Abstract: A waste disposal system for the combustion of waste materials, that may include toxic chemical waste, wherein the wastes are combusted in a combustion unit with combustion gases directly discharged into a refractory lined housing having a plurality of ceramic filters disposed in the gas outlet wall thereof. The combustion gases are maintained in the refractory lined housing for a period of time sufficient to effect combustion of the major portion of residual vaporous waste constituents therein and then passed through the ceramic filters to remove the remainder of said vaporous waste constituents and the residual solid waste constituents. The waste-free, hot combustion gases, after passage through the filters, are directed to a heat exchanger for recovery of heat values therefrom.

Abstract: A nuclear reactor in which the bottom nozzle of each fuel assembly is a casting having leg-like pins which are cast as part of the bottom nozzle. The pins extend from the corners of the bottom nozzle of each fuel assembly. The transverse cross section of each pin has the shape of a circular sector whose arc depends on the number of apeces of the bottom nozzle, typically 90.degree. for a square nozzle and 120.degree. for a hexagonal nozzle. The fuel assemblies are mutually nested side-by-side so that a group of contiguous pins extends from each region where corners of fuel elements converge. The sides of the pins of each group are in engagement so that the pins of the group form a continuous circularly cylindrical surface. The core support plate has a plurality of holes. The boundaries of the holes are circular cylinders. Each group of pins extend into a hole in the core support plate.

Abstract: An underwater discharge system for discharging an effluent overboard through an aperture in a wall of an at least partially submersed structure. The effluent is discharged through a conduit into a pressurized chamber which is open to and extends below the surface of the water in which the effluent is to be discharged. The pressure in the chamber is maintained to sustain the level of water in the chamber below that at which the conduit enters the chamber. A tubular catchment for transporting the effluent to a location remote from the structure is positioned to have one end within the chamber, above water level, open to the chamber's atmosphere, and sized and arranged to receive the conduit within its opening. Pressure within the chamber is maintained to keep the effluent from spilling over the one end of the catchment into the water in the chamber. The other end of the catchment communicates with a discharge basin which transports the effluent to the remote location.

Abstract: A method for extracting debris from the bottom of a water-filled nuclear reactor vessel. The method includes steps of removing the vessel closure head, upper internals and at least some fuel assemblies from the reactor vessel to expose a flow hole which is contained in the lower core plate and which has a perimeter, wherein imaginary vertical projection lines extending from the perimeter define an obstructed volume between the lower core plate and the bottom of the vessel, lowering a pipe having an open free end into the vessel so that the pipe extends through the exposed flow hole in the lower core plate and has its free end in close proximity to the bottom of the vessel, applying suction to the end of the pipe remote from the open free end to withdraw water and debris from the bottom of the vessel through the pipe, and removing the debris from the water withdrawn from the vessel and discharging the debris-free water into a reservoir.

Abstract: A fission product scrubbing system comprises a water tank in the containment building; a dividing wall extending into the water tank for separating it into first and second compartments; a collection plenum normally hermetically sealed from the containment space and the environment externally of the containment building and being at least in part formed by the dividing wall and the level of water stored in the second compartment and a communication passage in the dividing wall underneath the water level in the first and second compartments for maintaining communication between the water stored therein. There is further provided a standpipe which extends from the containment space into the second compartment and which has flow distribution holes situated in the second compartment below the water level and above the communication passage, whereby gases passing from the containment space into the standpipe travel upwardly from the distribution holes through the water into the collection plenum.

Abstract: A mechanical drive system (10) for moving alternate nuclear reactor fuel rods (14) within the nuclear reactor core (12) and relative to the remaining stationary nuclear reactor fuel rods (16) so as to axially displace the movable fuel rods (14), and enriched and natural uranium fuel zones defined therein, relative to similarly defined enriched and natural uranium fuel zones within the stationary fuel rods (16) in order to optimize utilization of excess or free neutrons produced within the nuclear reactor core within a fuel cycle. The nuclear reactor fuel rods (14, 16) all have a length which is less than that of standard-sized nuclear reactor fuel rods, and therefore, a plenum chamber (20) is able to be defined between an upper core plate (22) and an auxiliary upper core plate (24).

Abstract: A passive method of adjusting the pH of the liquid used to flood the containment structure of a nuclear reactor following an accident such as loss of primary or secondary coolant. Perforated containers or baskets, which contain a pH adjusting chemical which is soluble in the flooding liquid (usually a slightly acidic solution of borated water) and which are covered or encapsulated with a plastic protective material, which is like soluble in the flooding liquid, are located in the emergency containment sumps.

Abstract: Portable communication terminal composed of a headset to be worn on the head of a user and a portable transceiver set to be carried by the user.

Abstract: An electrostatic precipitator especially useful in separation of particulate matter from gas streams under high pressure and high temperature conditions has a collection electrode that is formed of a porous material and means to effect a flow of gas from the clean side of the electrode, through the porous electrode, to dislodge solids collected on the electrode for cleaning purposes. A chamber is formed on the clean side of the collecting electrode and a jet pulse of gas is charged to the chamber, which pulse of gas is distributed through the porous collecting electrode to dislodge the solids from the collecting surface thereof. In one embodiment, a porous flexible member is disposed adjacent the collecting surface of the collecting electrode and the solids are deposited thereon and dislodged therefrom by passage of a gas through the porous collecting electrode.

Abstract: Two sets of heater support members angularly distributed around a central vertical member are radially extendable individually or in groups to position heater elements within a preset distance of the cylindrical walls of any one of a series of pressure vessels having a range of diameters. A convex bottom heater support member is provided for each diameter vessel and is axially telescoped into the central vertical member so that an additional set of heater support members can be installed between the first mentioned two sets of heater support members and the bottom heater support member to accommodate for varying depths of the vessels in the series. Thermocouples are extended from the annealing device by actuators which use a spring or pneumatic pressure to press the thermocouple against the vessel wall with a preset constant force for accurate temperature measurements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds, with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing countercurrent to the coal flow. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel and passed to a vessel where water is sprayed therein to cool the same and remove occluded solids. A first portion of the steam is then reheated and returned to the sealed vessel as fluidizing steam, while a second portion of the steam is heated and passed through heat exchange tubes in the sealed vessel to heat the fluidizing coal, with the second portion, after passage through the heat exchange tubes discharged from the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying of low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing counter-current to the flow of coal. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel, partially condensed, to remove an amount of water about equal to that removed from the coal, and the steam reheated and recycled to the sealed vessel. The heating of the fluidized beds is by means of heat exchange tubes passing through the beds, with a fluid, such as methanol, heated for flow through the tubes, collected and in a cooled state used in the partial condenser, and then compressed to reheat the same for reuse in the heat exchange tubes.

Abstract: An electric pipe snubber has an annular housing, fixed to a supporting surface, surrounding a pipe and a plurality of brake means fixed to the housing radially disposed about the pipe, which are biased towards and engage a serrated section on the pipe, and a means for electromagnetically releasing the brake means to permit axial displacement of the pipe relative to the annular housing. The brake means have teeth on the end thereof which mesh with the serrations on the pipe. A pipe support system using a series of the electric pipe snubbers along a length of pipe has a control means which releases the brakes of one of the series of the snubbers while the remainder of the series restrain the pipe from axial displacement.

Abstract: Low-rank coals, such as lignite, are dried by evaporating interstitial water therefrom in a superheated steam flow countercurrently passed through a sealed rotary cylindrical vessel. A composite steam discharged from the vessel is partially condensed to remove an amount of water therefrom substantially equal to the amount of water removed from the coal, with a resultant flow of residual steam reheated and returned to the cylindrical vessel for further drying of low-rank coal.

Abstract: A reactor cavity surrounding a reactor coolant inlet or outlet pipe is designed to reduce pressurization of the cavity in the event of a LOCA pipe break therein.

Abstract: A visual observation system for monitoring a welding operation being performed in a welding region by a welding torch, the torch having a longitudinal axis and including a housing. The system is composed of a closed light conducting channel supported by the torch and having a first end directed toward the welding region and a second end remote from the first end, and image generating device disposed at the second end of the channel for receiving light entering the channel via the first end in order to generate an image of the scene in front of the first end, a transpatent plate disposed in, and blocking, the light conducting channel for protecting the image generating device against soiling by particles produced by the welding operation, and elements for producing a flow of inert gas past the side of the transparent plate directed toward the first end for opposing the deposition of such particles on the plate.

Abstract: A high gradient magnetic filter is enhanced by the electrophoretic effect whereby the range of effectiveness of the conventional high gradient magnetic filter for collecting suspended magnetic solid particles from liquid streams, such as power plant coolant streams, is extended to collect suspended magnetic solid particles of submicron size as well as particulates not susceptible to a magnetic field gradient. A conventional high gradient magnetic filter is connected into a pipeline, through which a liquid stream containing the suspended solid particles to be removed is flowing, so that the filter is electrically insulated from the remainder of the pipeline, and a potential is applied to the filter to polarize same relative to the pipeline with a polarity which is opposite the polarity of the charged particles in the stream which are to be collected.

Abstract: A protective enclosure for a splice connection between respective conductors of a hardline cable having a rigid sheath and a softline cable having a flexible sheath, each conductor including a conductive wire and a layer of insulation enclosing the wire, with one wire of the hardline cable being electrically connected to a corresponding wire of the softline cable by a connector located in a splice region, the enclosure including: cover elements extending between, and secured to, the cable sheaths and including a flexible metal tube enclosing the splice region; and a mass of flexible potting material filling the splice region for isolating the connector and the wires connected thereby from the external environment.

Abstract: A cooling fin for a spent nuclear fuel storage cask is fabricated by bending an elongated composite sheet, formed by cladding a stainless steel sheet onto a carbon steel sheet, along its axis to provide two sides joined at a curved apex. The free ends of the sides are welded to the base element of the cask. A pocket is formed between the sides of the fin by welding an end plate to the bottom of the fin, and thereafter resinous neutron absorbing material is poured into the pocket. After the pocket is filled an end plate is welded to the top of the fin.

Abstract: The approach to criticality of a nuclear reactor provided with an artificial neutron source is monitored by two neutron detectors, one which measures the neutron flux in a localized region around the artificial neutron source, and the other located simlarly with respect to the core geometry but removed from the localized region. When the reactor is subcritical, the artificial source dominates and the outputs of the two detectors are noticeably different. As the reactor approaches criticality, the critical mode distribution of neutrons, which is symmetrical with respect to the two detectors, becomes dominant and the detector outputs approach each other in magnitude. The ratio of the output signals therefore, provides an indication of the reactor reactivity state. Either linear or logarithmic ratio signals can be generated, and if desired, either can be compared with an appropriately scaled reference signal representative of a selected reactivity state, such as a multiplication factor of 0.