Patent Number: 041490878
Section: summary

The present invention relates to equipment for recharging of nuclear reactors and, more particularly, to a drum for storing fuel assemblies of a nuclear reactor. The proposed drum for storing fuel assemblies can be used for short-term storage of both new and spent fuel assemblies in the course of recharging a nuclear reactor, which process consists in replacing used fuel assemblies by new ones and transporting the spent assemblies to washing means with the aid of recharging mechanisms arranged in recharging and washing boxes. There is known a drum for storing fuel assemblies, comprising a holder which is rotatable around its axis. The holder is provided with tubular sockets to receive fuel assemblies. The sockets are arranged in a number of rows which are concentric with the circumference of the holder. The drum's inner space communicates with that of the recharging box through a recharging channel which comprises a plurality of pipes whose axes coincide with those of the sockets. The number of pipes is equal to that of the sockets provided in the holder. Fuel assemblies are transported from the drum to the recharging box with the aid of a recharging mechanism arranged in the recharging box. The holder is turned about its axis so that the axis of a socket is matched with that of the recharging channel's pipe. The recharging mechanism is adjusted in advance for the recharging channel's pipe of one row, and the gripping means of this mechanism withdraws the fuel assemblies from the sockets. In order to extract a fuel assembly from its socket and insert a new one, the drum's holder must be turned through a certain angle until the axis of the socket is matched with that of the recharging channel's pipe through which the inside of the drum communicates with the box, whereto fuel assemblies are transported. After the fuel assemblies of one row have been removed from the drum, the recharging mechanism is adjusted for another pipe of the recharging channel, which also applies to the drum charging process. When all the sockets of a row have been filled, the recharging mechanism is adjusted for another pipe of the recharging channel. The drum under review is constructed so that in the course of recharging, each socket of the drum must be brought to the recharging channel's pipe, which necessitates multiple turns of the drum's holder and complicates the recharging process. Besides, every now and then, the recharging mechanism must be set in motion or adjusted for a certain pipe of the recharging channel, whereas the joint between the recharging mechanism and the recharging channel's pipe must be hermetically sealed. All these factors account for a prolonged recharging process. It is an object of the present invention to simplify the process of recharging the nuclear reactor drum. It is another object of the invention to speed up the recharging process. It is still another object of the invention to raise the operational reliability of the drum. The foregoing objects are attained by providing a drum for storing fuel assemblies of a nuclear reactor, comprising a holder which is rotatable around its axis and provided with tubular sockets arranged in a number of rows concentrically with the circumference of the holder, said sockets being intended to receive fuel assemblies to be installed there with the aid of a recharging mechanism through pipes of a recharging channel, which are arranged coaxially with the sockets, opposite one socket in each row, in which drum the rows of sockets are so arranged in the holder, in accordance with the invention, that the axis of at least one socket in each row intersects with the trajectory described by a grip of the recharging mechanism in the course of its movement, whereas the pipes of the recharging mechanism are arranged opposite the intersection points. The foregoing arrangement of sockets in the drum's holder makes it possible to simplify and speed up the recharging process and raise the operational reliability of the drum.