Patent · US Expired

Process for repairing and protecting from cracking the inner wall of a tube for penetrating the bottom head of a pressurized-water nuclear reactor vessel

US5544209A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
4References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 29, 1994
Grant dateAug 6, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 29, 2014

Classification

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

Abstract

During shutdown of the nuclear reactor, the closure head of the vessel having been dismounted and the vessel (3) and the pool of the reactor both being filled with water, an inner zone of the penetration tube (6) for penetrating the bottom head of the vessel (3) is isolated between two seals (39,42), from the upper level of the pool. An electrolyte is caused to flow in the isolated zone inside the penetration tube (6) and a current is passed through the electrolyte in order to deposit a metallic electroplating layer onto the inner surface of the penetration tube (6) in the isolated zone. The metallic layer is preferably a layer of nickel of a thickness of approximately 0.1 mm.

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