Patent · US Expired

Method for cutting a piece of sheet metal used to hold a layer of neutron-absorbing material on a wall of an atomic fuel assembly storage rack cell

US6409440B1 · kind B1 · utility

2Cited by
7References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 21, 2000
Grant dateJun 25, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 21, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T409/303808
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for refurbishing an atomic fuel assembly storage rack the partitions (10) of which include a layer (14) of neutron-absorbing material between a wall (16) and a more or less rectangular piece of sheet metal (18) welded onto said wall. In this method the sheet metal is cut along each of the four sides. Once the short sides of sheet metal (18) have been cut by cutting the welding spots or by cutting it into sections the long sides are cut using a cutting head (20) that includes one to four blade-blade support assemblies (22) or one to four blades. Each blade (24) and blade support (26) is either fixed or movable.

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