Modular Feedthrough Connection Box for Confined Nuclear Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection boxes for electrical feedthroughs in nuclear reactor containment enclosures are bulky, heavy, and difficult to install, often requiring lifting equipment and complicating the process due to confined spaces, which can lead to damage of electrical conductors during installation.
Innovation Solution
A connection box design featuring a chassis with removable housing parts that can be transported separately, allowing installation without disconnecting electrical cables, with a footprint smaller than traditional boxes and weight manageable by a single operator, ensuring ease of installation and protection against foreign objects and boric water spray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional connection boxes are used for electrical feedthroughs, then protection against environmental hazards is ensured, but the boxes become heavy and bulky requiring lifting equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The connection box is divided into multiple separate components: a fixed chassis that remains attached to the electrical feedthrough, and removable housing parts that can be detached and reattached. This segmentation allows the heavy protective structure to be broken into manageable pieces that can be handled without lifting equipment, while the fixed chassis maintains the necessary protection against environmental hazards including boric water spray and foreign objects.
2Reliability
If traditional connection boxes are used, then protection against foreign objects is provided, but installation becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into removable parts that can be independently handled and installed. The fixed chassis provides the foundational protection structure, while housing parts can be installed separately, allowing for simpler and faster assembly compared to traditional monolithic boxes that require complex installation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The chassis is pre-configured with mounting features and protection structures before the housing parts are attached. This preliminary preparation of the fixed chassis allows for quicker final assembly when the housing parts are installed, reducing overall installation time while maintaining protective functionality.
3Reliability
If traditional connection boxes are used, then cable connection protection is ensured, but conductor damage risk increases during installation
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the connection box into a fixed chassis and removable housing parts, the installation process can be staged to minimize conductor exposure. The fixed chassis can be installed first with conductors already in place, and housing parts added afterward, reducing the risk of conductor damage during handling and installation operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a connecting box (3) for a containment chamber electrical feedthrough, comprising a frame (31) that comprises a first frame portion (311) intended to be arranged transversally to a longitudinal axis of the electrical feedthrough, the first frame portion (311) having a first circular opening (313) suitable for surrounding an end (21) of the electrical feedthrough in order attach the frame (31) to the end (21) of the electrical feedthrough, and a second frame portion (312) extending from the first frame portion (311), parallel to the longitudinal axis (X) of the electrical feedthrough, in order to support a gland plate (331) for cables (81) to pass between the outside of the connecting box (3) and the inside of the connecting box (3), and a plurality of box components (33-38) that can be removably attached to the frame (31) to form a protective cover around connection methods (71) connecting the electrical cables (81) to the electrical feedthrough.