Abstract:
The invention concerns a control method in an installation ( 9 ) filling a pencil ( 1 ) with inert gas under pressure inserted in the sheath ( 2 ) of the pencil via a filling channel passing through the top cap ( 4 ) of the pencil ( 1 ). The sealed closure of the pencil ( 1 ) after it has been filled is carried out by welding means such as a laser beam melting part of the top cap ( 4 ) of the fuel pencil ( 1 ) at the periphery of the pencil filling channel ( 7 ). Prior to the sealed closure of the pencil ( 1 ) filling channel ( 7 ) by welding, the method consists in scanning the end of the cap whereon the filling channel emerges in a circular opening, to obtain a digitised image and in a determining by analysing the digitised image, the position of the centre of the opening of the circular inlet of the channel filling the cap ( 4 ), relative to a reference position and the diameter of the inlet of the filler channel and deducing therefrom whether it is possible to perform the welding, and in the event the welding is carried out, scanning the end of the cap ( 4 ) after welding and determining the presence of a weld seam providing the top cap ( 4 ) of the fuel pencil ( 1 ) with sealed closure.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a method of inspecting an operation of sealed closure by welding the end of a filling channel traversing the upper plug of a nuclear fuel rod.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Nuclear reactors such as nuclear reactors cooled by pressurized water comprise a core consisting of fuel assemblies in which energy in the form of heat is produced during operation of the reactor.  
           [0003]    Each of the fuel assemblies generally consists of a bundle of mutually parallel fuel rods held in the framework of the fuel assembly. Each of the fuel rods comprises a tubular padding made of a material which weakly absorbs neutrons such as a zirconium alloy, in which nuclear fuel pellets are stacked, for example sintered pellets of UO 2  uranium. The tubular cladding is closed at its ends by plugs, each of which comprises a cylindrical part which is engaged coaxially in an end part of the cladding. The plug and the cladding are then fastened one to the other by welding around a circular line located in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the cladding and of the plug.  
           [0004]    One of the two plugs for closing the cladding of a fuel rod, which is called the upper plug, because it closes the upper end of the rod inside the fuel assembly in the service position of the fuel assembly in the core of the nuclear reactor, is traversed axially by a channel, wherein the cladding of the rod is filled, around the nuclear fuel pellets, by an inert pressurized gas such as helium which protects the fuel pellets against oxidation and promotes heat exchange between the pellets and the cladding of the rod when the rod is in service in the core of the nuclear reactor.  
           [0005]    The manufacture of the fuel rods requires numerous successive operations in order to fill the cladding with the fuel pellets, to place and weld the plugs and to introduce an inert pressurized gas such as helium into the cladding sealed shut by the plugs, and to close the filling channel of the plug, after filling. Numerous inspections must be carried out at all steps of the fuel rod manufacture, so as to attain fuel rods which are completely free of defects.  
           [0006]    In particular, sealing the closure by welding the filling channel of the upper plugs must be subject to rigorous inspection.  
           [0007]    The filling with pressurized helium of the cladding of the rods containing the fuel pellets and sealed shut by the plugs is carried out in a filling apparatus in which the upper end part of the fuel rod, comprising the upper plug traversed axially by the filling channel, is inserted. The end of the upper plug, on which the filling channel emerges in the form a circular inlet opening extended axially by a chamfered part of the filling channel, is placed so as to be able to engage with a valve for closing and opening the chamfered end part of the filling channel. In the open position of the valve, the air contained inside the fuel cladding is evacuated, then the rod is filled by pressurized helium entering inside the cladding via the filling channel of the upper plug. Finally, in the filling apparatus, the end of the filling channel is sealed shut by a weld obtained by melting a central part of the plug adjacent to the end part of the filling channel. Generally, the material of the plug is melted to carry out the weld under the effect of a laser beam directed axially on the chamfered inlet part of the filling channel. The weld obtained by a pulsed laser is generally formed from three successive spot welds, in order to increase the safety and the production quality of the closure. The chamfered inlet part of the filling channel is generally known by the term “seal weld”.  
           [0008]    The weld is carried out under satisfactory condition only if the axis of the laser beam for melting the material of the plug, along the periphery of the chamfered inlet part of the filling channel, is centered accurately with respect to the circular inlet opening of the seal weld and if this circular opening has a diameter the size of which is predetermined and defined very accurately.  
           [0009]    Furthermore, after welding, the quality of the spot welds can be inspected, in order to determine whether the fuel rod complies perfectly.  
           [0010]    In the prior art, the inlet opening of the filling channel or pressurization hole is positioned manually and with simple visual monitoring, before the welding operation. The mechanical adjustment for manually controlling the positioning of the plug and of the pressurization hole cannot enable the perfect positioning of the pressurization hole to be guaranteed in all cases during welding. There are possibilities of maladjustment or blockage of the rod, which result in poor positioning. In addition, the visual monitoring of the positioning of the filling channel does not make it possible to obtain a highly efficient adjustment either.  
           [0011]    The quality of the spot weld is inspected by X-ray scanning. This inspection makes it possible to detect porosities in the weld but does not allow the position and size of the weld to be verified satisfactorily.  
           [0012]    Furthermore, the inspection must be carried out on a separate station of the filling apparatus, which makes the rod manufacture operations more complex and longer.  
           [0013]    Where the sealing weld is carried out by laser welding, the quality of the laser weld depends on the geometry of the chamfer of the inlet part of the filling channel; in particular, it is necessary to verify that the chamfer has an inlet opening whose diameter, which constitutes the maximum diameter of the chamfer, complies with extremely strict size requirements.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0014]    The aim of the invention is therefore to propose a method of inspecting an operation of sealed closure by welding an end opening of a filling channel axially traversing an upper plug for closing the cladding of a fuel rod for a nuclear reactor, the cladding of the rod containing a plurality of pellets of nuclear fuel stacked in the axial direction of the cladding and two closure plugs, one of the plugs or the upper plug being traversed axially by the channel for filling the cladding of the rod with an inert gas and the sealed closure by welding of the filling channel of the upper plug being carried out after filling the cladding with inert gas, in a filling apparatus, by melting central part of the end of the upper plug adjacent to the opening of the filling channel, this method making it possible to inspect the conditions for implementing and carrying out the sealed closure of the upper plug by welding, efficiently and without extending the time needed for the manufacture of the fuel rod.  
           [0015]    With this aim, prior to the sealed closure of the filling channel, the fuel rod being in the position for filling and for sealed welding of the upper plug in the filling apparatus, images are acquired of the end of the plug on which the substantially circular inlet opening of the filling channel emerges, and in order to obtain a digitized image, the position of the center of the circular inlet opening of the filling channel is determined with respect to a reference position and the diameter of the inlet opening of the filling channel by analyzing the digitized image. It is thereby deduced whether it is possible to weld the filling channel. Where the sealed closure of the filling channel is carried out by welding, images are acquired of the end of the upper plug after welding and the presence and the position of a weld for sealed closure of the filling channel are determined. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]    In order for the invention to be properly understood, the implementation of the inspection method according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the appended figures, in the case where the filling channel of an upper plug of a fuel rod is sealed shut by laser welding.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a view in partial axial section of the upper end of a fuel rod, in a manufacturing phase before it is filled with inert gas and the upper plug is sealed shut.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a view in partial axial section similar to the view of FIG. 1 showing the upper end part of the rod after the upper plug is sealed shut by welding.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a station for filling with inert gas and for the sealed closure by laser welding of the upper plug of fuel rods and of a device for inspecting the weld of the upper plugs of the fuel rods.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a explanatory image showing the successive search operations carried out before welding in order to implement the method according to the invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a graph giving the gray level of points of a column or row of the image which is obtained during the inspection, before welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a fuel rod.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device on implementing the method according to the invention before welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a rod.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device on implementing the method according to the invention before welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a rod.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device on implementing the method according to the invention before welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a rod.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is an explanatory image illustrating the successive search operations carried out on implementing the method according to the invention, after welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a fuel rod.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the gray level along a row or a column of the image supplied by the inspection device, after welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a rod.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device, as a result of inspecting the weld of the filling channel of an upper plug of a fuel rod.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device, as a result of inspecting the weld of the filling channel of an upper plug of a fuel rod.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 is an example of an image appearing on the screen of the inspection device, as a result of inspecting the weld of the filling channel of an upper plug of a fuel rod. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]    The upper end part of a fuel rod for a pressurized-water nuclear reactor, denoted generally by the reference  1 , is illustrated in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2.  
         [0031]    The rod  1  comprises, in particular, tubular cladding  2  made of zirconium alloy which contain fuel pellets  3  and which is closed at its upper end, represented in FIG. 1 by a plug  4  constituting the upper plug of the fuel rod.  
         [0032]    The plug  4  is generally made up of zirconium alloy and comprises a part  4   a  which is engaged, virtually without clearance, in the end part of the bore  2 . After filling the cladding  2  with fuel pellets  3 , the closure plugs of the cladding, such as the upper plug  4 , are engaged in the end parts of the cladding, the sealed attachment of the plug being provided by a weld line such as  5  made by melting the material of the plug and of the cladding, along a circular line.  
         [0033]    A spring for holding the fuel pellets is inserted between the upper plug  4  and the end of the column of fuel pellets  3 .  
         [0034]    The upper plug  4 , which is axisymmetric about an axis  6 , comprises an end part  4   b  opposite, in the direction of the axis  6 , to its end  4   a  engaged in a coaxial arrangement inside the cladding  2 . The outside of the end part  4   b  of the plug  4  has, successively in the axial direction  5 , from the upper end of the plug, a frustoconical plug, a shoulder and a cylindrical part along which the diameter of the plug is at a minimum. The minimum-diameter part of the plug and the shoulder make it possible to engage and to fasten the jaws of a gripper tool, during fuel rod maintenance operations.  
         [0035]    The plug  4  is traversed, in the direction of the axis  6 , along its whole length, by a channel  7  which will be denoted subsequently as a filling channel, this channel  7  making it possible to fill the cladding of the rod with an inert pressurized gas, as will be explained below. The filling channel  7  of the plug  4  comprises several successive parts, the diameters of which generally decrease from the end  4   a  of the plug engaged in the cladding  2  to the outer end part  4   b  of the plug.  
         [0036]    At an upper end or outer end, the channel  7  comprises a terminal part  7   a  of frustoconical shape or a seal weld flared from the bottom upwards, i.e. from the inside to the outside of the plug, which emerges on the upper end surface  8  of the plug along a circular inlet opening, the center of which is on the axis  6  common to the plug and the cladding  2 .  
         [0037]    The seal weld  7   a  of the channel  7 , along which the channel  7  is closed by a weld, provides the junction between a part  7   b  of the channel  7  of minimum cross section and the circular inlet opening of the channel  7  on the upper end surface  8  of the plug  4 .  
         [0038]    The small-diameter part  7   b  may have a diameter of about 0.6_mm and the circular inlet opening of the terminal frustoconical part  7   a  a diameter of about 1.3_mm.  
         [0039]    As illustrated in FIG. 2, after having filled the cladding of the rod with an inert pressurized gas, such as helium, the channel  7  is sealed shut in its upper terminal part, by a weld  10  obtained by melting the material of the plug in the central region of its upper end part, at the periphery of the seal weld  7   a  and consisting, for example, of three laser spot welds.  
         [0040]    In FIG. 3, the upper plug  4  of the fuel rod  2  is filled and sealed in a filling and welding apparatus  9 .  
         [0041]    The filling and welding apparatus mainly comprises a enclosure, one wall of which comprises an opening for the passage of a fuel rod  2  in a horizontal arrangement, the upper end of the rod being inserted into the enclosure, so that the upper plug  4  of the fuel rod  2  engages with a valve  11 , the closure member of which makes it possible to close or to open the terminal end of the filling channel of the plug.  
         [0042]    The enclosure of the filling and welding apparatus  9  comprises a part located opposite the part for introducing the rod  2 , on the walls of which are mounted a laser beam welding device  12  and an optical assembly  13  making it possible to position the laser beam in order to weld the sealed closure of the filling channel of the upper plug  4  of the fuel rod  2  and which is also used to implement the inspection method by analyzing the optical image according to the invention.  
         [0043]    A mirror  14  for reflecting and focusing the laser welding beam emitted by the laser welding device  12  is placed inside the second part of the enclosure  9 . The device  12  comprises an optical fiber  15  connected to a laser source and a collimator  16 , so as to send, by the reflection and focusing mirror  14 , a laser beam of axial direction, on the end part of the filling channel  7  constituting the seal weld.  
         [0044]    In order to carry out the sealed closure of the filling channel by a weld  10  under satisfactory conditions, the laser beam may be directed accurately onto the center of the circular inlet opening of the filling channel  7  of the upper plug  4 . In order to adjust the position of the laser welding beam, the optical illumination and adjustment assembly  13 , which comprises an illumination device  17  and an optical sighting assembly comprising a reticule, is used so as to identify the direction along which the laser shot is sent.  
         [0045]    In the case of methods of adjusting the welding according to the prior art, adjusting the position of the upper plug of the rod is carried out manually and verified visually.  
         [0046]    In the case of the method according to the invention, the illumination device  17  for sighting and adjusting the laser shot is used in order to inspect, on digitized images, the position of the center of the inlet opening of the filling channel with respect to the laser beam and the compliance of the inlet opening, in order to determine whether the welding of the filling channel, after the rod is filled with pressurized helium, can be carried out satisfactorily.  
         [0047]    The weld, consisting of spot welds, is also inspected by analysis of digital images.  
         [0048]    For this purpose, a digital camera  18   a  connected to a microcomputer  20  comprising a screen for displaying images  19  is combined with an optic  18  directed in the axis of the enclosure  9  along which the fuel rod  2  is engaged. The microcomputer  20  comprises a video acquisition card and a digital input/output card enabling the microcomputer  20  to communicate with a controller managing the laser welding device  12 .  
         [0049]    The microcomputer  20  receives inspection orders from the controller, via the digital input/output card, and verdicts established from the results of the inspection are sent by the microcomputer  20  to the controller for controlling the laser welding device  12 . Information relating to the rod and the welding conditions is transmitted to the microcomputer  20  by the controller of the laser welding device  12 .  
         [0050]    A first step of the method for inspecting the sealed closure by welding the filling channel of the upper plug of a rod consists in determining the position and the size, that is to say the diameter of the inlet opening  8   a  of the filling channel  7 , consisting of the circular outline along which the filling channel  7  opens on the end surface  8  of the upper plug  4  of the rod. This inlet opening constitutes the large diameter end of the chamfer of the terminal part  7   a  of the filling channel.  
         [0051]    The inspection is carried out on the filling and welding apparatus which has just been described, during a phase in the course of which the fuel rod is filled with pressurized helium, the valve  11  being open.  
         [0052]    An image is acquired of the end surface  8  of the plug and of the inlet opening  8   a  of the terminal part  7   a  of the filling channel using the optic  18  and the digital camera  18   a , the optical image obtained being digitized by the digital camera  18   a  and transmitted in digital form to the inspection microcomputer  20 .  
         [0053]    The image obtained may be made visible on the screen  19  of the microcomputer  20 , as shown, for example, in FIGS. 6, 7 and  8 .  
         [0054]    The search operations carried out on the circular opening of the seal weld will be explained with respect to FIG. 4.  
         [0055]    As a result of illuminating the end of the upper plug of the rod in an axial direction, the end surface  8  of the rod appears as a light region and the terminal part  7   a  of the filling channel  7  as a dark region, the light region and the dark region being separated one from the other by a substantially circular line  8   a  constituting the inlet end of the seal weld.  
         [0056]    Analysis of a digital image of the end part of the upper plug allows determination of the position of the center of the circular opening  8   a  with respect to the center of a parameterizable sighting marker, marking the position of the laser beam with which the closure is sealed by welding the filling channel  7 . Ideally, the position of the sighting marker and the position of the center of the inlet opening of the plug should be coincident.  
         [0057]    The sighting marker  21  comprises a vertical axis and a horizontal axis which define the center of the sighting marker. It is positioned visually when the laser welding station is correctly adjusted.  
         [0058]    The edges of the opening  8   a  are sought on the image along the horizontal and vertical axes of the reference sighting marker  21 .  
         [0059]    Firstly, the edges of the hole  8   a  are sought along the horizontal axis of the sighting marker  21  or first axis. A number N is chosen, which corresponds to the number of rows of the image which will be used on each side of the reference  21  in order to define a mean row along which the edges of the opening  8   a  will be sought.  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 5 illustrates the variations of the gray levels between the black and the white, along the mean row determined above. The distances on the X-axis, i.e. along the row of the image, are expressed in image points or pixels.  
         [0061]    A parameterized threshold value is chosen.  
         [0062]    The threshold value is illustrated by the straight line  22  of FIG. 5.  
         [0063]    The right edge of the image then the left edge are determined along the mean row and by comparing the pixels to the threshold value.  
         [0064]    From the right edge and from the left edge defined on the graph, the position of the center of the hole of the seal weld is determined, for example with respect to an edge of the image as shown by the segment  23  and the diameter of the seal weld as shown by the segment  24 . The edges of the hole of the seal weld are then sought along a second axis consisting of the vertical axis  25  (see FIG. 4) passing through the center previously defined or the first center.  
         [0065]    The edges of the inlet opening of the seal weld are sought in the same way as above, but using the columns of the image instead of the rows. In this way, a second center of the circular inlet opening and the diameter along the vertical axis are defined.  
         [0066]    The edges of the circular inlet opening  8   a  of the seal weld are then sought, along the horizontal axis  26  or third axis passing through the second center defined by the search on the vertical axis. The position of the center of the circular opening  8   a  and the diameter of the circular opening along the horizontal axis are deduced therefrom, this third determination of the center of the opening supplying the actual center taken into account.  
         [0067]    It is checked that the values obtained for the diameter along the vertical axis  25  and along the horizontal axis  26  are consistent, that is to say that they do not differ by a value greater than a chosen threshold value.  
         [0068]    The pixels are then converted into millimeters and the diameter of the circular opening  8   a  is compared with threshold values defined by the “minimum diameter and maximum diameter” parameters of the opening  8   a.    
         [0069]    The position of the center of the circular opening  8   a  defined by its distance to the center of the sighting marker  21  is compared with a threshold value corresponding to a “tolerance of center position” parameter. The results are displayed on the screen of the microcomputer  20 , as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and  8 . In each case, a first value is displayed in millimeters corresponding to the position of the center of the circular opening  8   a , a second value is displayed in millimeters corresponding to the diameter of the circular opening  8   a  and a verdict indicating the compliance or the noncompliance of the measured values is displayed. Where the measured values comply, an execution command is transmitted to the controller of the laser beam welding device  12 . Otherwise, a blocking command is transmitted.  
         [0070]    In the case of FIG. 6, the values identified comply, the distance between the center of the opening  8   a  and the center of the sighting marker being less than a chosen threshold value and the diameter measured being between the acceptable minimum diameter and the acceptable maximum diameter.  
         [0071]    In FIG. 7, the opening  8   a  is offset with respect to the center of the sighting marker  21 , such that the distance between the center of the opening  8   a  and the center of the sighting marker is greater than the chosen threshold value. A verdict of noncompliance is therefore transmitted. On the other hand, the diameter in this case is between the maximum and minimum threshold values.  
         [0072]    In FIG. 8, the diameter measured on the image of the opening  8   a  is less than the minimum threshold value. A verdict of noncompliance is transmitted. In addition, the position of the center of the opening  8   a  is slightly offset with respect to the position of the sighting marker, the distance between the center of the opening  8   a  and the center of the sighting marker is however less than the threshold value.  
         [0073]    A fault verdict is also transmitted when it has not been possible to mark the edges of the opening  8   a  in the course of the searches as described above.  
         [0074]    In the case of a verdict of compliance, a welding execution command is sent to the controller of the laser welding device  12 . The welding is carried out by the pulsed laser which melts the metal of the upper plug in a peripheral region of the terminal part  7   a  or seal weld of the filling channel  7 . A spot weld is produced closing off the inlet of the small-diameter part  7   b  of the filling channel  7 , then two successive pulses are produced to form the weld  10 .  
         [0075]    On its upper surface, the weld  10  is in the shape of a dish or crater due to the flow and to the deposition of the metal in the hollow central part of the plug.  
         [0076]    After welding, since the fuel weld is in position in the filling and welding apparatus  19 , it is possible to inspect for the present and characteristics of the spot welds.  
         [0077]    For this purpose, the end surface of the rod  8  is illuminated, using the illumination apparatus  17 , thereby sending light in an axial direction onto the surface of the rod, and images are acquired of the end surface  8  of the rod using the optic  8  and the digital camera  8   a . The digitized image is transmitted to the microcomputer_ 20 .  
         [0078]    The image of the end part of the plug can be displayed on the screen, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 11, 12 and  13 .  
         [0079]    The search operations carried out on the spot weld will be explained with respect to FIG. 9.  
         [0080]    On the image, the end surface  8  of the plug and the reflection  27  produced by the light reflected by the crater of the central part of the spot weld  10  appear as the light part.  
         [0081]    By analyzing the digitized image, the distance from the center of the reflection  27  to the center of the parameterizable sighting marker  21 , which is shown on the screen, is determined.  
         [0082]    The position of the center of the reflection  27 , that is to say the distance from this center to the center of the sighting marker, is compared with a “tolerance of center position” parameter and the diameter of the reflection is compared with threshold values defined by “minimum and maximum diameter” parameters.  
         [0083]    The horizontal mean rows are constructed around the reference, then a maximum number of pixels greater than the threshold, and which be positioned in the reflection, are sought can.  
         [0084]    The edges of the reflection  27  are then sought along a first axis consisting of the horizontal axis passing through the position found above. For this purpose, a mean row is defined, in the way indicated above and a graph is drawn representing the variation of the gray levels along the mean row, as shown in FIG. 10.  
         [0085]    A threshold value, represented by the horizontal straight line  28  in FIG. 10, is defined.  
         [0086]    The right edge and the left edge of the reflection are sought by comparing the successive pixels along the mean row with the threshold value. A first position of the center of the reflection is calculated with respect to an edge of the image, this position being represented by the segment  29  in FIG. 10.  
         [0087]    A first diameter of the reflection between the right and left edges is also calculated, this diameter being represented by the segment  30  in FIG. 10.  
         [0088]    The edges of the reflection along a second axis consisting of a vertical line passing through the first center defined above are determined by carrying out a search identical to the previous one but on the columns of the image.  
         [0089]    The consistency of the values obtained are verified for the diameter of the reflection  27  along the first and second axes.  
         [0090]    The pixels are converted into millimeters and the diameter is compared with the “minimum and maximum diameter” threshold values and the position, with the “tolerance of center position” parameter.  
         [0091]    The results are displayed on the screen of the microcomputer, as shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and  13 .  
         [0092]    In each case, one of the items of information displayed in digital form relates to the position and the other to the diameter of the reflection. The position of the reflection corresponds to the distance in millimeters between the center of the reflection and the center of the parameterizable sighting marker forming the reference. The position of the center of the reflection corresponds to the position of the center of the spot weld.  
         [0093]    In the case of FIG. 11, both the position and the diameter of the reflection are satisfactory. A verdict of compliance is then displayed.  
         [0094]    In the case of FIG. 12, the center of the reflection  27  is offset with respect to the center of the reference  21  by a value greater than the predetermined threshold value.  
         [0095]    A verdict of noncompliance is therefore transmitted. However, the diameter of the reflection is satisfactory, that is to say between the minimum admissible value and the maximum admissible value.  
         [0096]    In the case of FIG. 13 there is no reflection  27 , which results in the absence of the spot weld in the seal weld of the filling channel  7  of the upper plug of the rod. A verdict of noncompliance is transmitted.  
         [0097]    In the case where a verdict of compliance is transmitted, the fuel rod may be considered as correctly welded and may be accepted at the end of manufacturing.  
         [0098]    The method according to the invention also makes it possible to determine the depth over which the weld has been carried out and, in particular, when only the first spot weld has been carried out, a very small reflection coming from the bottom of the seal weld is observed. In this case, the absence of the second and third spot welds is easily detected from the measurement of the diameter of the reflection.  
         [0099]    Examination of the graph giving the gray levels along a reference line passing through the reflection of the spot weld also makes it possible to determine the position of the center of the dish of the spot weld which is denoted by the reference  31  in FIG. 10.  
         [0100]    Analysis of the optical images produced by the microcomputer  20  is carried out using software.  
         [0101]    The invention makes it possible, in the apparatus for filling and sealing the rod, to inspect the diameter of the opening of the seal weld of the upper plug of the rod and its positioning with respect to the laser welding beam, so as to determine whether or not it is possible to carry out the sealed closure by welding the rod filled with pressurized helium.  
         [0102]    Secondly, the invention also makes it possible to verify that the spot weld has been carried out in a compliant manner. All the operations are carried out in parallel on the filling and welding apparatus.  
         [0103]    The method according to the invention makes it possible to avoid any operation of maintaining the rods between the filling and sealed closure apparatus and an inspection station and the verdict relating to the compliance of the spot weld is available from the end of the welding operation.  
         [0104]    Information relating to the operation as a whole (positioning, welding and inspection) may be saved on a hard disk and can be exploited subsequently in the form of databases.  
         [0105]    Finally, the illumination used to acquire images is a standard illumination which can be obtained by market available items.  
         [0106]    The invention is not limited strictly to the embodiments which have been described.  
         [0107]    It is possible to process the digitized images of the end surface of the upper plug before and after welding, by methods other than those which have been described, for example for determining the edges of the inlet opening of the filling channel and of the reflection of the spot weld.  
         [0108]    Finally, the method according to the invention is applicable to any nuclear fuel rod comprising an upper plug traversed by a channel for filling the rod with an inert pressurized gas.