Preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members in a nuclear pressure vessel

• US 6,058,153 A
• Filed: 02/20/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshikubo, Fujio, Sato, Kazunori, Kurosawa, Koichi, Chiba, Noboru, Hayashi, Eisaku, Nishino, Masayuki, Morinaka, Ren, Enomoto, Kunio, Shimizu, Sadato, Ootaka, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEITH, JACK W
• Application Number:
  US09/026,726
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 376/245, 376/247, 376/260, 376/268, 376/248, 376/305, 376/370, 376/376, 376/463
• US Class Current: 376/249
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 19/00 Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g. within its pressure vessel
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 19/207 Assembling, maintenance or repair of reactor components G21C3/334 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes a ring-shaped guide rail having a plurality of lugs which is placed on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside a reactor pressure vessel. At least some of lugs separately engage with a plurality of guide rods provided on an inner surface of the reactor pressure vessel. A turntable is rotated on the guide rail. A first discharging nozzle moving apparatus placed on the turntable moves a first discharging nozzle for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of the core shroud in a radial direction of the core shroud and in an axial direction of the core shroud. A second discharging nozzle moving apparatus placed on the turntable moves a second discharging nozzle for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of the core shroud in a radial direction of the core shroud and in an axial direction of the core shroud.

Claims

1. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel comprising:

an annular guide rail, disposed on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside the reactor pressure vessel, and having a second lug detachably mounted to a first lug provided on said upper flange for mounting a shroud head;

a turntable revolving on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a first discharging nozzle for discharging a high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud;

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a second discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying the high pressure water to each of said first and second discharging nozzles; and

wherein said second discharging nozzle moving apparatus comprises an arm member movable in a horizontal direction;

a pole member movable in an axial direction of said core shroud provided on said arm member;

a multi-joint arm attached to said pole member; and

said second discharging nozzle is provided in a top end portion of said multi-joint arm.

2. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel comprising:

an annular guide rail, disposed on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside the reactor pressure vessel, and having a second lug detachably mounted to a first lug provided on said upper flange for mounting a shroud head;

a turntable revolving on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a first discharging nozzle for discharging a high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud;

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a second discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying the high pressure water to each of said first and second discharging nozzles; and

wherein said first discharging nozzle moving apparatus comprises an arm member movable in a horizontal direction;

a plurality of pole members provided on said arm member, said pole members being inserted between said reactor pressure vessel and said core shroud;

vertically moved bodies respectively attached to said pole members, said vertically moved bodies being movable in a vertical direction; and

said first and second discharging nozzles respectively being provided in said vertically moved bodies.

3. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel comprising:

an annular guide rail, disposed on an upper flange of a core shroud provided inside the reactor pressure vessel, and having a second lug detachably mounted to a first lug provided on said upper flange for mounting a shroud head;

a turntable revolving on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a first discharging nozzle for discharging a high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud;

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus arranged on said turntable for moving, in a radial direction and an axial direction of said core shroud, a second discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying the high pressure water to each of said first and second discharging nozzles; and

wherein said first discharging nozzle moving apparatus and said second discharging nozzle moving apparatus respectively comprise a first discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud and a second discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud, and the preventive maintenance apparatus further comprises an apparatus for moving said first and second discharging nozzles.

4. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel, which comprises:

a ring-shaped guide rail having a plurality of lugs attached thereto, the guide rail being placed on a core shroud inside a reactor pressure vessel, at least some of said lugs engaging a plurality of guide rods provided on an inner surface of said reactor pressure vessel;

a turntable rotatable on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a first discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in an axial direction of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable;

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a second discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in an axial direction of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable and comprising an arm member movable in a horizontal direction;

a pole member movable in an axial direction of said core shroud provided on said arm member;

a multi-joint arm attached to said pole member and wherein said second discharging nozzle is provided in a top end portion of said multi-joint arm; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying high pressure water to said discharging nozzles.

5. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel, which comprises:

a ring-shaped guide rail have a plurality of lugs attached thereto, the guide rail being placed on a core shroud inside a reactor pressure vessel, at least some of said lugs engaging a plurality of guide rods provided on an inner surface of said reactor pressure vessel;

a turntable rotatable on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a first discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in an axial direction of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable and comprising an arm member movable in a horizontal direction;

a plurality of pole members provided on said arm member, said pole members being inserted between said reactor pressure vessel and said core shroud;

vertically moved bodies respectively attached to said pole members, said vertically moved bodies being movable in a vertical direction; and

said first nozzle being provided on one of said vertically moved bodies; and

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a second discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in an axial direction of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle being provided on another of said vertically moved bodies and discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying high pressure water to said discharging nozzles.

6. A preventive maintenance apparatus for structural members inside a reactor pressure vessel, which comprises:

a ring-shaped guide rail having a plurality of lugs attached thereto, the guide rail being placed on a core shroud inside a reactor pressure vessel, at least some of said lugs engaging a plurality of guide rods provided on an inner surface of said reactor pressure vessel;

a turntable rotatable on said guide rail;

a first discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a first discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in axial direction of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud, the first discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable;

a second discharging nozzle moving apparatus for moving a second discharging nozzle in a radial direction of said core shroud and in an axial direction of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle discharging high pressure water to add compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud, the second discharging nozzle moving apparatus being placed on said turntable; and

a high pressure water supply apparatus for supplying high pressure water to said discharging nozzles; and

wherein said first discharging nozzle moving apparatus and said second discharging nozzle moving apparatus respectively comprise said first discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an outer surface of said core shroud and said second discharging nozzle for discharging high pressure water for adding compressive remaining stress to an inner surface of said core shroud, and the preventive maintenance apparatus further comprises an apparatus for moving said first and second discharging nozzles.