Apparatus and methods for sealing end plugs for nuclear fuel rods
US5748691A · kind A · utility
2Cited by
16References
17Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E30/30
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
End plugs for nuclear fuel rods are provided with a spot weld along the interior end face of the end plugs to seal any streamer openings or passages along the axis of the end plugs, thereby maintaining the fuel rods sealed at its opposite ends. The spot welds are applied by an automated laser welding system in which pallets of end plugs are supported on X-Y positioning tables below a laser movable in a vertical direction. By successively locating the end plugs in the pallet below the laser, the spot welds are formed along the axis of the end plugs and along the interior faces thereof sealing the end plugs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.