Patent ID: 8050378

Claim:
A system for removing a part-length fuel rod from a fuel bundle, the fuel bundle residing in a spent fuel pool of a nuclear reactor plant, comprising: a fuel prep machine configured to be placed in the spent fuel pool for supporting the fuel bundle thereon, a rod grapple tool having a first end configured to be handled by an operator above the fuel pool in the plant and a second end configured to be inserted from a top end of the fuel bundle and down to a desired elevation of the fuel bundle to retrieve the part-length fuel rod within the fuel bundle, while the fuel bundle is supported by the fuel prep machine, the second end having a gripper configured to grip the part-length fuel rod, the gripper having a protective, removable guide pin with a tapered, rounded-end tip portion, the guide pin configured to attach to a distal end of the gripper to prevent the rod grapple tool from damaging components of the fuel bundle as the rod grapple tool is inserted into the fuel bundle, and a guide pin retrieval tool sized and configured to be inserted into a side of the fuel bundle and remove the guide pin from the distal end of the gripper, when the rod grapple tool has been inserted into the fuel bundle and the guide pin and gripper are positioned over the part-length fuel rod, to permit the gripper to be securely attached to an upper end plug of the part-length fuel rod to extract the part-length fuel rod from the fuel bundle.