Patent GB-1016724-A (GB)
Title: Fuel handling device for nuclear reactor
Inventor: GERARD VICTOR
IPC: G21C19/16
Filed: 1962-10-31
Abstract: 1,016,724. Fuelling reactors. ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE (SERVICE NATIONAL). Oct. 31, 1962 [Nov. 16, 1961], No. 41221/62. Heading G6C. A grab device for handling fuel elements in the vertical channels of a reactor core comprises a sheath 1 enclosing an orienting member 2 having pulleys 5 for guiding a hoist cable 18. Dogs 3 on the member 2 engage dogs 28 of a fuel element charging machine 4, Fig. 4, when the device is raised whereby the member 2 may be turned to the desired angular position. A hollow shaft 6 connects the member 2 with a fork 7, the latter being pivotally connected to an arm 8 to which is pivotally connected a fork 9. The arms of fork 9 are in abutment with gripper 10 suspended by the cable 18. The pivot 20 between arm 8 and fork 9 carries a stirrup 22 supporting a roller 23 biased by a spring 24 into contact with the sheath 1, the stirrup also supporting a pulley 21 for the hoist cable. A sleeve-like body 11, rotatable relatively to the shaft 6, has a diametrical bore in which is horizontally slidable a member 13 having an elongated aperture 14 surrounding the shaft. Rollers 12, 12<SP>1</SP> at the ends of the member 13 engage the inner wall of the sheath. The upper part of body 11 has internal gear teeth 15 meshing with a pinion 16 fixed to the member 2, a spring 17 compressed between the body 11 and member 2 normally keeping the teeth 15, 16 in engagement; however, in Fig. 1a the member 2 has been depressed relatively to the body 11 to disengage the teeth. The grab device is intended for serving, through each standpipe, six fuel element channels A, B, C &c., Fig. 2, spaced around a central storage channel, and to align the gripper 10 with the desired channel the inner wall of the sheath 1 has two sets of six grooves X, Y, Z, X<SP>1</SP>, Y<SP>1</SP>, Z<SP>1</SP> cooperating, respectively, with the rollers 12, 12<SP>1</SP>. The angular spacing between adjacent grooves is 30 degrees, i.e. half the spacing between adjacent fuel element channels. As seen in Fig. 6, the grooves of each set are connected by oblique grooves such as b-c, d-e and f-g. The grooves have variable depth indicated by references I, II, III, I being zero depth, II intermediate depth and III the greatest depth, the depths of the two sets being inverse to one another. The grab device is used in conjunction with a tulip-shaped member 25 mounted at the top of the standpipe, this member having rails 26 aligned with the channels A, B, C &c. and guiding the roller 23. Operation.-The device is raised into the charging machine 4, Fig. 4, and the dogs 28 rotated by a shaft 36 through a cam mechanism (Fig. 5, not shown). The rollers 12, 12<SP>1</SP> are at the upper position H in the grooves X, X<SP>1</SP> and the spring 17 is compressed so that teeth 15, 16 are disengaged whereby the rotation of the dogs 28 causes rotation of the parts 2, 6-9 and enables the roller 23 to be aligned with rails 26 corresponding to the channel to be served. The device is lowered by the hoist cable and the sheath 1 enters the tulip-shaped member 25 where it is arrested by a shoulder 25a of the member 25, continued unwinding of the cable causing the rollers 12, 12<SP>1</SP> to descend in the grooves X, X<SP>1</SP> and the roller 23 to enter the selected rails 26 whereby the gripper 10 is guided, e.g. to the channel A. When the roller 23 arrives at the bottom of the rail 26 the body 11 abuts the lower end of the sheath 1 so that further unwinding of the cable causes the gripper 10 to enter the channel. On winding- up the cable the roller 12 takes the path a, b, c, H<SP>1</SP> owing to the change in depth of the groove X at the point b whereby the grab device except for the sheath 1 is rotated through 30 degrees. If now the gripper 10 is lowered, the rollers 12, 121 traverse the grooves Y, Y<SP>1</SP>, the roller 23 is inoperative since it passes between two sets of rails 26, and the gripper descends into the central storage channel. On raising the gripper the roller 12 re-enters the groove Y and takes the path d-e-H<SP>11</SP> causing a further rotation of the grab device through 30 degrees. Lowering of the gripper 10 causes the roller 12 to descend in the groove Z and the roller 23 to enter the rails 26 corresponding to the next channel B and the gripper then enters that channel. On raising the gripper the roller 12 re-enters the groove Z and takes the path f, g, whereby the grab device is returned through 60 degrees and arrives at the start position H. The device is lifted into the charging machine and the dogs 3, 28 are engaged to rotate the parts 2, 6-9 and enable other channels to be served, e.g. channels B and C and the central storage channel. A modified grab is described with reference to Figs. 7-14 (not shown) for serving eighteen channels arranged on two circles.