Tube support system for nuclear steam generators
US8549748B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 25, 2008 |
| Grant date | Oct 8, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 24, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49373
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus in a steam generator that employs tube support plates within a shroud that is in turn disposed within a shell. The tube support plates are made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than that of the shroud. The tube support plates are aligned during fabrication, with minimal clearances between components. Using a tube support displacement system, a controlled misalignment is then imposed on one or more tube support plates, as the steam generator heats up. Displacement to produce misalignment is produced only when the steam generator is heated. The tube support plate displacement system has only two parts, a spring bar and a push rod, that are internal to the steam generator shell and threadably engaged, thereby minimizing the potential of loose parts. The tube support plate displacement system can be used to provide controlled misalignments on one or more tube support plates, in the same or varying amounts and directions, and with one or more apparatus being provided for any individual tube support plate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.