Apparatus for use in the inspection of a top grid guide of boiling water reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10762996-B2
Application number	US-201715799111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for performing an inspection on the beams of the top guide of a BWR includes a housing, an alignment assembly, and an inspection system. The housing is receivable atop the upper edges of a first pair of beams adjacent a receptacle of the top guide. The reception of the housing atop the upper edges of the first pair of beams is facilitated by the alignment assembly which includes a plurality of legs that are simultaneously moved between a retracted position wherein one or more of the legs is disengaged from the beams within the receptacle and an extended position wherein all of the legs are engaged with the beams of the top guide within the receptacle. The inspection system includes a pair of inspection elements that are translated above a second pair of beams that are adjacent the receptacle and that do not have the housing received thereon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus structured to be received into a boiling water reactor (BWR) and to be usable to inspect at least a portion of a top guide of the BWR, the top guide having a plurality of beams arranged in a grid pattern, the top guide further having a number of receptacles, a receptacle of the number of receptacles being defined by and situated adjacent a subset of beams of the plurality of beams that comprises a first pair of beams of the plurality of beams and a second pair of beams of the plurality of beams, each beam of the plurality of beams having an upper edge, the apparatus comprising:
a housing comprising a base and a pair of supports, the pair of supports being situated on the base, each support of the pair of supports having an engagement edge, the engagement edges being structured to be received atop the upper edges of one of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams;
an alignment assembly situated on the base and comprising a plurality of legs and an actuator, the actuator being operable to simultaneously move the plurality of legs between a retracted position wherein at least one of the legs of the plurality of legs is structured to be disengaged from the subset of beams and an extended position wherein all of the legs of the plurality of legs are structured to be engaged with the subset of beams; and
an inspection system situated on the base and comprising at least a first inspection device that is structured to be situated in proximity to the upper edge of a beam of the other of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams when the legs are in the extended position and the engagement edges are received atop the upper edges of the one of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs are each movably situated on the base, wherein the actuator is situated on the base, and wherein the alignment assembly comprises a plurality of links that extend between the actuator and the plurality of legs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the inspection system further comprises a drive apparatus that is situated on the base, the at least first inspection device being situated on the drive apparatus, the drive apparatus being operable to translate the at least first inspection device along an inspection path between a first location adjacent a first support of the pair of supports and a second location adjacent a second support of the pair of supports.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the inspection system further comprises a second inspection device, the drive apparatus being operable to translate the second inspection device along another inspection path between another first location adjacent the first support and another second location adjacent the second support.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the at least first inspection device comprises a holder and an inspection element, the holder being situated on the drive apparatus, the inspection element being situated on the holder.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pair of supports each extend away from the base in a first direction, and wherein the inspection element situated on the holder is spaced away from the base in the first direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each leg of the plurality of legs is of an L-shaped configuration having a first portion situated adjacent the base and having a second portion that extends in the first direction away from the first portion.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first portions of a pair of legs of the plurality of legs extend in a direction generally away from the actuator and toward the pair of supports, and wherein the second portions of the pair of legs extend adjacent the pair of supports.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first portions of another pair of legs of the plurality of legs extend in a direction generally away from the actuator and generally midway between the pair of supports, and wherein the second portions of the pair of legs extend generally midway between the pair of supports.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the holder comprises an extension mechanism that is structured to translate the inspection element between a first position disposed a first distance away from the base and a second position disposed a second distance away from the base greater than the first distance.

11. An apparatus structured to be received into a boiling water reactor (BWR) and to be usable to inspect at least a portion of a top guide of the BWR, the top guide having a plurality of beams arranged in a grid pattern, the top guide further having a number of receptacles, a receptacle of the number of receptacles being defined by and situated adjacent a subset of beams of the plurality of beams that comprises a first pair of beams of the plurality of beams and a second pair of beams of the plurality of beams, each beam of the plurality of beams having an upper edge, the apparatus comprising:
a housing comprising a base and a pair of supports, the pair of supports being situated on the base, each support of the pair of supports having an engagement edge, the engagement edges being structured to be received atop the upper edges of one of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams;
an alignment assembly situated on the base, wherein the alignment assembly comprises a plurality of legs that are structured to be engaged with the subset of beams and an actuator operable to move at least one of the plurality of legs in relation to the base and the subset of beams;
an inspection system situated on the base and comprising at least a first inspection device that is structured to be situated in proximity to the upper edge of a beam of the other of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams when the engagement edges are received atop the upper edges of the one of the first pair of beams and the second pair of beams; and
the inspection system further comprising a drive apparatus that is situated on the base, the at least first inspection device being situated on the drive apparatus, the drive apparatus being operable to translate the at least first inspection device along an inspection path between a first location adjacent a first support of the pair of supports and a second location adjacent a second support of the pair of supports.

Assignees

• Westinghouse Electric Co Llc

Inventors

• Foley Kevin J
• Barrett Charles R

Classifications

• G21C17/013 Primary

  Inspection vehicles · CPC title

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

• G21C17/00 Primary

  Monitoring; Testing (measuring in general G01); {Maintaining} · CPC title

• G21C17/003

  Remote inspection of vessels, e.g. pressure vessels · CPC title

• G21C19/207

  Assembling, maintenance or repair of reactor components (G21C3/334 takes precedence) · CPC title