Apparatus for automated cleaning of reactor pressure vessel closure studs
US5735010A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 1996 |
| Grant date | Apr 7, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 8, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG21C19/02
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An apparatus for cleaning of a reactor pressure vessel head closure stud. The surface of the stud is cleaned by power vacuum brushing. The stud is hung vertically in a cabinet which supports a vertically elevatable spinner housing. The stud is cleaned in a single process using a rotating wire brush system which is rotatably mounted in the spinner housing and has a central opening for passage of the stud. A plurality of wire bushes are arranged in a circular array surrounding the stud. While the wire brushes are rotating in contact with the stud external surface, the spinner housing and wire brush assembly are displaced vertically by an elevator so that the rotating brushes travel along the full length of the stud. The rotating brushes remove accumulated material on the stud surface. The resulting contaminated debris is contained in a volume enclosed by a brush canister and a bellows. The bellows expands or contracts as the elevator travels. The contaminated debris is drawn into a high-efficiency particulate absolute filter by a vacuum pump.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.