. Spherical seats 130 mitigate any bending forces imposed on clamp bolts 112 and provide flexibility to sparger T-box clamp 54 by permitting clamping elements 108 and 110 to move slightly to adjust and conform to the exterior contour of sparger pipe 30. Further clamping elements 108 and 110 include base portions 132 and 134 and engagement portions 136 and 138 respectively. Engagement portions 136 and 138 include cut-outs 140 sized to receive a sparger nozzle 142. Referring again to FIG. 4, a seal plate 144 is coupled to anchor 76 with adjusting screws 146. Seal plate 144 includes adjusting screw openings 148 and a draw bolt opening 150 sized to receive draw bolt 74 in a close tolerance fit. Anchor 76 includes threaded adjusting screw openings 152 sized to receive adjusting screws 146. A distal end portion 154 of adjusting screws 146 includes a circumferential groove 156 sized to receive a dowel pin 158 pressed into seal plate 144 to attach adjusting screws 146 to seal plate 144. A shank portion 160 of adjusting screws 146 are threaded into adjusting screw openings 152. As adjusting screws are torqued, seal plate 144 is advanced into close contact with exterior surface 86 of sparger T-box 26 to seal draw bolt opening 151 in T-box 26. Keepers 162 prevent adjusting screws from loosening. Keepers 162 mate with seats 164 concentric with adjusting screw openings 152. Keepers 162 include left hand threads (not shown) to mate with threads 165 in seats 164. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, anchor 76 further includes a rectangular depression 166 in a second face 168 of anchor 76. Draw bolt opening 78 is located in rectangular depression 166. A draw bolt keeper 170 having a rectangular portion 172 is received in rectangular depression 166 to prevent draw bolt 74 from loosening. Draw bolt keeper 170 also includes a crimp collar 173. FIG. 12 is perspective view of anchor 76. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an anchor 174 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Anchor 174 is similar to anchor 76 and includes a draw bolt opening 78, legs 80, keeper depression 166, adjusting screw openings 152, and adjusting bolt seats 164. To install a replacement downcomer pipe 22, the original piping is severed in close proximity to the outside surface of shroud 14. Circular groove 64 is machined into shroud 14 by any suitable method, for example electrode discharge machining (EDM). Groove 64 is concentric with sparger T-box 26 penetration through shroud 14. A draw bolt opening is machined in T-box 26 and conical stop bolt openings 100 are machined in sparger pipes 30 equidistant from the center of sparger T-box 26. First end 58 of outer housing is coupled to downcomer pipe 22 by any suitable means, for example welding. Flange 62 is then positioned in groove 64. T-box clamp 54 is positioned around sparger pipes 30 and sparger T-box 26 with anchor legs 80 engaging inner surface 72 of shroud 14. Draw bolt 74 with keeper 170 is inserted through draw bolt opening and threaded into axial bore 66 of coupling center portion 68 and tightened. Stop bolts 102 are threaded through stop bolt openings in clamp blocks 88 and 90 and tightened so as to seat in conical stop bolt openings 100 in sparger pipes 30. Clamp bolts extending through clamp bolt openings 114 and 116 in clamp blocks 88 and 90 and clamping elements 108 and 110 are tightened to exert a clamping force on sparger pipes 30. Adjusting screws are tightened to move seal plate 144 into contact with exterior surface 86 of sparger T-box 26. The crimp collars of all the keepers are deformed into flutes of the corresponding bolt heads to prevent the bolts from loosening. The above described core spray sparger T-box attachment assembly 50 mechanically couples downcomer pipe 22 to shroud 14 and sparger T-box 26. Also, the above described core spray sparger T-box attachment assembly 50 provides a clamping system to provide structural integrity to sparger T-box 26 and to hold the sparger pipes 30 to T-box 26 welded joints together in the event that one or more welds fail. While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.