METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CHARGING FUEL ROD CANS WITH FUEL PELLETS Russian patent published in 2000 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear power engineering; fuel element process lines. SUBSTANCE: vibratory formation of fuel pile is effected to form incomplete pile; fuel pellets are delivered to drum cells from arriving batch of pellets under vacuum at the same time cleaning each pellet from dust and chips; length of each pellet is automatically measured and assigned definite number; data bank including length of each pellet is entered in computer; upon measuring length of incomplete pile of pellets inserted in can computer selects numbered pellets of desired length from mentioned data bank to fill up the pile to desired length at utmost precision. Device implementing proposed method has hold-down splitter displaced towards stop splitter through length of several pellets; mechanism for metering pile length in can is combined with that metering pile length within revolving drum cell. Device also has computer, sensors, and stepping motor for measuring corrective volume and length of pellets electrically interconnected and connected to drum revolution stepping motor, pellet splitter, and pellet agitator. Mechanism for metering pile length and pellet length is, essentially, gear-rack set in which rack is extension of rod. EFFECT: improved precision of forming fuel pile of desired length. 3 cl, 4 dwg, 1 ex