METHOD AND DEVICE FOR RECHARGING FUEL ASSEMBLY OF LIQUID-COOLED REACTOR AND FOR CHECKING ITS TIGHTNESS Russian patent published in 2002 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear power engineering; liquid-cooled reactors. SUBSTANCE: reactor fuel assembly is placed in device that has outer, intermediate, and inner sections, grip, and gas feeding system incorporating provision for checking content of radionuclides in gas; fuel assembly is displaced in this device. gas is supplied from gas tank through pipeline and spray nozzle and admitted under open bottom part of sections where it is passed through coolant surrounding the fuel assembly. Gas sample is taken from gas space located above liquid coolant level between intermediate and inner sections and analyzed for content of radionuclides which serves as criterion of fuel assembly tightness. EFFECT: reduced shutdown time of reactor in the course of routine maintenance and repairs due to combining operations of fuel assembly recharging and testing. 12 cl, 1 dwg