Patent Number: 050135201
Section: summary

The invention relates to an apparatus for the insertion of elongated, mutually parallel fuel rods into an elongated can having a rectangular and in particular square cross section, the apparatus including a holder for the can and a fuel rod positioning arm, the arm having an insertion end for insertion through a lateral transverse slit in the can in an insertion direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the can. With such an apparatus, fuel rods, for instance, from irradiated and spent nuclear reactor fuel assemblies, are inserted into the can in the closest possible packing structure and stored in the can until reprocessing. In this way, both storage space and transport costs can be reduced, as compared with temporary storage of the complete spent nuclear reactor fuel elements. However, such an apparatus is difficult to control. It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for inserting fuel rods into a can, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretoforeknown devices of this general type and which is simpler to control. With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an apparatus for the insertion of mutually parallel, elongated fuel rods into an elongated can having a rectangular cross section, a longitudinal direction and a lateral transverse slit formed therein, comprising a holder for holding a can, a fuel rod positioning arm having an insertion end for insertion through the slit in the can in an insertion direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the can, a support structure attached to the insertion end of the arm for supporting fuel rods, the support structure having a pivot axis at right angles to the insertion direction of the arm and to the longitudinal direction of the can about which the support structure is pivotable back and forth within a given pivot angle, the support structure having a jacket surface with two fuel rod support surfaces being curved outwardly about the pivot axis and offset alongside one another in the direction of the pivot axis, one of the support surfaces merging from a first segment with a relatively shorter radial spacing from the pivot axis than the other of the support surfaces, into a second segment with a relatively greater radial spacing from the pivot axis than the other of the support surfaces, and the radial spacings of the two support surfaces from the pivot axis increasing in infinite graduations within the given pivot angle, as seen in opposite directions. The support structure for the fuel rods of this apparatus can be positioned quickly and simply in the can. Moreover, by a simple swiveling with the support structure, a row of new guide openings for the fuel rods to be inserted is formed in the can, after the row of guide openings formed previous to the swiveling by the support structure, has been filled with fuel rods. In accordance with another feature of the invention, there is provided a resilient restoring element, the support structure and the holder being displaceable relative to one another in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the arm counter to the resilient restoring element. In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the arm with the support structure and the holder are displaceable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the can. In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the can has another lateral transverse slit formed therein, and there is provided a counterpart structure disposed on the holder opposite the support structure for insertion through the other slit in the can, the counterpart structure having toothing defining gaps in the longitudinal direction of the can. In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the counterpart structure is an elongated, rotatable eccentric shaft disposed transversely to the longitudinal direction of the can, the shaft having an outer jacket surface with grooves formed therein in circumferential direction forming the toothing. In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the counterpart structure has a support surface for retention of the can. Through the use of these features, insertion of the fuel rods into the can is facilitated. Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an apparatus for inserting fuel rods into a can, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.