Patents Assigned to Hitachi - GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
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Publication number: 20140331771Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic measurement system that even without additional means for temperature measurement, compensates for a change in a sound speed of an ultrasonic wave in a section whose thickness is to be measured, and assesses a wall thinning state of this section by highly accurate measurement of the thickness. An ultrasonic transducer 101 includes a piezoelectric element 108. A high-temperature MI cable 102 contains strands 110A, 110B connected to the ultrasonic transducer 101, and further includes a metallic sheath 112. A temperature sensor is contained in the high-temperature MI cable 102, and includes a thermocouple section 114 to which the strands 110A, 110B are connected at one end of each strand. An ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 117 makes the ultrasonic transducer to transmit ultrasonic waves and to receive the waves reflected from the object whose thickness is to be measured.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2013Publication date: November 13, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Atsushi BABA, Yoshinori MUSHA, Atsushi FUSHIMI
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Patent number: 8842795Abstract: A control rod grasped by a hook of a grasping equipment is moved down and is positioned at an upper end of a hollow piston of a control rod drive mechanism (CRD) in a state that the control rod is fully withdrawn from a core. Furthermore, the hook is inserted into an opening of a handle of the control rod. The hook is lifted up so as to make contact with the handle. The control rod grasped by the grasping equipment is rotated by a grasping equipment rotation apparatus. A state that gaps formed between joint convexities in a coupling socket of the control rod are positioned right above coupling spud convexities of the hollow piston occurs. At this time, the control rod falls by its own weight and the coupling spud convexities pass through the gaps. A grasping equipment movement apparatus suppresses the falling speed of the control rod. The control rod is rotated at 90° and the control rod and CRD are connected.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2010Date of Patent: September 23, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Hirokazu Akatsuka, Toshihiro Kodama
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Patent number: 8842797Abstract: A gamma scanning apparatus includes a moving and fixing mechanism which moves/fixes a housing to a definite position, and a rotating and moving mechanism which moves a fuel assembly vertically in addition to rotating the assembly. A gamma-ray counting circuit measures an output of a gamma-ray detector, and a data collecting/analyzing and controlling apparatus analyzes data output from the gamma-ray counting circuit, in association with data relating to the rotation and movement of the fuel assembly by the rotating and moving mechanism. The rotating and moving mechanism, after fixing the vertical position of the fuel assembly with the housing also fixed, rotates the fuel assembly through 360° with its height kept constant, and during the 360° rotation of the fuel assembly, the gamma-ray counting circuit measures either a time average of count values of the detector during the rotation or an integral value within a fixed time.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2011Date of Patent: September 23, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Tadokoro, Hiroshi Kitaguchi, Katsunori Ueno, Yutaka Iwata, Ryusuke Kimura
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Publication number: 20140254738Abstract: The present invention is directed to remote operation of an operation valve such as an air operated valve even at the time of power loss. A gas supply apparatus of the present invention includes: an operation valve mounted in some midpoint of a piping for passing at least gas in a plant and operating a valve body by the gas flowing in the piping; an solenoid valve mounted in some midpoint of the piping and allowing/stopping flow of the gas to the operation valve; and a gas supply source for supplying gas to the solenoid valve. A switching valve for switching between exhaust from the solenoid valve and gas supply to the solenoid valve is mounted in an exhaust line of the solenoid valve and, at the time of power loss, the switching valve is switched to connection to the gas supply source for supplying gas to the solenoid valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2014Publication date: September 11, 2014Applicant: HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY, LTD.Inventors: Ryo KUBOTA, Kenji ONODERA, Yoshihisa KIYOTOKI
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Patent number: 8820163Abstract: A nondestructive inspection apparatus includes a pair of guided wave sensors disposed on an outer surface of a piping and a guided wave inspection device connected to the pair of guided wave sensors which, outputs a transmitting signal for propagating a guided wave to the guided wave sensors, and obtains a receiving signal by receiving a propagated signal by the guided wave sensors. An inspection-result storage device stores the guided wave as a digitized signal of the received wave and an inspection-result diagnostic device performs arithmetic processing of judging whether or not a signal associated with a defect exists.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2011Date of Patent: September 2, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Masahiro Miki, Yoshiaki Nagashima, Masao Endou, Kojiro Kodaira, Mitsuru Odakura
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Patent number: 8821973Abstract: Both ends of a circulation pipe of a film formation apparatus are connected to a piping of a BWR plant. A chemical including chromium ions and formic acid is injected into a film formation solution flowing in the circulation pipe heated to a temperature within a range from 60° C. to 100° C. Furthermore, a chemical including iron (II) ions and formic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and hydrazine are injected into the circulation pipe. Due to the injection of these chemicals, a film formation solution of pH 7.0 including iron (II) ions, chromium ions, formic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and hydrazine is generated in the circulation pipe. This film formation solution includes hydrazine of, for example, 1000 ppm. The film formation solution is supplied to the piping, thus, a Fe3—xCrxO4 film (here, 0<X?0.1) is formed on the inner surface of the piping. The above method of forming the ferrite film on a structural member (for example, the piping) can be shortened time required to form the ferrite film.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2011Date of Patent: September 2, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Tsuyoshi Ito, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Yukio Hirama, Makoto Nagase
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Publication number: 20140233689Abstract: In a water jet peening apparatus, a high-pressure under-water pump is installed on an upper end of a casing and an injection nozzle drive mechanism equipped with an injection nozzle is attached to the casing. A high-pressure hose whose one end is connected to the high-pressure under-water pump is disposed in the casing and the other end of the high-pressure hose is connected to the injection nozzle. The casing is seated at an upper end of a control rod drive mechanism housing and the high-pressure under-water pump is driven. The high-pressure water pressurized by the high-pressure under-water pump is supplied to the injection nozzle through the high-pressure hose in the casing and is jetted toward the weld portion between the control rod drive mechanism housing and a stub tube. The time required for a water jet peening operation can be shortened.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Noboru SAITO, Hisamitsu HATOU, Koichi KUROSAWA, Fujio YOSHIKUBO, Ren MORINAKA, Ryuji KIMURA
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Publication number: 20140230585Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a gap expanding method of a ball screw for preventing an increase in torque relative to an electric motor due to a protruding bulge caused by generation of a scar on the traveling side of the screw shaft of the ball screw, and to provide a control rod drive mechanism incorporating the gap expanded ball screw. In a ball screw disposed in a control rod drive mechanism, the ball screw has a screw shaft and a ball nut engaged with the screw shaft via travelling balls, and the balls are each configured to have a diameter smaller than that of the existing ball, thereby expanding a gap between a ball traveling side of the screw shaft and the ball and a gap between the ball and a ball traveling side of the ball nut.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Yuuichi MATSUSHITA, Toshihiro KODAMA, Kiyoshi HARADA, Hirokazu Akatsuka, Takahiro TSUCHIYA
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Publication number: 20140229020Abstract: Higher-order vibration is controlled in an event that an impact load such as an aircraft impact is applied to a nuclear plant. A higher-order vibration control device 1 is installed in a nuclear plant having a reactor containment vessel and a nuclear reactor building 3. The higher-order vibration control device 1 includes an impactor 1a, a housing 1b which receives the reaction force of the impactor 1a, and a locking mechanism 2. The impactor 1a is installed on a floor 31 of the nuclear plant so as to roll in a horizontal direction with respect to the floor 31. The housing 1b encloses the impactor 1a and guides rolling of the impactor 1a. The locking mechanism 2 restrains rolling of the impactor 1a. In the event that a flying object may possibly impact the nuclear plant, the locking of the locking mechanism 2 is released.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2014Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Ayumu MIYAJIMA, Hirokuni ISHIGAKI, Shohei ONITSUKA, Hidenori TANAKA
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Publication number: 20140210988Abstract: In order to obtain a quality image without deterioration owing to radiation noise in inspection using the optical video camera in high radiation environment, an inspection apparatus is formed of an image pick-up unit, an image obtaining unit which fetches a video image that contains a signal (noise) that is substantially independent of each frame obtained by the image pick-up unit, a local alignment unit which locally aligns frames with different time phases for forming the image fetched by the image obtaining unit, a frame synthesizing unit which synthesizes the plurality of frames aligned by the local alignment unit for generating a synthesis frame with an SN ratio higher than the SN ratio of the frame before frame synthesis, and an image output unit for displaying or recording the image formed of the synthesis frame generated by the frame synthesizing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 27, 2014Publication date: July 31, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji NAKAHIRA, Atsushi MIYAMOTO, Naoki HOSOYA, Minoru YOSHIDA
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Patent number: 8774342Abstract: In the boiling water nuclear plant of the present invention, a steam dryer is disposed in a reactor pressure vessel. Materials that have capability of capturing nitrogen compounds containing N-16 are supported on porous member. The porous members are placed in a region where steam goes through in the steam dryer. For example, both or either of perforated plates installed in the steam dryer is constituted of the porous member on which N-16 capture material is supported. When steam containing N-16 goes through the perforated plates, the N-16 is captured by the porous member, whereby the N-16 transfer amount into the turbine system is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2011Date of Patent: July 8, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Yuko Hino, Kazushige Ishida, Naoshi Usui
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Publication number: 20140178282Abstract: Granular crystalline silicotitanate (CST) is supplied from an adsorbent raw material supply apparatus into a caustic treatment apparatus. A sodium hydroxide solution of 1 Mol/L in a caustic agent supply apparatus is supplied into the caustic treatment apparatus with the granular CST supplied. After a predetermined quantity of the sodium hydroxide solution is supplied to the caustic treatment apparatus, the supply of the sodium hydroxide solution to the caustic treatment apparatus is stopped. The granular CST is left to stand for 0.5 hour in the state that it is immersed in the sodium hydroxide solution in the caustic treatment apparatus and is subjected to the caustic treatment. After that, the granular CST subjected to the caustic treatment is cleaned by cleaning water in a cleaning water supply apparatus. The respective adsorptive performances of cesium and strontium of the granular CST subjected to the caustic treatment are improved more.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2013Publication date: June 26, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Yuko KANI, Takashi ASANO
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Patent number: 8761331Abstract: A control rod for a boiling water reactor is provided with a structure element having mutually-perpendicular four blades. The four blades have a neutron absorber-filling region that neutron absorber is held, respectively. In the structure element, a plurality of regions formed in an axial direction of the control rod include a first region having a first cross-section that forms a first united cruciform cross-section of the four blades connected one another, a second region having a second cross-section that has each separated cross-section of the four blades, and a third region having a third cross-section that has a second united cross-section of continuous two blades of the four blades, disposed in a diametrically opposite direction and facing each other and each separated cross-section of remaining two blades of the four blades, disposed perpendicularly to the continuous two blades.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2010Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Norio Kawashima, Hirofumi Oizumi, Satoru Aoike
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Patent number: 8750449Abstract: The present invention allows to inhibit antiplane deformation of steel plates due to the back pressure generated by water content of the concrete, and allows observation of the concrete during a service period. In a steel concrete structure including an inner steel plate exposed to a high temperature environment, an outer steel plate, studs and concrete, a steam discharging pipe and a pipe opening are provided. The steam discharging pipe includes small openings. Water content inside the concrete evaporates in a state the temperature of the concrete reaches approximately 100° C., becomes steam, is concentrated in the vicinity of the rear surface of the steel plate, and is discharged to the outside of a containment vessel from the small openings through the steam discharging pipe.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2011Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Shintaro Narita, Masaaki Osaka
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Publication number: 20140140465Abstract: An aqueous solution of alkali hexahydroxo platinate is produced. As a alkali hexahydroxo platinate, sodium hexahydroxoplatinate or potassium hexahydroxoplatinate is used. The aqueous solution of alkali hexahydroxo platinate is passed through a hydrogen form cation exchange resin layer in a cation exchange resin tower. The aqueous solution of alkali hexahydroxo platinate makes contact with the hydrogen form cation exchange resin of the hydrogen form cation exchange resin layer, thus a suspension of hexahydroxo platinic is generated. If gamma rays are irradiated to the suspension, a platinum oxide colloidal solution in which colloidal particles including a platinum dioxide, a platinum monoxide, and a platinum hydroxide exist is generated. In a platinum oxide colloidal solution, the content of impurities is little and a noble metal compound is dispersed stably in water.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 19, 2013Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd.Inventors: Kazushige ISHIDA, Masahiko TACHIBANA, Yoichi WADA, Nobuyuki OTA
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Patent number: 8730318Abstract: In order to obtain a quality image without deterioration owing to radiation noise in inspection using the optical video camera in high radiation environment, an inspection apparatus is formed of an image pick-up unit, an image obtaining unit which fetches a video image that contains a signal (noise) that is substantially independent of each frame obtained by the image pick-up unit, a local alignment unit which locally aligns frames with different time phases for forming the image fetched by the image obtaining unit, a frame synthesizing unit which synthesizes the plurality of frames aligned by the local alignment unit for generating a synthesis frame with an SN ratio higher than the SN ratio of the frame before frame synthesis, and an image output unit for displaying or recording the image formed of the synthesis frame generated by the frame synthesizing unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2011Date of Patent: May 20, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto, Naoki Hosoya, Minoru Yoshida
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Patent number: 8712003Abstract: A jet pump has a plurality of nozzles installed to a nozzle base, a throat and a diffuser. A first nozzle straight-tube portion, a first nozzle narrowing portion, a second nozzle straight-tube portion, a second nozzle narrowing portion, and a nozzle lower end portion formed in those nozzles are disposed in this order from the nozzle base to a ejection outlet. A narrowing angle of the second nozzle narrowing portion is larger than of the first nozzle narrowing portion. The jet pump forms, in a lower end portion of the throat, a flow passage narrowing portion having a flow passage cross-sectional area that gradually diminishes. This flow passage narrowing portion is inserted into an upper end portion of the diffuser.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2010Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Naoyuki Ishida, Hisamichi Inoue
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Publication number: 20140112426Abstract: The invention includes a heat exchanger provided at a position higher than a primary containment vessel; a condensate storage tank disposed below the heat exchanger and above an upper end of a reactor core placed in a reactor pressure vessel; a non-condensate gas discharge line connected to an upper section of the condensate storage tank and to a suppression pool; a second condensate discharge line connected to a position below that section of the condensate storage tank to which a first end of the non-condensate gas discharge line is connected, and to the suppression pool; and a condensate return line connected to a position below that section of the condensate storage tank to which a first end of the second condensate discharge line is connected, and to a side portion of the reactor pressure vessel, the side portion being above the upper end of the core.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2013Publication date: April 24, 2014Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Tomohiko IKEGAWA, Kazuaki KITO
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Patent number: 8701492Abstract: An ultrasonic measurement method and an ultrasonic measurement apparatus are capable of performing an inspection for a short time with a high SN ratio and a small variation An ultrasonic measurement method and an ultrasonic measurement apparatus are capable of performing an inspection for a short time with a high SN ratio and a small variation in sensitivity in a process for detecting a defect in all directions at 360 degrees using a matrix array sensor without performing mechanical scanning in all directions, while reducing noise that is caused by a bottom surface echo. An element selecting circuit selects a group of a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements for transmission from among ultrasonic transducer elements that constitute a two-dimensional array sensor so that the ultrasonic transducer elements for selected for transmission are arranged in line symmetry with respect to a first line symmetric axis to set the group selected for transmission.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2011Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Hirohisa Mizota, Naoyuki Kono, Atsushi Baba
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Patent number: 8687758Abstract: A access apparatus is set on instrumentation nozzles penetrating a bottom portion of a reactor pressure vessel, in the reactor pressure vessel filling water. The access apparatus has an arm turned, and a mounting fixture that can move along the arm and having a holding member. A cover apparatus having a guide pipe covers the access apparatus, and is installed on the bottom portion in underwater environment in the reactor pressure vessel. The water below the cover apparatus is drained from the reactor pressure vessel to form an air space below the cover apparatus. A variety of device heads is suspended and lowered in the air space through the guide pipe, and mounted to the holding member of the mounting fixture. Repair or preventive maintenance operation against the instrumentation nozzles is performed by the variety of device heads.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2010Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Shinya Ohmori, Koichi Kurosawa, Sadashi Ootomo
