Abstract: A highly flexible reflective insulation inner assembly is provided which spaces a pair of flexible reflective insulation sheets while also sealing a volume of space therebetween. To accomplish this a corrugated strip of material is mounted on its edge between the pair of flexible reflective insulation sheets all along the perimeter of the two sheets. The corrugated strip seals and spaces the two flexible sheets while allowing them to be curved and bent to conform to the shape of the more rigid inner and outer case assembly which mounts on the body to be insulated to thus provide a flexible and efficient thermal insulation inner assembly. In vertical mounting of such reflective insulation inner assemblies the height of the enclosed volume is maintained at substantially twelve inches to minimize convective heat transfer thereby.

Abstract: A highly flexible spacer-sealer for reflective insulation inner assemblies is provided which spaces a pair of flexible reflective insulation sheets or liners while also sealing a volume of space therebetween. To accomplish this a corrugated strip of material is mounted on its edge between the pair of flexible reflective insulation liners all along the perimeter of the two sheets. The corrugated strip is compressed and twisted at predetermined points and mounted to one of the liners leaving the other liner to lie on the corrugated strip. This construction allows the inner assemblies to be curved and bent to conform to the various shapes of the inner and outer case assemblies which are mounted to the body to be insulated.

Abstract: The carriage of a retracting soot blower has a driven shaft rotatable to move the carriage along a supporting frame to project and retract a lance tube and to simultaneously rotate the lance tube. The driven shaft is driven from a drive shaft powered by a stationary reversible motor. The driven shaft is connected to the drive shaft by a drum and cable assembly including a double drum assembly on the drive shaft, another double drum assembly on the driven shaft, and an idler pulley at the front of the frame. Upon rotation of the drive shaft in one direction the carriage is moved to project the lance tube by a first cable having its opposite end portions wrapped about and secured to drive and driven drums and an intermediate portion trained over the idler pulley. Upon rotation of the drive shaft in the opposite direction, the carriage is moved to retract the lance tube by a second cable having its opposite end portions wrapped about and secured to drive and driven drums.

Abstract: A flexible supporting sheet formed of insulating material has "printed circuit"-type adherent conductors thereon which are flexible with the sheet and which are so disposed that contact parts which are also carried by the sheet, and which are arranged to be connectable to the individual components of a row of circuit components, are located at the ends of relatively long, straight, parallel hinging portions of the conductors, all of which hinging portions are arranged on the same side of the respective components to which they are to be connected. The sheet can be cut on three sides of each component, and its connected hinging portions of the conductors, to enable bending back an overlying tongue-like section of the sheet for access to the component without severing any of the conductors.

Abstract: A snubber cartridge assembly is mounted to the nozzle of a control rod drive mechanism to insure that the snubber assembly will be located within the liquid filled section of a nuclear reactor vessel whenever the control rod drive is assembled thereto. The snubber assembly includes a piston mounted proximate to the control rod connecting end of the control rod drive leadscrew to allow the piston to travel within the liquid filled snubber cartridge and controllably exhaust liquid therefrom during a "scram" condition. The snubber cartridge provides three separate areas of increasing resistance to piston travel to insure a speedy but safe "scram" of the control rod into the reactor.

Abstract: A removable top closure and venting assembly for the tubular housing of a control rod drive includes a mounting ring threadably inserted in the upper end of the housing, a fluid-sealing closure member beneath the mounting ring and which is mounted in and coupled to the mounting ring by means of a ball and socket joint, a gas vent defined by interconnecting passages extending through the closure and through the ball and socket joint, and a vent valve accesible from the top of the closure assembly.

Abstract: The position of a control rod located within a nuclear reactor is sensed by a position indicating system utilizing a series of self-exciting reed switch oscillator assemblies mounted along the path of control rod travel. Each reed switch oscillator assembly is preset to provide a constant level output signal when no external flux field is present and to provide an oscillating output signal whenever an external flux field is brought into the vicinity of the reed switch oscillator assembly. The control rod has a magnet mounted thereto which establishes an external flux field and causes the reed switch oscillator assembly proximate to the magnet to provide an oscillating output signal indicative of the position of the control rod.

Abstract: The position of a control rod located within a nuclear reactor is sensed by a position indicating system utilizing low hysteresis reed switch assemblies. Each reed switch assembly includes a reed switch having an alternating magnetic flux field applied thereto through a coil surrounding the reed switch and energized by an alternating current power source. The amplitude of the alternating magnetic flux field is adjusted to be between a first flux level required to close the reed switch and a second flux level required to open the reed switch. The level of the alternating magnetic flux field is preset to be below the second flux level to maintain the switch in the open position until an external flux field is introduced to raise the total flux level above the first flux level to actuate the reed switch to close. The interaction of the alternating and external flux fields negates the hysteresis band of ordinary reed switches and provides a more sensitive and accurate position indicating circuit.

Abstract: A self-adjusting seal assembly is formed to fit around a member extending from a structure which is thermally insulated with insulation panels but which leaves a gap around the insulated member. The self-adjusting seal assembly covers this gap and automatically compensates for any gap variation due to thermal expansion and contraction. The assembly has a first spring biased seal member located on the insulation panel to partially abut against the member and partially seal the gap around the member. A second seal member is spring biased to abut against the first seal member to thereby completely enclose the member and the gap around the member. As the structure member expands or contracts the spring loaded seal members move to retain their position abutting the member and maintain the integrity of the gap seal.

Abstract: A clip is provided for spacing a stack of flanged reflective insulation sheets along an edge of the stack. The clip has a first series of tab members which fit between each sheet of the stack to space the stack and a second series of tab members which bend over a flanged end of each sheet of the stack to support the stack and prevent the shifting of individual sheets of the stack within the stack.

Abstract: An all-metallic thermal insulation assembly is constructed from a series of layers each having a plurality of spaced corrugated sheets. Each of the sheets is formed from material having a thickness t and the sheets are so profiled as to provide a moment of inertia of up to 100 t.sup.3 per unit length and be free of deformation except from pressure substantially in the range of 10 to 150 centimeter-kilograms per cubic centimeter and greater.

Abstract: The position of a control rod located within a nuclear reactor is sensed by an externally located position indicating assembly. The assembly includes a reed switch voltage divider circuit in which the individual reed switches are actuated in a 2-3-2-3 sequence by the magnetic field of a permanent magnet mounted to the control rod. The assembly averages the signals from the actuated reed switches and after amplifying the averaged signal transmits it to an indicator which provides an indication of control rod position. The voltage divider circuit may have a pair of parallel connected voltage dividers with individual sets of reed switches respectively connected thereto to provide a redundant circuit which will operate with one of the voltage dividers selectively disconnected.

Abstract: A panel assembly of reflective insulation is formed to provide an adjustable height inner panel movably located next to a stationary outer panel. The inner panel is made slidably movable within a pocket formed adjacent to a face of the outer panel. The innermost face of the pocket has a retainer assembly which captures the inner panel to the face of the pocket in any height extension of the inner panel from the pocket to insure retention of the inner panel in the desired height extension.