Patents Assigned to Combustion Engineering
  • Patent number: 4081650
    Abstract: An apparatus for automatically seal welding a tube to the inside surface of a header. A mandrel concentrically supports the apparatus from the tube to be welded and carries a rotating support which in turn carries a welding torch. Electric motors for rotating and oscillating the torch are located with their axis parallel to that of the mandrel. Weld spatter shields protect the interior of the tube and also the various drive mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: John Joseph Barger, Milton Lee Blevins, Dennis Edward Savor
  • Patent number: 4080905
    Abstract: A shipping and handling fixture for a large load such as a steam generator or a reactor vessel. The fixture includes an elongate skid that may be integrated with wheeled sections at opposite ends thereof to form a Schnabel-type railway car or over-the-road vehicle that supports the vessel during shipment and facilitates its handling. In addition, a unique rocker arm and lifting link at opposite ends thereof cooperate to provide an arrangement for upending the vessel to permit ease of installation and assembly after it has arrived at its destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: John P. Cook
  • Patent number: 4080251
    Abstract: A control system and method for a nuclear steam supply system for calculating the appropriate operating limits of the system based on the system's design limits. The control system monitors the appropriate parameters of the nuclear steam supply system, modifies one of the parameters, and calculates the desired operating limit on the basis of the unmodified and modified parameters. The parameter selected to be modified is adjusted in such a way as to account for the possible occurrence of all anticipated operational occurrences. The degree of adjustment encompasses the factors of the possibility of the occurrence of a worst case accident; axial power distribution; and the delay times of the protection system which include sensing, calculating, and activation time delays. The operating limit thus generated includes a margin which allows sufficient time for the termination of operation or for control of the system such that the design limits are not violated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1973
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Ronald Musick
  • Patent number: 4078967
    Abstract: An apparatus for preventing "floating" of nuclear-reactor fuel assemblies due to hydraulic forces is disclosed. The apparatus uses a holddown column made of the same material as the core barrel. The column is positioned in a center guide-tube location in the fuel assembly in such a manner as to enable it either to slide within the center guide tube or, if the center guide tube is replaced by the column, to slide through openings in the spacer grids. The lower end of the holddown column engages the lower end fitting of the fuel assembly, and the upper end of the column engages a flow plate to which holddown force is applied. As a consequence of this arrangement, holddown force is transmitted from the flow plate through the holddown column to the lower end fitting. Movement of the fuel assembly is thereby prevented without a compression load being applied to the fuel-assembly structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew James Anthony
  • Patent number: 4075102
    Abstract: A bed of granular media is supported in a vessel to process liquid flowed in through both the upper and lower faces of the bed and out of the bed at a location intermediate the upper and lower faces. A drain structure for the processed liquid is mounted at the location intermediate the two bed faces with the capacity to withdraw the quantity of liquid flowing into both of the bed faces. A closed circuit is provided to transfer residual material in the drain structure back to the inlet system of the bed after backwash of the bed. A holding vessel is connected to the vessel in which the media bed is supported to temporarily receive the media for service periods of the bed vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Robert Ferrin
  • Patent number: 4074708
    Abstract: Apparatus for rapidly superheating steam flowing to a turbine, so that the unit can be quickly put back in operation after a short shutdown; i.e., a hot restart. The apparatus includes a unique burner for burning hydrogen and oxygen directly in the steam lines to the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank William Hochmuth
  • Patent number: 4075059
    Abstract: A method of operating a nuclear power reactor is disclosed which enables an accelerated power reduction of the reactor without completely shutting the reactor down. The method includes monitoring the incidents which, upon their occurrence, would require an accelerated power reduction in order to maintain the reactor in a safe operation mode; calculating the power reduction required on the occurrence of such an incident; determining a control rod insertion sequence for the normal operation of the reactor, said sequence being chosen to optimize reactor power capability; selecting the number of control rods necessary to respond to the accelerated power reduction demand, said selection being made according to a priority determined by said control rod insertion sequence; and inserting said selected control rods into the reactor core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen James Bruno, Stephen Alfred Dunn, Marvin Raber
  • Patent number: 4075058
    Abstract: An articulated fuel assembly for the core of a fast spectrum reactor comprising an elongated shroud enclosing a cluster of fuel pins, a support foot assembly supporting the fuel assembly in the reactor core and an articulating connector link joining the support foot assembly and the lower end of the elongated shroud. The upper end of the elongated shroud and the support foot assembly are adapted to be fixedly restrained against lateral movement when the assembly is placed in the reactor core. The articulating connector link is such as to permit free lateral deflection of the lower end of the shroud relative to the upper end of the shroud and the foot assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Croissant Noyes
  • Patent number: 4074814
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for controlling the movement of a surface traversing apparatus across a member which has an ordered array of openings in it's surface. Move control routines are provided, each of which instruct the traversing apparatus to move incrementally over the surface of the member by disengaging, incrementally moving, and re-engaging one of two stepping arms. Each routine operates to advance the apparatus an increment in one of a number of directions. Some of the routines move the apparatus parallel to lines or rows of openings. Others move the apparatus diagonally. Each routine senses the relative positioning of the two stepping arms to establish the sequence of operations and returns the stepping arm to its former position if it is unable to complete a step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: David Eugene Cooper, Leon Clyde Hendee, III, Walter Guy Hill, Jr., Adam Leshem, Martin Lewis Marugg
  • Patent number: 4073684
    Abstract: The control element assembly in a nuclear reactor is connected to its extension shaft by spring collet structure whose sections are locked to the extension shaft by a plunger actuated by a spring which is also a part of the buffer mechanism of the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Martin D. Cepkauskas
  • Patent number: 4073734
    Abstract: A single, horizontally extended cylinder receives in one end a mixture of produced fluids from an oil well. Baffles within the shell control the liquids of the production during pitch and roll to prevent agitation of the separating liquids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Neely E. Lowrie
  • Patent number: 4071639
    Abstract: A removable temporary coating material for providing scratch protection particularly for nuclear components is disclosed. The coating contains a methacrylic or acrylic/methacrylic polymer in a water vehicle. Selected surfactants, lubricants and reactive solubilizing agents are also included to provide the desired lubrication and scratch resistance and to provide a coating which is readily removed so as to leave no deleterious residue. Techniques for removing and recovering the coating are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: David Nelson Palmer, Stanley Heikoff
  • Patent number: 4071818
    Abstract: The position of a movable member is measured without the establishment of physical contact with such member. A magnetic field generator, which provides a localized field of special geometry, is mounted on the movable member and an elongated ferromagnetic member is positioned adjacent and parallel to the path of movement of the member. The magnetic field will produce a change in the Young's modulus of elasticity in an adjacent region of the ferromagnetic member and sonic strain pulses launched along the ferromagnetic member will be partly reflected from this region of Young's modulus discontinuity. The time required for a strain pulse to travel from a given point on the ferromagnetic member to the region of Young's modulus discontinuity and be partially reflected therefrom and returned to a known detection point will provide a measure of the position of the field generator along the elongated ferromagnetic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Raymond J. Krisst
  • Patent number: 4069573
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for securing a repair sleeve within a tubular fluid conveying conduit. The sleeve is positioned within the tube so that it extends coextensive with a region of degraded tube wall and partially beyond the axial extremes of the degraded area. A radially outwardly directed force is then applied toa the tubular sleeve from within along a portion of the sleeve at each end, extending beyond the degraded area. The force is sufficient to cause outward plastic deformation of both the sleeve and the tube resulting in an interference mechanical joint therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: George Dominic Rogers, Jr., John Merle West
  • Patent number: 4070221
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for making a ring for sealing the opening between a reactor vessel and the wall of the cavity in which it sits. The method permits forming the sealing ring in segments at an off-site location, thereby eliminating the transportation problems encountered with an integral sealing ring. According to the method, seals and coatings can be applied to the individual segments before the segments are shipped, and the seals and coatings are completed when the sealing ring has been assembled at the site. This allows a segmented ring to be provided without high on-site fabrication costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew James Anthony
  • Patent number: 4069766
    Abstract: A nuclear fuel transfer machine for transferring fuel assemblies through the fuel transfer tube of a nuclear power generating plant containment structure. A conventional reversible drive cable is attached to the fuel transfer carriage to drive it horizontally through the tube. A shuttle carrying a sheave at each end is arranged in parallel with the carriage to also travel into the tube. The cable cooperating with the sheaves permit driving a relatively short fuel transfer carriage a large distance without manually installing sheaves or drive apparatus in the tunnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Irving Bernstein
  • Patent number: 4070239
    Abstract: A pressurized nuclear reactor having an instrument assembly sheathed in a metallic tube which is extended vertically upward into the reactor core by traversing a metallic guide tube which is welded to the wall of the vessel. Sensors in each instrument assembly are connected to instruments outside the vessel to manifest the conditions within the core. Each instrument assembly probe is moved into position within a metallic guide channel. The guide channel penetrates the wall of the vessel and forms part of the barrier to the environment within the pressure vessel. Each channel includes a ball check valve which is opened by the instrument assembly probe when the probe passes through the valve. A ball valve element is moved from its seat by the probe to a position lateral of the bore of the channel and is guided to its seat along a sloped path within the valve body when the probe is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Bevilacqua
  • Patent number: 4069024
    Abstract: A two-stage coal gasification system in which high temperature synthesis gas produced in a downflowing gasifier containing a high quantity of sensible heat is subsequently reacted in a pyrolyzing reactor with a charge of carbonaceous material and limestone at a reduced temperature to utilize the sensible heat contained in the gas and simultaneously produce an increase in the hydrocarbon content thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: John Henry Fernandes
  • Patent number: 4069083
    Abstract: A bonding material is disclosed which is stable at high temperature and radiation levels, which may be conductive and which is particularly suited as a couplant to ultrasonically and electrically couple an ultrasonic or acoustic transducer to a surface. The material comprises a carborane polysiloxane adhesive, a vehicle-solvent which will evaporate such that the bonding material cures by vehicle-solvent release, and a wetting agent. The material may also contain conductive materials which are suitable for the conditions of intended use and may also be enriched in B.sup.11 to avoid the adverse effects of B.sup.10 when subjected to radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1978
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: David Nelson Palmer
  • Patent number: 4064001
    Abstract: A system is provided for the relief of excess pressure from the hot leg of a nuclear reactor to the cold leg on the occurrence of a loss of coolant accident. This system includes a conduit connecting the hot leg with the cold leg. The conduit further includes a check valve which is operated on the basis of differential pressure so that during normal operation the valve is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1977
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Joseph Duncan