APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FUEL ASSEMBLY DIMENSIONS Russian patent published in 2007 - IPC G21C17/06 

FIELD: nuclear power engineering; manufacturing and checking fuel assemblies mainly for water-cooled and water-moderated power reactors.

SUBSTANCE: proposed apparatus for measuring fuel assembly dimensions has column vertically mounted on base, turnbuckles, seat-gage to receive fuel assembly bottom nozzle, movable measuring frame with two diametrically opposite video cameras which is provided with inductive sensors, contactless sensors responding to measuring frame positioning at points of measurement, their quantity being equal to sum of measuring points for top nozzle, spacer grids, and bottom nozzle, and device generating beams parallel to fuel assembly axis. Sensors are brought to fuel assembly under measurement by means of air cylinders. Device generating beams parallel to fuel assembly axis has gas laser and set of mirrors, Beam generating device is disposed on vibration-damping base. The latter is isolated from column-supporting base as well as from turnbuckles and seat-gage. One of mirrors is semitransparent and is fixed in position at certain angle to vibration-damping base.

EFFECT: enhanced quality and reliability of fuel assembly dimensions measurement results.

2 cl, 2 dwg