Fuel assembly repair system and method

Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Disassembling

Patent

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Details

29723, 376261, B23P 1904

Patent

active

047747528

ABSTRACT:
A tooling system and method for remotely removing a rod or other component located between the top and bottom nozzles of a fuel rod assembly is disclosed herein. Generally, the tooling system comprises a grinding mechanism including a carbide burr and a high speed air motor for grinding an opening through the adapter plate of the top nozzle of a size sufficient to allow the withdrawal of said component therethrough, a housing fixture connected to the carbide burr of the grinding mechanism for positioning the burr over a point in the adapter plate adjacent to the component to be removed, and an engagement assembly connected to the grinding mechanism for moving the carbide burr into grinding engagement with the adapter plate, and a gripping apparatus insertable through the hole produced by the grinding mechanism for gripping the rod or other component and withdrawing it through the opening. The use of a high-speed air motor in combination with a carbide burr provides a hole in the adapter plate large enough to remove a selected rod from the fuel rod assembly while producing a particulate debris which is, at the most, only about 20 mils in diameter. Unlike the shavings and slivers produced by prior art tooling systems utilizing drill bits, the fine grindings produced by the invention will not lodge themselves within the grids of the fuel rod assemblies and degrade the walls of the fuel rods by a fretting action.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3286553 (1966-11-01), Spencer et al.
patent: 3553905 (1971-01-01), Lemelson
patent: 3617142 (1971-11-01), De Wane
patent: 4522494 (1985-11-01), Wix
patent: 4594774 (1986-06-01), Barker et al.
patent: 4638543 (1987-01-01), Shallenberger et al.
patent: 4646414 (1987-03-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 4664394 (1987-05-01), Theissig et al.
patent: 4696102 (1987-09-01), Overbay
"The Impact of Metallic Debris on Fuel Rod Performance," by Kilp and Iyengar, Dated 1985.
Copending Serial No. 916,683 Filed Oct. 8, 1986, by Ralph Tolino, Entitled "Grinding Tool and Screw Installation Plate for Use in a Fuel Assembly and Repair and Reconstitution System", (Now an Issued U.S. Patent).

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