Apparatus and method for automatically loading a fuel pellet for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307654-A1
Application number	US-201615146261-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 4, 2012
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for loading fuel pellets for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod comprises arranging fuel pellets in a row on a plurality of trays, measuring a whole length of the fuel pellets in the row on each of the plurality of trays and obtaining a total length of the pellets by accumulating the whole length of the fuel pellets one after another for the plurality of trays, comparing the total length with a predetermined length, and increasing or decreasing one or more fuel pellets in the row of a last tray of the plurality of the trays such that the total length of the pellets is less than the predetermined length and a length difference between the total length of the pellets and the predetermined length is within a length of one fuel pellet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for automatically loading fuel pellets for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod, the method comprising:
arranging fuel pellets in a row on a tray; aligning the fuel pellets in the row on the tray such that the fuel pellets are closely contact one another; obtaining a total length of the pellets by measuring the fuel pellets in the row on the tray; comparing the total length with a predetermined length; and increasing or decreasing one or more fuel pellets in the row such that the total length is less than the predetermined length and a length difference between the total length and the predetermined length is within a length of one fuel pellet, wherein the predetermined length is defined according to a length of the nuclear fuel rod.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said measuring the fuel pellets is conducted by an optical flat image of the tray.

3 . A method for automatically loading fuel pellets for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod, the method comprising:
arranging fuel pellets in a row on a plurality of trays; aligning the fuel pellets in the row such that the fuel pellets are closely contact one another; measuring a whole length of the fuel pellets in the row on each of the plurality of trays and obtaining a total length of the pellets by accumulating the whole length one after another for the plurality of trays; comparing the total length of the fuel pellets with a predetermined length; and increasing or decreasing one or more fuel pellets in the row of a last tray of the plurality of the trays such that the total length of the pellets is less than the predetermined length and a length difference between the total length of the pellets and the predetermined length is within a length of one fuel pellet, wherein the predetermined length is defined according to a length of the nuclear fuel rod.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein said measuring the whole length of the fuel pellets is conducted by an optical flat image of the tray.

5 . A method for automatically loading fuel pellets for manufacturing nuclear fuel rods, the method comprising:
arranging fuel pellets in rows on a plurality of trays, wherein each of the plurality of trays includes first to Nth rows (N is a natural number); aligning the fuel pellets in each of the rows such that the fuel pellets are closely contact one another; measuring a whole length of the fuel pellets in each of the first to Nth rows on each of the plurality of trays and obtaining a total length of the pellets in said each of the first to Nth rows by accumulating the whole length one after another for said each of the first to Nth rows of the plurality of trays; comparing the total length of the pellets in said each of the first to Nth rows with a predetermined length; and increasing or decreasing one or more fuel pellets in said each of the first to Nth rows of a last tray of the plurality of the trays such that the total length of the pellets in said each of the first to Nth rows is less than the predetermined length and a length difference between the total length of the pellets in said each of the first to Nth rows and the predetermined length is within a length of one fuel pellet, wherein the predetermined length is defined according a length of each of the nuclear fuel rods.

6 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein said measuring the whole length of the fuel pellets is conducted by an optical flat image of the tray.

Assignees

• Kepco Nuclear Fuel Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shin Se Yong
• Hwang Chang Hwan
• Chang Hung Soon
• Na Tae Hyung
• Moon Bong Sik
• Yoon Young Seok

Classifications

• G21C21/02 Primary

  Manufacture of fuel elements or breeder elements contained in non-active casings · CPC title

• G21Y2004/401

  Physics · mapped topic

• G21Y2002/302

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01B11/02

  for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G21C19/20 Primary

  Arrangements for introducing objects into the pressure vessel; Arrangements for handling objects within the pressure vessel; Arrangements for removing objects from the pressure vessel · CPC title