Steam Separator Stand Pipe Bracing for Tie Bar Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tie bars in nuclear reactors can become bent or warped during operation or maintenance, leading to misalignment of stand pipes, which interferes with coolant separation and requires complex tooling and submerged welding for repair, resulting in high costs and potential plant shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A system using adjustable braces and linking struts that clamp onto stand pipes to secure them in place without disassembly or welding, allowing for alignment adjustment during installation and enabling tie bar replacement or repair without complex tooling, using biasing hubs and crimp nuts for secure fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional submerged welding and complex tooling are used for tie bar repair, then repair reliability is improved, but device complexity and maintenance cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional submerged welding process with a mechanical fastening system using clamps and fasteners. The clamp assembly mechanically secures the repair tie bar to the standpipe without requiring welding operations, thereby eliminating the need for complex submerged welding tooling while maintaining repair reliability through robust mechanical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable or easily replaceable clamp assembly that can be installed and removed without permanent modification to the reactor components. This approach avoids the need for expensive, specialized welding tooling and allows for simple replacement of the clamp assembly if needed, reducing both initial device complexity and long-term maintenance costs.
2Strength
If traditional submerged welding is used for tie bar repair, then structural strength is improved, but loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly is designed and prepared outside the reactor vessel, allowing for pre-assembly and inspection before installation. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming welding operations inside the reactor, as the mechanical fastening system can be quickly installed and secured, thereby reducing maintenance downtime while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
By substituting the welding process with a mechanical fastening system, the patent enables faster installation and removal of tie bars. The clamp assembly can be mechanically secured using bolts or other fasteners that can be quickly tightened and locked, avoiding the extended time required for welding operations, cooling, and inspection, thus significantly reducing maintenance downtime.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex tooling and welding procedures are used, then repair precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly incorporates self-aligning features and adjustment mechanisms that allow operators to achieve proper alignment without requiring complex external tooling. The design includes adjustable elements that can be easily modified by hand or with simple tools, enabling operators to perform alignment and securing operations directly without assistance from specialized equipment or procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems enhance stand pipe alignment and security with braces docking to the stand pipes. A link connects pairs of braces so the braces and stand pipes docked thereby cannot move relative to each other when fully secured. Partially securing braces allows adjustment of the braces and distance between the same and thus stand pipe position. Fully securing the braces makes the entire system rigid without need for a tie bar. Braces and links can be installed and secured to the stand pipes and among each other at an axial position from above the stand pipes, so that overhead, simple tooling may be used. A crimp nut or other resilient connector may be used to secure the systems from that single dimension with simple tooling. Any number of braces, joining to any number of other braces, may be used in the system, and several systems may be used at various levels.