Patent · US Expired

Method for removing and installing a control rod drive

US5019325A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
6References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 20, 1990
Grant dateMay 28, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02E30/30
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A method for removing and installing a control rod drive from a drive housing mounted in the vessel of a boiling water reactor. The method comprises having a carriage supported by and movable along the service rails normally present in the undervessel cavity, and a cradle pivotally connected to the carriage and having a length substantially less than the length of a control rod drive. The pivot point between the cradle and the carriage is chosen such that the length of the carriage is subsumed within the length of the cradle when the cradle is pivoted into a horizontal position. The pivoting movement is accomplished by means of a hydraulic cylinder connected between the upwardly swinging end of the cradle. The carriage includes a lifting and lowering mechanism formed by the combination of a leadscrew drive and a hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder is connected to the cradle so that it is movable between a recess within the cradle when not in use, to a position directly beneath and in tandem with the control rod drive when in use. The lifting and lowering mechanism can move a control rod drive an installed position within a drive housing without the need for installation of s…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.