Abstract: A pneumatic driver is disclosed. The pneumatic driver includes a frame and a shaft movable between an extended driving position and a retracted position relative to the frame. A first inflatable air bladder is supported by the frame. The first inflatable air bladder is operatively connected to the shaft so that when the first air bladder is inflated, the shaft is moved into an extended driving position. A second inflatable air bladder is supported by the frame and operatively connected to the shaft. When the second air bladder is inflated, the shaft is moved to a retracted position. A valve manifold operatively connects first and second air bladders for controlling inflation and deflation of the air bladders. The frame includes longitudinal guide rods and transverse frame members fixed to the guide rods. A shaft support member having the shaft mounted thereto is slidably mounted on the guiderods. Support rods are mounted to the shaft support member by bolts received in orifices to provide a clearance fit.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel pellet unloading apparatus includes a boat clamping and inverting mechanism which receives a boat loaded with pellets, clamps the boat and pivots it along an arcuate path adjacent a pellet transfer shroud from an initial upright position to a generally inverted position and then back to the upright position. As the loaded boat is pivoted, it progressively inverts next to an arcuate wall portion of the shroud which coacts to contain individual pellets as they begin to empty from the boat. The emptied pellets flow down the shroud to the next station. By the time the boat reaches its inverted position all of the pellets have emptied from the boat. The unloading apparatus also includes a pair of pneumatic cylinders which are selectively actuated for respectively delivering a loaded boat from a boat conveyor to the inverting mechanism and ejecting an empty boat from the inverting mechanism back to the boat conveyor.

Abstract: A system for loading nuclear fuel pellets into a sintering boat from a pellet press which discharges newly-made pellets. The loading system includes apparatus for receiving the pellets from the press and inserting them into an upward vertically positioned channel, a horizontally positioned rotatable drum with at least one longitudinally aligned circumferential channel, previously mentioned, for holding a row of pellets, a drum rotating mechanism, a device for pushing the pellets out of a below-horizontally positioned channel, an incline to receive the pushed out pellets, a sintering boat/incline positioner to allow the pellets to leave the incline adjacent the position in the sintering boat of the next-to-be-stacked pellet row, and a controller to coordinate system component operation.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel assembly storage rack having a swivel base consisting of a plurality of plates with a hard ball centered and captured between the plates. The bottom base plate is fixed to the bottom of the storage rack and the top base plate has pins for locating the bottom nozzle of the fuel assembly. Since the top of the fuel assembly is clamped in the storage rack, the swivel base allows the fuel assembly to seek a position that minimizes torsional and bending stresses in the fuel assembly.