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Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Movement Device

Company: Westinghouse Electric Company

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: IE
Optional: ESC

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

In the nuclear industry there are often applications requiring remotely operated functions to be used due to high levels of ionizing radiation that prevent workers from interacting with the components directly. For this application, a large, bolted reactor pressure vessel head, see Figure 1-1, consisting of several components must be removed during maintenance. During removal, the assembly must stay aligned and not cause interference with mating components that may be damaged by the removal process Additionally, the device must support the large weight of the assembly and enable other tooling to be applied to the assembly post irradiation. Due to the level of ionization radiation in the vicinity of the flange, workers will not be able to interact with assembly, and the work must be completed with remote operated device, and instrumentation that is suitable for a high radiation environment.