Patent Number: 
Section: description

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) 10. RPV 10 includes a top head 12, four substantially cylindrical shell courses 14, 16, 18 and 20, and a bottom head assembly 22. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shell course 16 is a unitary forged nozzle shell course 16. Top head 12 includes a head flange 24. First shell course 14 includes a vessel flange 26. Top head 12 is bolted to shell course 14 by bolts 28, which extend through head flange 24. Top head 12 also includes lifting flanges 30 to lift top head 12 from first shell course 14. First shell course 14 includes main steam nozzles 32 through which stem flows out of the RPV 10. Stabilizer brackets 34 also are formed on first shell course 14. Forged nozzle shell course 16 includes a plurality of forged nozzles 36 formed therein. Forged nozzle shell course 16 and forged nozzles 36 are machined from one forging to form a unitary forged nozzle shell course 16. Fourth shell course 20 includes a support skirt 42 welded thereto. Support skirt 42 supports RPV 10 within the reactor building (not shown). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of forged nozzle shell course 16 with forged nozzle 36. Forged nozzle 36 is unitary with forged nozzle shell course 16. Forged nozzle 36 is machined from the mass of shell course 16. Because shell course 16 and forged nozzle 36 are machined from one forging, the number of welds in RPV 10 are reduced. This has the advantage of reducing the number of welds subject to service inspections and more simplified fabrication of RPV 10. Nozzle 36 includes a bore 50 extending from an inside surface 52 of shell course 16 to an outer end 54 of nozzle 36. Shell course 16 includes a reinforcing portion 56 extending from an outer surface 58 of shell course 16. Nozzle 36 is machined into reinforcing portion 56 such that outer end 54 of nozzle 36 does not extend past an outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 56. In other words, nozzle outer end 54 is set back from outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 56. Outer end 54 of nozzle 36 defines a safe end or extension attachment surface 62. A groove 64 machined into reinforcing portion 56 is coaxial with nozzle bore 50. Groove 64 permits access to nozzle 36 outer end 54 for welding an extension or safe end (not shown in FIG. 2) to attachment surface 62. The distance from the centerline of bore 50 to a surface 66 of groove 64 is defined as a radius Rn of nozzle 36. The distance from the centerline of bore 50 to an inner surface 68 of bore 50 is defined as a radius Rnb of nozzle bore 50. Reinforcing portion 56 includes a transition section 70 which tapers from outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 56 to outer surface 58 of shell course 16. Referring to FIG. 3, reinforcing portion 56 has an elliptical shape and includes a cirumferential dimension 72 and a longitudinal dimension 74. In an exemplary embodiment circumferential dimension 72 is equal to about 1.5 times nozzle radius Rn, and longitudinal dimension 74 is equal to about 2.0 times nozzle radius Rn, measured from the centerline of nozzle bore 50. Referring to FIG. 2, the wall thickness of shell course 16 is chosen to permit shell course 16 to withstand the stresses and pressures exerted on RPV 10. Reinforcing portion 56 provides added reinforcement and strength to shell course 16 at a penetration through shell course 16. In one embodiment, the thickness of reinforcing 56 is chosen so that the sum of the wall thickness of shell course 16 and the thickness of reinforcing portion 56 is about two times the wall thickness of shell course 16. In other embodiments the total thickness can be greater than or less than two times the wall thickness of shell course 16 depending on the material that shell course 16 is manufactured from and/or the expected stresses and pressures exerted on RPV 10. Shell course 16 is manufactured from any suitable material, for example, low alloy steel, stainless steel, and the like. Forged nozzle shell course 16 is fabricated by starting with a simple ring forging having an inside diameter approximately equal to the desired inside diameter of shell course 16, and having a wall thickness approximately two times the desired thickness of shell course 16. Inside surface 52 of shell course 16 is machined to the desired inside diameter of shell course 16. Outer surface 58 of shell course 16 is machined to define reinforcement portions 56. A bore 50 is machined through each reinforcement portion 56 extending from outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 56 to inside surface 52 of shell course 16. Nozzle 36 is completed by machining groove 64 into reinforcement portion outer surface 60 so that groove 64 is coaxial with nozzle bore 50. Extension attachment surface 62 is formed by machining outer surface 60 between groove 64 and bore 50. Extension surface 62 is set back from outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 56. The material that is machined from the simple ring forging can be recycled to minimize the costs of production. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a forged nozzle shell course 76 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Forged nozzle shell course 76 includes a forged nozzle 78 similar to forged nozzle 36 described above except that nozzle 76 also includes a second groove 80 machined into an inner surface 82 of forged nozzle shell course 76 and includes a second extension attachment surface 84 set back from inner surface 82 of shell course 76. As described above, Forged nozzle shell course 76 includes a reinforcing portion 56 having a transition section 70, a circumferential dimension 72 and a longitudinal dimension 74 (shown in FIG. 3). Forged nozzle includes a bore 50, having a radius Rnb, a groove 64 having a surface 66, and an extension attachment surface 62 set back from outer surface 60 of reinforcing portion 54. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a forged nozzle shell course 86 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Forged nozzle shell course 86 includes a forged nozzle 88 that includes a groove 90 machined into an inner surface 92 of forged nozzle shell course 86 and includes an extension attachment surface 94 set back from inner surface 92 of shell course 86. Forged nozzle 88 includes a bore 96, having a radius Rnb. As described above, forged nozzle shell course 86 includes a reinforcing portion 56 having a transition section 70, a circumferential dimension 72 and a longitudinal dimension 74 (shown in FIG. 3). FIG. 6 is a view of forged nozzle 36, described above, where a safe-end 98 is welded to extension attachment surface 62. Weld butter 100 is located on extension attachment surface 62 to facilitate welding safe end 98 to nozzle 36. In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, a pipe 102 is welded to extension attachment surface 62 of forged nozzle 36. These weld joints are not part of the pressure boundary of shell course 16 and therefore are not necessary to resist the hoop and axial stresses in shell course 16. These weld joints are part of the attachment pressure boundary and need to resist the hoop and axial stresses in the attachment, safe end 98 or pipe 102. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of forged nozzle shell course 16 described above and including additional machined integral features. More specifically, forged nozzle shell course 16 includes machined integral stub 104 for attachment of a bracket to RPV 10. Integral stub 104 projects radially outward from outer surface 58 of shell course 16, and similar to reinforcement portion 54, is machined from the same ring forging as shell course 16 as described above. Forged nozzle shell course 16 also includes a machined integral bracket 106 extending radially outward from outer surface 58. Integral bracket 106 includes an opening 108 extending therethrough. Forged nozzle shell course 16 further includes machined integral track 110 for attachment of an inspection apparatus. Integral track 110 projects radially outward from outer surface 58. Integral track 104 is machined to facilitate mounting fixtures for girth weld 112 inspection. While the invention has been described in terms according to 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.