Rotary Cutting Plate for Nuclear Core Fingers With Low Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting devices for nuclear reactor core components are complex, power-intensive, and pose a risk of contamination in nuclear power plant environments.
Innovation Solution
A cutting device with a rotatable cutting plate and a first bearing plate with abutments, featuring multiple groups of cutting blades at different angles, and a sealing device to minimize contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a known automatic cutting device with transfer means and multiple moving members is used, then cutting capability is achieved, but device complexity increases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device is segmented into a stationary first bearing plate with abutments and a rotatable cutting plate with cutting blades. This segmentation allows the complex cutting task to be divided into simpler rotational movements, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining cutting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the bearing plate and cutting blades sequentially as in known devices, the invention inverts the approach by making the cutting plate rotatable while the bearing plate remains stationary. This inversion simplifies the mechanical structure and reduces power requirements.
2Productivity
If a known automatic cutting device with multiple moving members is used, then cutting capability is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional approach by making the cutting plate rotatable while the bearing plate remains stationary. This reduces the number of powered moving members, thereby lowering power consumption while maintaining cutting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable cutting plate design allows the cutting action to be achieved through rotational movement that naturally engages the cutting blades with the fingers positioned on the abutments. The system uses the rotational motion itself to perform the cutting function without requiring additional powered moving members.
3Ease of operation
If cutting is performed without sealing, then operation is simple, but contamination of the environment occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing device is introduced as a separate, removable component that can be activated only when needed. This allows the cutting device to maintain operational simplicity while providing the option to seal the cutting area and prevent contamination when required.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a cutting device (3) for cutting a plurality of parallel fingers (7) of at least one core component (5) in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the fingers (7), the fingers (7) being adapted to be introduced into the fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor core, the cutting device (3) comprising: a first bearing plate (30, 46) comprising a plurality of abutments (54, 56) respectively for a finger (7) to be cut, wherein the cutting device (3) further comprises: a rotatable cutting plate (34) comprising a corresponding cutting blade (42a, 42b, 42c) for each abutment (54, 56) in the first bearing plate, the rotatable cutting plate (34) being rotatable about a rotating axis (Y) between a starting position and a final position in a circumferential direction (C), the first bearing plate (30, 46) and the cutting plate (34) being parallel to each other, the cutting blades (42a, 42b, 42c) comprising a plurality of groups of cutting blades (42a, 42b, 42c), wherein for each group of cutting blades (42a, 42b, 42c) the angle between the cutting blades (42a, 42b, 42c) and the corresponding abutments (54, 56) is different to an angle between the cutting blades (42a, 42b, 42c) and the corresponding abutments (54, 56) of any other group of cutting blades