Fuel Element Handling Speed Control Based on Dynamic Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel elements in nuclear reactors and storage containers are prone to deformation due to radiation-induced creep and thermohydraulic forces, leading to potential damage during loading and unloading due to friction and snagging with spacers, which requires slow and time-consuming manual operation to avoid damage.
Innovation Solution
A method using a loading device with a load-measuring device for online measurement of dynamic loads, allowing closed-loop control of lifting or lowering speed based on measured loads to prevent damage, reducing operator workload and time required for loading and unloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the fuel element is lifted or lowered at a high speed, then the productivity is improved, but the fuel element may become damaged due to friction and snagging with spacers
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device dynamically adjusts the lifting speed based on real-time load measurements. When the load exceeds a predetermined threshold (indicating potential snagging or friction with spacers), the system automatically reduces speed. This dynamic adaptation allows high-speed operation under normal conditions while preventing damage when anomalies are detected, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a feedback mechanism where a load measuring device continuously monitors the load on the fuel element during lifting or lowering. This load information is fed back to the control unit, which adjusts the lifting speed accordingly. The feedback loop enables the system to respond to changing conditions in real-time, maintaining both high productivity and fuel element integrity by slowing down only when necessary.
2Reliability
If the lifting or lowering speed is manually adjusted to avoid damage, then the fuel element integrity is maintained, but the operator workload increases and the process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device is equipped with automatic control capabilities that enable it to monitor its own operational parameters (load) and adjust its performance (lifting speed) without continuous human intervention. The control unit automatically compares measured load values against predetermined thresholds and adjusts the lifting speed accordingly, allowing the system to protect fuel elements autonomously while reducing operator workload to monitoring and exception handling.
3Reliability
If the lifting or lowering speed is manually adjusted to avoid damage, then the fuel element integrity is maintained, but the time required for loading and unloading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts lifting speed based on actual conditions rather than operating at a uniformly slow speed. During normal operation when no snagging or friction occurs, the fuel element is lifted or lowered at high speed to minimize time loss. When the load measuring device detects anomalies (load exceeding threshold), the speed is automatically reduced only in those specific instances, thus maintaining fuel element integrity while minimizing overall processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for load-dependent unloading and/or loading of a fuel element out of and into a fuel element container, especially a reactor pressure vessel, by means of a loading device. The loading device is designed to lift a fuel element out of the fuel element container or to lower it into the fuel element container along a path of travel at a variable speed of travel. The loading device has a load-measuring device for online measurement of a dynamic load and/or load change acting at the time on the loading device along the path of travel during lifting or lowering of the fuel element, the speed of travel during lifting or lowering of the fuel element being subject to closed-loop control in dependence upon the load and/or load change being measured at the time.