Abstract: A method of automatically starting and stopping an engine of a truck to conserve fuel while maintaining the engine in a ready-to-start condition, and while controlling the temperature of a truck sleeper unit. The method includes the steps of selecting predetermined system parameters via a password accessible interactive program, providing a first switch for selecting an automatic engine start-stop operating mode, providing a second switch for selecting an automatic temperature control mode for the truck sleeper unit, and providing safety apparatus which indicates when the truck engine may be safely operated in the automatic engine start-stop operating mode. The method further includes the step of overriding the ignition switch control of the engine in response to a predetermined condition when the first switch selects the automatic operating mode and the safety apparatus indicates the truck engine may be safely operated in the automatic operating mode.

Abstract: Furniture comprises a strong, aesthetically appealing, woven lattice of interlocking slats made of wood laminate having indentations allowing fitting of the slats across one another so as to form a lattice. Advantageously, the furniture is manufactured of a single type of material, such as bent wood laminate slats. No other supporting structural material is needed to make the furniture simultaneously possess the advantages of being sturdy, aesthetically appealing, economical to manufacture, and light in structure and appearance.

Abstract: An acoustic array of special utility in deep operating antisubmarine torpedoes comprises a plurality of individual transducer elements supported by a back-plate member. An acoustic window made of an elastomeric or plastic material is mounted against the front faces of the transducer elements and forms part of the water-proof housing of the torpedo. The backplate provides abuttive support to the transducer elements against crush pressure exerted by ambient water against the acoustic window. Inserts, made of an acoustic decoupling material which exhibits high crush strength characteristics, are interposed between each transducer element and the backplate. The backplate is made of body sections having interposed therebetween very thin layers of a compliant material, with the layers bondingly confined between the body sections. The compliant material is chosen to be of a type which damps acoustic vibrations which may be present in the backplate by the mechanism of "coulomb friction damping".

Abstract: A method for removing metallic plugs from conduits such as the heat exchanger tubes in a nuclear steam generator is disclosed herein. In such tubes, plugs formed from a cylindrical shell of Inconel are radially expanded in sealing engagement with the open end of an Inconel tube mounted in a tubesheet by pulling down a cork-shaped expander element disposed in wedging engagement with the shell. The method of the invention removes such plugs by pushing the expander element from the open end back to the closed end of the shell, and then heating the shell to a temperature which substantially lessens its tensile yield while applying a tensile force along the longitudinal axis of the plug shell sufficient to elongate it. In the method, an electrically conductive push-rod is utilized which simultaneously conducts a substantial current of electricity through the plug shell while pushing against the closed end thereof.

Abstract: A pellet collating system includes a tray positioning station located adjacent a pellet collating line with a tray transfer robot located therebetween. The tray positioning station has mobile carts lodged thereat, some supporting pellet supply trays and others supporting pellet storage trays. Pellets on one supply tray and later placed on one storage tray are of the same enrichment. Pellet enrichments on some trays are different from on others. The collating line includes pellet input, work and output stations arranged in tandem. The robot is operable to transfer supply and storage trays one at a time to and from the positioning station and the respective input and output stations. An input sweep head is operable for sweeping pellets onto the work station from a supply tray on the input station. A gripping and measuring head is operable for measuring a desired length of pellets on the work station and then separating the measured desired length of pellets from the remaining pellets, if any.

Abstract: An apparatus for aligning nuclear fuel pellets includes an endless belt for advancing nuclear fuel pellets along a generally linear path in a direction generally coincident with their axes and a stopper element disposed in the linear path for stopping advancement of the pellets therealong for assembling pellets in a row. A detector device senses when advancement of a prescribed number of the pellets in a row have been stopped by the stopper element. A feed mechanism is operable for successively feeding pellet holding trays one at a time to a pellet receiving position along the linear path. A panel defines an inclined path extending from the linear path downward to the one tray disposed at the receiving position. An ejector mechanism disposed along the linear path is responsive to the detector device for pushing the assembled row of pellets sidewise from the linear path along the inclined path of the panel to a groove defined in the one tray.

Abstract: A modified inspection apparatus for inspecting nuclear fuel pellets for surface defects includes a pellet guide chute assembly extending through an ultrasonic inspection chamber. The guide chute assembly has a support substrate and a pair of elongated plates attached on respective upper adjacent sides of the substrate. The substrate is composed of a pair of elongated wall sections rigidly attached together to have a V-shaped configuration in cross section. The plates are adjustably attached on the substrate wall sections for supporting a nuclear fuel pellet between and on adjacent longitudinal portions of the plates located in the inspection chamber.

Abstract: An improved closure for covering and sealing a radioactive waste cask of the type having an opening circumscribed by a ledge is disclosed herein. The closure generally comprises an inner lid having an outer edge circumscribed by a gasket which is seatable over the ledge which circumscribes the opening, and an outer lid which is securable around the cask opening by either a screw-type or a breech-lock mechanism. In either case, the outer lid may be rotated into locking engagement with the container without imparting rotational forces to the gasket of the inner lid, thereby protecting the gasket from unnecessary rubbing forces. If the breech-lock mechanism is used, inner and outer lids may be rotatably connected to one another by a minimum of three suspension pin assemblies equidistantly spaced around the edges of both.

Abstract: A support pin system (10) for fastening nuclear reactor guide tube flanges (14) to a nuclear reactor upper core plate (12) includes a support pin (16) having a lower portion (20) frictionally disposed within the upper core plate (12), while an upper section (24) is disposed within a through-bore (22) of the guide tube flange (14). The support pin (16) includes a threaded region (30) upon which is threadedly mounted a nut (32). In order to prevent retrograde rotation of the nut (32) relative to the support pin (16), a locking cap (46) is mounted upon the nut (32) and support pin (16) such that first crimped sections (48) are engaged within apertures (44) defined within the nut (32), while second crimped sections (54) are engaged within longitudinal grooves (50) defined upon the external surface of the support pin (16).

Abstract: A remotely controlled tooling apparatus is disclosed for supporting and selectively disposing a tool with respect to a workpiece illustratively taking the form of a core barrel of a nuclear reactor. Illustratively, a core barrel is of a substantially cylindrical configuration and has a plurality of flow holes disposed therethrough. The remotely controlled apparatus comprises a tool carriage, a support table carried thereby for receiving the tool, a strongback assembly for supporting and guiding the tool carriage with respect to the core barrel, and a pair of clamps affixed to the strongback assembly for engaging the core barrel for suspending the strongback assembly upon the core barrel. The tool carriage and its support table carried thereby are selectively disposed with respect to the core barrel, whereby the tool may be engaged and disengaged with and from the core barrel.

Abstract: A nozzle dam for providing a fluid-tight seal across a primary fluid nozzle in the plenum of a nuclear steam generating vessel includes two fluid-impermeable seals, each comprising a circular three-section foldable seal plate covered with a flexible diaphragm and circumferentially encompassed by an inflatable seal member disposable in frictional sealing engagement with the inner surface of the nozzle. The center sections of the two seals are interconnected by tubular coupling means. The diaphragms are disposed on the high pressure sides of the seal plates, and the sections of each seal plate are hinged on the high pressure side. The center section of each seal plate carries two pairs of support tabs attached to the low pressure side thereof and respectively projecting from opposite ends thereof in cantilever fashion for supported engagement with a frustoconical portion of the inner surface of the nozzle.

Abstract: A cutting tool is manually operable from above the water level in a reactor cavity pool to sever locking cups from the socket-head cap screws which hold guide tubes to the upper support plate of the upper internals of the reactor. The tool includes a support assembly adapted to be mounted on the guide tube. A motor frame is mounted on the support assembly for limited vertical movement with respect thereto and carries a hydraulic motor coupled by a vertically depending shaft to a tubular cutter for rotating same about its axis. The shaft extends through an opening in the support assembly and through a locating tube which surrounds the cutter and is receivable over the associated locking cup when the support assembly is mounted in place. A drive screw is coupled to the frame and to a shaft which extends up to the coupling tube to a manually operable crank to effect vertical movement of the frame and the cutting means coaxially with respect to the locking cup to sever its top wall from its side wall.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for under water remote replacement of the screws which secure together first and second structures in the internal region of a nuclear reactor core, wherein the screws are received and counterbored screw bores in the first structure. First, one or more lateral recesses are machined in the side wall of the counterbore portion. Then an external hex head screw with a shoulder flange is inserted in the screw bore and is threadedly engaged with the second structure with the flange seated in the counterbore portion. A locking cup with a central hex opening is fitted over the hex head of the bolt in the counterbore portion. Then a bifurcated die is seated against the first structure with die fingers extending into the cup, and a drive member is driven through the die coaxially with the screw to move the die fingers against the side wall to deform it into the recesses, thereby locking the assembly in place.

Abstract: A system for removing debris from a nuclear fuel assembly includes a work platform disposable on the fuel assembly racks in a spent fuel pol. A support stand is mounted on the work platform and has a sliding support plate movable between a support position engageable with the lower end of the fuel assembly, and a retracted position permitting lowering of the fuel assembly through an opening in the work platform into one of the racks. A tool manipulation assembly is disposable on the platform and includes a rotatable turret-type tool mount carrying four different cleaning tools, including a pick, a brush, a water lance and a water-actuated tweezers. The tool manipulating assembly includes drive means for effecting X-Y-Z movement of the tool mount for working on the fuel assembly. Each tool is resiliently mounted in a tool holder which yields if the tool engages the fuel assembly in a given direction with a predetermined force, generating an alarm signal to prevent damage to the tool assembly.

Abstract: A brazing apparatus and process which utilizes a dual function heating and eddy current probe coil is disclosed herein. The apparatus generally includes a radiant heater assembly having a coil which is capable of both generating radiant heat to effect a braze joint between a reinforcing sleeve and a surrounding tube, as well as serving as an eddy current probe which locates the sections of this sleeve to which the brazing heat should be applied to effect the desired joint. A switching means selectively connects the coil to either a relatively high, heat-generating current, or to the aforementioned alternating current which induces eddy currents within the metal forming the reinforcing sleeve. The apparatus further includes eddy current detection circuitry for monitoring changes in the coil impedance which result from these eddy currents while the coil is slid along the longitudinal axis X of the reinforcing sleeve.

Abstract: A pump is disclosed for pumping a volatile fluid having a given vapor pressure. The pump of this invention comprises a pump housing comprising an inlet for introducing the liquid at a relatively low static pressure level into the pump housing and an outlet for discharging the liquid from the pump housing at a relatively high static pressure level. A fluid path extends from the inlet to the outlet. A booster stage impeller is rotatively mounted for drawing the fluid through the inlet and for pumping the fluid along the fluid path with an increased kinetic pressure. A diffuser is affixedly disposed within the pump housing to intercept the fluid directed along the fluid path by the booster stage impeller for converting the kinetic pressure imparted to the fluid into increased static pressure.

Abstract: A sludge lancing method comprises providing a lancing nozzle and a barrier nozzle for respectively emitting cleaning and barrier streams of fluid along two channels between columns of heat exchange tubes in a nuclear steam generator vessel, the two channels being spaced apart by at least two columns of tubes. The barrier stream prevents dislodged sludge from being moved laterally past it into previously cleaned areas. The streams may be rotated between the center and the periphery of the tube sheet. The barrier nozzle comprises three jets angularly disposed with respect to one another for increased coverage of the barrier channel.