JP6564723B2 - Test capsule, test piece reloading method and capsule container manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a test capsule that accommodates a test piece used for an evaluation test of a nuclear reactor, a method for reloading the test piece, and a method for producing a capsule container.

  Conventionally, a neutron instrumentation tube disposed in a nuclear reactor is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The neutron instrumentation tube contains a test piece therein. The test piece is deteriorated in mechanical properties when irradiated with neutrons. When a predetermined period elapses, the test piece is taken out from the reactor and subjected to various evaluation tests.

JP-A-5-333189

  As described above, the neutron instrumentation tube of Patent Document 1 is removed from the reactor, and various evaluation tests are performed using the test pieces irradiated with the neutrons contained therein. The integrity of the container is evaluated.

  By the way, the test capsule which accommodated the test piece like the neutron instrumentation tube of patent document 1 is normally arrange | positioned in a nuclear reactor at the time of the new installation of a plant. For this reason, the number of test capsules according to various prescribed tests is arranged based on the regulation standard at the time of newly establishing a plant. Here, the regulation standard (hereinafter referred to as the conventional regulation standard) when a plant is newly established becomes a new regulation standard by being revised. The new regulatory standards may add more test capsules to the tests specified in the conventional regulatory standards, and may increase the number of test capsules used. In this case, existing plants may run out of test capsules.

  Although it is conceivable to place a test capsule containing a new test piece in the reactor, it takes time for the new test piece to reach the irradiation amount of neutrons irradiated to the reactor vessel. Is required. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain an appropriate test piece in evaluating the soundness of the reactor vessel.

  For this reason, it is considered that a test piece that has already been irradiated with neutrons is accommodated in a test capsule and the test capsule is placed in a nuclear reactor. However, since the test piece irradiated with neutron is an irradiation material that emits radiation, it is necessary to accommodate the irradiation material in a test capsule by remote control, and handling is not easy. In addition, the test capsules after being stored are inspected by a test using an autoclave that simulates an actual machine environment. Here, since the test capsule stores the irradiation material and is not easy to handle, it is difficult to use a large pressure vessel for the autoclave used for inspection, and it is necessary to use a small pressure vessel. On the other hand, in an autoclave using a small pressure vessel, it is difficult to accommodate a test capsule having a size like that of the neutron instrumentation tube of Patent Document 1 inside the pressure vessel. Thus, since there are restrictions on the equipment and space used for handling the irradiation material, it is not easy to handle the test capsule containing the irradiation material.

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the test capsule which can be handled easily and can obtain a suitable test piece, the reloading method of a test piece, and the preparation method of a capsule container.

  The test capsule of the present invention is a test capsule that is inserted into a nuclear reactor and accommodates a test piece used for the evaluation test of the nuclear reactor, and is connected side by side along the insertion direction into the nuclear reactor. The capsule container includes a plurality of capsule containers, the capsule container includes a cylindrical casing, and a tray that is disposed in the casing so as to freely advance and retract. A container main body, a connection plug provided at one end of the container main body in the insertion direction, and a cover provided at the other end of the container main body in the insertion direction to which the connection plug of the other capsule container is connected. A connecting plug, wherein the casing is connected to the connecting plug and the connected plug, and the tray is connected to the connecting plug or the connected plug.

  According to this configuration, since a plurality of capsule containers can be connected along the insertion direction, the length of a single capsule container can be shortened by the amount of connection. For this reason, even when using, for example, an irradiation material irradiated with neutrons as a test piece, since it can be handled in capsule container units, Handling can be made easy.

  The test capsule of the present invention is characterized in that the casing has a welded portion that protrudes from the outer periphery and extends in the insertion direction.

  According to this configuration, the test piece can be handled more easily.

  In the test capsule of the present invention, a deforming member is disposed on at least a part of an outer periphery of the casing, and the connecting plug or the connected plug is formed with a pressure hole communicating with the inside of the container body. It is characterized by being.

  According to this configuration, the test piece can be handled more easily.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said test piece is an irradiation material which irradiates a neutron and radiates | emits a radiation.

  According to this configuration, an irradiation material irradiated with neutrons can be used as the test piece. For this reason, as a test piece, the test piece taken out from the nuclear reactor can be used, for example. The test piece taken out from the nuclear reactor is processed for reloading and then reloaded into the nuclear reactor.

  In addition, the connecting plug has a convex portion protruding in the insertion direction, and the connected plug has a concave portion that is recessed in the insertion direction and is fitted to the convex portion. It is preferable that a connection hole through which a connection pin is inserted is formed in the recess, and the connection pin is welded in a state of being inserted through the connection hole.

  According to this configuration, the connection plug of one capsule container and the connected plug of the other capsule container can be firmly connected by welding the connection pin. At this time, since the connecting pin only needs to be welded, the welded portion can be made a small region, and thus distortion due to welding can be made difficult to occur.

  The convex portion is formed with a convex contact surface that makes surface contact with the concave portion to be fitted, and the concave portion is formed with a concave contact surface that makes surface contact with the convex contact surface of the convex portion to be fitted. It is preferable that

  According to this configuration, since the convex portion and the concave portion are brought into surface contact and the connecting plug and the connected plug can be fitted together, the position of the connected plug with respect to the connecting plug can be appropriately regulated.

  In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of the test pieces are accommodated inside the container body.

  According to this structure, the heat from the outside can be suitably transmitted to the test piece through the container body by spreading the test piece. For this reason, since the heat conduction to the test piece can be improved, the heat given to the test piece and the heat given to the nuclear reactor outside the vessel body can be set to substantially the same conditions.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the connection plug or the plug to be connected is formed with a gas injection hole communicating with the inside of the container body.

  According to this configuration, the interior of the container body can be replaced with the replacement gas by supplying a replacement gas such as helium gas into the container body through the gas injection hole.

  Further, the stay member is formed to extend in the insertion direction into the nuclear reactor, and one end of the insertion direction is connected to the capsule container, and the other end of the stay member is connected and held during handling. It is preferable to further comprise a member.

  According to this configuration, the total length in the insertion direction of the test capsule can be adjusted by adjusting the length in the insertion direction of the stay member. Moreover, a holding member can be hold | maintained and a test piece can be handled.

  A test piece reloading method according to the present invention is a test piece reloading method in which the test piece is reloaded into the reactor using the test capsule, wherein the test piece is the reactor. A test piece processing step for performing processing for reloading the test piece taken out from the nuclear reactor, and the test piece after processing are used. A test piece storing step for storing in the capsule container, a test capsule manufacturing step in which a plurality of the capsule containers in which the test pieces are stored are connected in the insertion direction to form the test capsule, and the prepared test capsule And a test piece reloading step of reloading the test piece by loading the test piece into the nuclear reactor.

  According to this configuration, the test piece that has been irradiated with neutrons can be loaded by reloading the test piece that has been loaded inside the nuclear reactor. For this reason, a test piece irradiated with neutrons can be obtained, and a test piece suitable for a reactor evaluation test can be obtained.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a nuclear power plant. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressurized water reactor in which the test capsule of the first embodiment is provided. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the test capsule of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a three-side view of the capsule container of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the capsule container of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart relating to the test piece reloading method of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the capsule container of the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the capsule container of the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the capsule container of the fourth embodiment.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the constituent elements described below can be appropriately combined, and when there are a plurality of embodiments, the embodiments can be combined.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a nuclear power plant, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pressurized water reactor provided with a test capsule of the present embodiment.

  The nuclear power plant shown in FIG. 1 has a pressurized water reactor (PWR: Pressurized Water Reactor). In this nuclear power plant, in a reactor containment vessel 100, a reactor vessel 101 of a pressurized water reactor, a pressurizer 102, a steam generator 103 and a primary cooling water pump 104 are sequentially connected by a primary cooling water pipe 105, A circulation path of primary cooling water is configured.

  The reactor vessel 101 stores the fuel assembly 120 in a sealed state. The reactor vessel 101 includes a reactor vessel main body 101a and a reactor vessel lid 101b mounted on the upper portion thereof so that the fuel assembly 120 can be inserted and removed. It is configured. The reactor vessel main body 101a is provided with an inlet-side nozzle 101c and an outlet-side nozzle 101d for supplying and discharging light water as primary cooling water in the upper part. A primary cooling water pipe 105 is connected to the outlet side nozzle 101 d so as to communicate with the inlet side water chamber 103 a of the steam generator 103. The inlet side nozzle 101c is connected to the primary cooling water pipe 105 so as to communicate with the outlet side water chamber 103b of the steam generator 103.

  The steam generator 103 is provided with an inlet-side water chamber 103a and an outlet-side water chamber 103b partitioned by a partition plate 103c in a lower part formed in a hemispherical shape. The inlet side water chamber 103a and the outlet side water chamber 103b are separated from the upper side of the steam generator 103 by a tube plate 103d provided on the ceiling portion. On the upper side of the steam generator 103, an inverted U-shaped heat transfer tube 103e is provided. The end portion of the heat transfer tube 103e is supported by the tube plate 103d so as to connect the inlet side water chamber 103a and the outlet side water chamber 103b. The inlet-side water chamber 103a is connected to the inlet-side primary cooling water pipe 105, and the outlet-side water chamber 103b is connected to the outlet-side primary cooling water pipe 105. In addition, the steam generator 103 is connected to the upper side upper end partitioned by the tube plate 103d, the outlet side secondary cooling water pipe 106a, and the upper side part is connected to the inlet side secondary cooling water pipe 106b. Has been.

  Further, in the nuclear power plant, the steam generator 103 is connected to the steam turbine 107 via the secondary cooling water pipes 106a and 106b outside the reactor containment vessel 100, and the circulation path of the secondary cooling water is configured. .

  The steam turbine 107 includes a high-pressure turbine 108 and a low-pressure turbine 109, and a generator 110 is connected to the steam turbine 107. In addition, the high-pressure turbine 108 and the low-pressure turbine 109 are connected to a moisture separation heater 111 that is branched from the secondary cooling water pipe 106a. The low pressure turbine 109 is connected to the condenser 112. The condenser 112 is connected to the secondary cooling water pipe 106b. The secondary cooling water pipe 106b is connected to the steam generator 103 as described above, and reaches from the condenser 112 to the steam generator 103, and the condensate pump 113, the low-pressure feed water heater 114, the deaerator 115, and the main feed water pump. 116, and a high-pressure feed water heater 117 are provided.

  Therefore, in the nuclear power plant, the primary cooling water is heated in the reactor vessel 101 to become a high temperature and high pressure, and is pressurized by the pressurizer 102 to keep the pressure constant, and the steam is passed through the primary cooling water pipe 105. It is supplied to the generator 103. In the steam generator 103, heat exchange between the primary cooling water and the secondary cooling water is performed, whereby the secondary cooling water evaporates and becomes steam. The cooled primary cooling water after heat exchange is recovered to the primary cooling water pump 104 side via the primary cooling water pipe 105 and returned to the reactor vessel 101. On the other hand, the secondary cooling water converted into steam by heat exchange is supplied to the steam turbine 107. In connection with the steam turbine 107, the moisture separator / heater 111 removes moisture from the exhaust from the high-pressure turbine 108, further heats it to an overheated state, and then sends it to the low-pressure turbine 109. The steam turbine 107 is driven by the steam of the secondary cooling water, and the power is transmitted to the generator 110 to generate power. Steam used for driving the turbine is discharged to the condenser 112. The condenser 112 exchanges heat between the cooling water (for example, seawater) taken by the pump 112b through the intake pipe 112a and the steam discharged from the low-pressure turbine 109, and condenses the steam to produce a low-pressure saturated liquid. Return to. The cooling water used for heat exchange is discharged from the drain pipe 112c. Further, the condensed saturated liquid becomes secondary cooling water, and is sent out of the condenser 112 by the condensate pump 113 through the secondary cooling water pipe 106b. Further, the secondary cooling water passing through the secondary cooling water pipe 106b is heated by the low-pressure feed water heater 114, for example, by the low-pressure steam extracted from the low-pressure turbine 109, and dissolved oxygen and non-condensed gas (ammonia gas) in the deaerator 115. After the impurities such as) are removed, the water is fed by the main feed pump 116 and heated by the high-pressure steam extracted from the high-pressure turbine 108 by the high-pressure feed water heater 117 and then returned to the steam generator 103.

  In the pressurized water reactor of the nuclear power plant configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the reactor vessel 101 has a nuclear reactor in which a reactor internal structure including the fuel assembly 120 can be inserted. A reactor vessel lid 101b is fixed to the vessel body 101a by a plurality of stud bolts 121 and nuts 122 so as to be opened and closed.

  The reactor vessel main body 101a has a cylindrical shape in which the upper portion can be opened by removing the reactor vessel lid 101b and the lower portion is closed by a lower mirror 101e having a hemispherical shape. In the reactor vessel main body 101a, the upper core support plate 123 is fixed above the inlet side nozzle 101c and the outlet side nozzle 101d, while the lower core support is located near the lower mirror 101e. The plate 124 is fixed. The upper core support plate 123 and the lower core support plate 124 have a disc shape and are formed with a number of communication holes (not shown). The upper core support plate 123 is connected to an upper core plate 126 having a plurality of communication holes (not shown) formed below through a plurality of core support rods 125.

  In the reactor vessel main body 101a, a cylindrical reactor core 127 having a cylindrical shape is disposed with a predetermined gap from an inner wall surface. The reactor tank 127 is connected to an upper core plate 126 at an upper portion and a disk shape at a lower portion. The lower core plate 128 in which a large number of communication holes (not shown) are formed is connected. The lower core plate 128 is supported by the lower core support plate 124. That is, the core tank 127 is supported by the lower core support plate 124 of the reactor vessel main body 101a.

  A storage container 160 for storing a test capsule 1 described later is provided on the outer side of the core tank 127. The storage container 160 is provided at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the core tank 127. And the test capsule 1 accommodated in this storage container 160 will be located in the radial direction outer side from the reactor core 129 mentioned later, and will be located in the radial direction inner side from the reactor vessel main body 101a.

  A core 129 is formed by the upper core plate 126, the core tank 127, and the lower core plate 128. A large number of fuel assemblies 120 are disposed inside the core 129. Although not shown, the fuel assembly 120 is configured by bundling a large number of fuel rods in a lattice pattern with a support lattice, and an upper nozzle is fixed to the upper end portion and a lower nozzle is fixed to the lower end portion. The core 129 has a large number of control rods 130 disposed therein. The large number of control rods 130 are combined at the upper end portion into a control rod cluster 131 that can be inserted into the fuel assembly 120. A number of control rod cluster guide tubes 132 are fixed to the upper core support plate 123 so as to pass through the upper core support plate 123, and the lower end portion of each control rod cluster guide tube 132 is controlled in the fuel assembly 120. It extends to the bar cluster 131.

  A reactor vessel lid 101b constituting the reactor vessel 101 has a hemispherical upper portion and is provided with a control rod drive device 133 of a magnetic jack, and is housed in a housing 134 that is integrated with the reactor vessel lid 101b. Has been. The control rod cluster guide tube 132 has an upper end extending to the control rod drive device 133, and the control rod cluster drive shaft 135 extends from the control rod drive device 133. The control rod cluster 131 can be gripped by extending to the fuel assembly 120.

  The control rod drive device 133 extends in the vertical direction and is connected to the control rod cluster 131, and a control rod cluster drive shaft 135 having a plurality of circumferential grooves arranged on the surface thereof at equal pitches in the longitudinal direction. The power of the reactor is controlled by moving up and down with a magnetic jack.

  Such a pressurized water reactor controls the nuclear fission in the core 129 by moving the control rod cluster drive shaft 135 by the control rod drive device 133 and extracting the control rod 130 from the fuel assembly 120 by a predetermined amount. The light water filled in the reactor vessel 101 is heated by the generated thermal energy, and high-temperature light water is discharged from the outlet side nozzle 101d. That is, the nuclear fuel constituting the fuel assembly 120 is fissioned to release neutrons, and the light water as the moderator and the primary cooling water reduces the kinetic energy of the released fast neutrons to become thermal neutrons. It makes it easy to cause nuclear fission and takes away the generated heat to cool it. On the other hand, by inserting the control rod 130 into the fuel assembly 120, the number of neutrons generated in the core 129 is adjusted, and by inserting all the control rod 130 into the fuel assembly 120, the nuclear reactor is emergency Can be stopped. In the reactor vessel 101, an upper plenum 152 communicating with the outlet side nozzle 101d is formed above the core 129, and a lower plenum 153 is formed below. A downcomer portion 154 that communicates with the inlet side nozzle 101 c and the lower plenum 153 is formed between the reactor vessel 101 and the reactor core 127. Accordingly, light water flows into the reactor vessel body 101a from the inlet side nozzle 101c, flows down the downcomer portion 154, reaches the lower plenum 153, and is guided upward by the spherical inner surface of the lower plenum 153. And then flows into the core 129 after passing through the lower core support plate 124 and the lower core plate 128. The light water that has flowed into the core 129 absorbs heat energy generated from the fuel assemblies 120 that constitute the core 129, thereby cooling the fuel assemblies 120 while passing through the upper core plate 126 at a high temperature. Then, it rises to the upper plenum 152 and is discharged through the outlet side nozzle 101d. The light water discharged from the reactor vessel 101 is sent to the steam generator 103 as described above.

  Next, the test capsule 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the test capsule of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a three-side view of the capsule container of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the capsule container of the present embodiment.

  The test capsule 1 accommodates a test piece 5 therein. This test piece 5 is used for an evaluation test for evaluating the soundness of the reactor vessel 101. Here, since the test capsule 1 is located radially inward of the reactor vessel main body 101a, the irradiation amount of the neutron irradiated to the test piece 5 is larger than that of the reactor vessel main body 101a. For this reason, it is possible to perform advance monitoring of the reactor vessel 101 by performing an evaluation test using the test piece 5.

  Here, the test piece 5 is the one taken out from the pressurized water reactor and processed for reloading. That is, the test piece 5 used previously was loaded in the storage container 160 of the pressurized water reactor. For this reason, since the previous test piece 5 is irradiated with neutrons, it is an irradiation material that emits radiation. Therefore, the test piece 5 is handled by a remote operation using a manipulator or the like in a hot cell which is a predetermined space where radiation does not leak.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the test capsule 1 includes a holding member 11, a stay member 12, a plurality of capsule containers 13, and a tip member 14 in order from the rear end side in the insertion direction inserted into the storage container 160. I have. Here, in the test capsule 1, the rear end side in the insertion direction is upward, and the front end side in the insertion direction is downward.

  The holding member 11 is a member that is held by the working device when the test capsule 1 is handled. The holding member 11 has a shape that is detachable from a chuck device (not shown), for example. The holding member 11 is connected to the stay member 12 at the other end in the insertion direction.

  The stay member 12 is formed in a rod shape whose longitudinal direction is the insertion direction, the holding member 11 is connected to one end in the longitudinal direction, and the capsule container 13 is connected to the other end in the longitudinal direction. This stay member 12 can adjust the total length in the insertion direction of the test capsule 1 by adjusting the length in the longitudinal direction.

  The plurality of capsule containers 13 are connected side by side (in series) along the insertion direction. Although four capsule containers 13 are connected in FIG. 3, the number of connections is not particularly limited, and any number may be used. In the plurality of connected capsule containers 13, the stay member 12 is connected to one end in the insertion direction, and the tip member 14 is connected to the other end in the insertion direction. The capsule container 13 contains a plurality of test pieces 5 and is hermetically sealed. The capsule container 13 is filled with helium gas (substitution gas). The details of the capsule container 13 will be described later.

  The distal end member 14 is formed in a shape in which the distal end portion in the insertion direction is tapered, and the capsule container 13 is connected to one end in the insertion direction. The tip member 14 guides the insertion of the test capsule 1 by a tip portion that tapers in the insertion direction.

  Therefore, when the test capsule 1 is stored in the storage container 160, the test capsule 1 is moved toward the storage container 160 in a state where the holding member 11 is held (mounted) on the chuck device. Then, the test capsule 1 is accommodated in the storage container 160 while being guided by the tip member 14, and then the holding of the holding member 11 by the chuck device is released, whereby the storage in the storage container 160 is completed. Thereby, the test piece 5 accommodated in the capsule container 13 is reloaded in the nuclear reactor.

  On the other hand, when taking out the test capsule 1 from the storage container 160, the test capsule 1 is taken out from the storage container 160 in a state where the holding member 11 is held (mounted) on the chuck device. Then, after the test capsule 1 is taken out from the storage container 160, the holding of the holding member 11 by the chuck device is released, whereby the take-out from the storage container 160 is completed. Thereby, the test piece 5 accommodated in the capsule container 13 is taken out from the nuclear reactor.

  Next, the capsule container 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the capsule container 13 includes a container body 21, an upper plug (connecting plug) 22, and a lower plug (connected plug) 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the container body 21 extends in the insertion direction and is formed in a rectangular tube shape. The container main body 21 includes a housing 31 and a tray 32.

  The casing 31 is formed in a rectangular tube shape having both ends in the insertion direction opened. The casing 31 has an upper plug 22 disposed at one end in the insertion direction. The casing 31 has a tray 32 disposed at the other end in the insertion direction so that the tray 32 can move forward and backward.

  The tray 32 is formed in the housing 31 so as to be able to advance and retract. In other words, the tray 32 is inserted into or pulled out from the housing 31 along the insertion direction. The tray 32 has a rectangular flat surface portion and a side surface portion erected upward from the outer periphery of the flat surface portion. The tray 32 has a size and shape that can be accommodated in the housing 31. The tray 32 can mount the test piece 5 on the flat surface portion. The tray 32 is provided with a lower plug 23 at one end in the insertion direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper plug 22 is provided at one end of the container body 21 in the insertion direction, and is joined by welding. The upper plug 22 has a plug main body 41, a convex portion 42 protruding from the plug main body 41 in the insertion direction, and a gas injection hole 43 for injecting helium gas formed in the plug main body 41.

  The plug body 41 has a quadrangular prism shape that is square when viewed from the insertion direction. The plug body 41 is formed so that the end on the container body 21 side is a slightly small square, and the container body 21 is fitted and joined by welding. The convex portion 42 has a quadrangular prism shape that is square when viewed from the insertion direction, and is formed in a rectangular shape that is smaller than the plug body 41. The convex portion 42 is provided so as to protrude from the end portion of the plug main body 51 on the side opposite to the container main body 21 side, and is fitted into the lower plug 23 of another capsule container 13. In addition, the convex part 42 is formed in the contact surface (convex side contact surface) from which the outer surface of four sides becomes flat, and the contact surface of the recessed part 52 of the lower plug 23 mentioned later is surface-contacted with this contact surface. The gas injection hole 43 is formed in communication with the inside of the container main body 21 from the side surface of the plug main body 41. The gas injection hole 43 is used to replace the internal atmosphere of the container body 21 with helium gas. The gas injection hole 43 has a diameter of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, preferably 1 mm. Note that after the replacement of the helium gas, the gas injection hole 43 is hermetically sealed. Specifically, for example, the inside of the capsule container 13 is hermetically sealed by melting the side surface of the plug body 41 in which the gas injection hole 43 is formed. Alternatively, the gas injection hole 43 may be provided with a stopper (not shown), and the stopper may be joined by welding. By this stopper, the inside of the capsule container 13 is hermetically sealed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lower plug 23 is provided at the other end of the container body 21 in the insertion direction, and is joined by welding. More specifically, the lower plug 23 is joined to the other end in the insertion direction of the container body 21 by welding in a state where the tray 32 is accommodated in the housing 31. The lower plug 23 has a plug body 51 and a recess 52 that is recessed from the plug body 51 in the insertion direction.

  The plug body 51 has a quadrangular prism shape that is square when viewed from the insertion direction. The plug body 51 is formed so that the end on the container body 21 side is a slightly small square, and the container body 21 is fitted and joined by welding. The recess 52 has a hollow quadrangular prism shape that is square when viewed from the insertion direction, and is formed in a square that is smaller than the plug body 51. The concave portion 52 is formed to be recessed with respect to the end portion of the plug main body 51 on the side opposite to the container main body 21 side, and is fitted to the upper plug 22 of another capsule container 13. The recess 52 is formed on a contact surface (concave contact surface) having flat inner surfaces on all sides, and the contact surface of the protrusion 42 of the upper plug 22 is in surface contact with the contact surface.

  Further, a connecting hole 56 through which a connecting pin 55 for connecting each plug 22, 23 is inserted is formed in the convex portion 42 of the upper plug 22 and the concave portion 52 of the lower plug 23 to be fitted together. The connection hole 56 has a circular cross section and extends in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. The connection hole 56 is formed so as to reach the concave portion 52 again from the concave portion 52 through the convex portion 42. The connection pin 55 is formed in a cylindrical shape that is complementary to the connection hole 56, and is inserted through the connection hole 56, thereby restricting the relative position in the insertion direction of the convex portion 42 and the concave portion 52. And the connection pin 55 inserted in the connection hole 56 is joined to the lower plug 23 by welding at the outer end.

  The upper plug 22 is connected to the stay member 12 in addition to the lower plug 23. At this time, a recess 52 similar to the lower plug 23 is formed in the connecting portion of the stay member 12. In addition to the upper plug 22, the tip member 14 is connected to the lower plug 23. At this time, a convex portion 42 similar to that of the upper plug 22 is formed at the connecting portion of the tip member 14.

  Next, a method for reloading the test piece 5 using the test capsule 1 described above to reload the test piece 5 into the storage container 160 of the pressurized water reactor will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart relating to the test piece reloading method of the present embodiment. As described above, as the test piece 5, the one previously loaded in the storage vessel 160 of the pressurized water reactor is used.

  The previous test piece 5 is taken out from the inside of the nuclear reactor and subjected to a mechanical evaluation test. For this reason, first, in order to reload the test piece 5, a test piece processing step (step S <b> 1) for removing unnecessary portions or adjusting the shape of the previous test piece 5 is executed. . In addition, since test piece processing process S1 uses the test piece 5 used as an irradiation material, it is performed by remote control in the hot cell in which a radiation does not leak. When the processing of the test piece 5 is completed, the processed test piece 5 is accommodated in the capsule container 13 and a capsule container preparation process (test piece accommodation process: step S2) for producing the capsule container 13 is executed.

  Here, the capsule container manufacturing step S2 will be specifically described. The capsule container manufacturing step S2 is performed by remote operation in the hot cell, similarly to the test piece processing step S1. When producing the capsule container 13, first, the lower plug 23 is fitted to one end of the tray 32 and joined by welding (first welding step). After the first welding step, the test piece 5 is placed on the tray 32 (test piece placing step). At this time, a plurality of test pieces 5 are arranged on the tray 32 of the container body 21 of the capsule container 13 to be produced. After the test piece placing step, the tray 32 is housed in the housing 31 (tray housing step). After the tray storing step, the lower plug 23 and the end of the housing 31 are joined by welding (second welding step). The upper plug 22 is fitted to one end of the container body 21 and joined by welding (third welding process). In this way, the capsule container 13 is created.

  Subsequently, helium gas is injected from the gas injection hole 43 into the manufactured capsule container 13, thereby replacing the atmosphere inside the capsule container 13 with helium gas. After the replacement with helium gas, the side surface of the plug body 41 in which the gas injection hole 43 is formed is melted, and the inside of the capsule container 13 is hermetically sealed. Thus, the production of the capsule container 13 is completed.

  The capsule container 13 that has been manufactured is subsequently subjected to various inspections. First, the produced capsule container 13 is subjected to a helium leak test for inspecting that helium gas sealed therein is not leaking. When it is confirmed in the helium leak test that helium gas has not leaked from the capsule container 13, an autoclave test is subsequently performed. In the autoclave test, the internal environment of the nuclear reactor is simulated using an autoclave device, and the capsule container 13 is exposed to the simulated internal environment. Here, the autoclave apparatus has a pressure vessel that accommodates a single capsule container 13, and the inside of the pressure vessel is in a high temperature / high pressure environment. This pressure vessel does not correspond to the first type pressure vessel prescribed by the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and is classified as a small pressure vessel or a simple vessel. When the autoclave test is performed, the same helium leak test is performed on the capsule container 13 again. When it is confirmed in the helium leak test that helium gas has not leaked from the capsule container 13, the size of the capsule container 13 is inspected. In the dimensional inspection, when it is confirmed that the capsule container 13 has not an abnormal dimension, the inspection ends.

  When the capsule container production step S2 is completed, a test capsule production step (step S3) for producing the test capsule 1 using the capsule container 13 is subsequently performed.

  Next, the test capsule production step S3 will be specifically described. The test capsule production step S3 is performed by remote operation in the hot cell, similarly to the test piece processing step S1 and the capsule container production step S2. When producing the test capsule 1, first, the holding member 11, the stay member 12, the plurality of capsule containers 13 and the tip member 14 are prepared. One end of a stay member 12 is connected to the holding member 11. The upper plug 22 of the capsule container 13 is connected to the other end of the stay member 12. At this time, the stay member 12 and the capsule container 13 are connected by the connecting pin 55, and the connecting pin 55 is joined to the stay member 12 by welding.

  Subsequently, the upper plug 22 of another capsule container 13 is connected to the lower plug 23 of the capsule container 13, and this is repeated a plurality of times, thereby connecting the plurality of capsule containers 13 in series in the insertion direction. Also at this time, the lower plug 23 of one capsule container 13 and the upper plug 22 of the other capsule container 13 are connected by the connecting pin 55, and the connecting pin 55 is joined to the lower plug 23 by welding.

  And after connecting the several capsule container 13, the front-end | tip member 14 is connected to the lower plug 23 of the capsule container 13 in the front end side. Also at this time, the capsule container 13 and the tip member 14 are connected by the connecting pin 55, and the connecting pin 55 is joined to the lower plug 23 by welding. Thus, the production of the test capsule 1 is completed.

  When the test capsule production process S3 is completed, subsequently, a test piece reloading process (step S4) for accommodating the produced test capsule 1 in the reactor, that is, in the storage container 160 is performed. In the test piece reloading step S4, the holding member 11 of the test capsule 1 is held (mounted) on the chuck device, moved toward the storage container 160, and then stored in the storage container 160 while being guided by the tip member 14. Is done. Thereafter, the holding of the holding member 11 by the chuck device is released, whereby the accommodation in the storage container 160 is completed. Thereby, the test piece 5 accommodated in the capsule container 13 is reloaded in the nuclear reactor.

  Next, the test piece extraction process which takes out the test piece 5 from the capsule container 13 taken out from the storage container 160 of the pressurized water reactor will be described. In addition, a test piece extraction process is performed by remote control in a hot cell. First, the joint between the lower plug 23 and the end of the housing 31 is cut. Then, the tray 32 is pulled out from the housing 31. In this way, the test piece 5 is taken out from the capsule container 13. At this time, the test piece 5 maintains a state of being spread on the tray 32. In other words, the taken-out test piece 5 maintains the arrangement when it is loaded in the storage container 160 of the pressurized water reactor.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since a plurality of capsule containers 13 can be connected along the insertion direction, the length of the single capsule container 13 in the insertion direction can be shortened by the amount of connection. it can. For this reason, even if it is a case where the irradiation material irradiated with the neutron is used as the test piece 5, it can handle by the capsule container 13 unit. Therefore, the test piece 5 can be easily handled in the hot cell while satisfying the restrictions of the equipment such as the autoclave apparatus to be used.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the test piece 5 may be accommodated in the casing 31 after the test pieces 5 are spread on the tray 32. For this reason, this embodiment can make the test piece 5 easy to handle in the hot cell.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the capsule 32 is produced by accommodating the tray 32 in the housing | casing 31, and joining the lower plug 23 and the edge part of the housing | casing 31 by welding. For this reason, since this embodiment can reduce the number of welded locations in the hot cell, the operation can be facilitated.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since an irradiation material can be used as the test piece 5, the test piece 5 taken out from the nuclear reactor can be used. Moreover, after processing this test piece 5 in order to reload, it can be reloaded in a nuclear reactor.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to firmly connect the upper plug 22 of one capsule container 13 and the lower plug 23 of the other capsule container 13 by welding the connecting pin 55 to the lower plug 23. it can. At this time, since the connecting pin 55 has only to be welded, the welded portion can be made into a small region, thereby making it difficult to cause distortion due to welding.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the convex portion 42 and the concave portion 52 can be brought into surface contact so that the upper plug 22 and the lower plug 23 can be fitted together, so that the position of the lower plug 23 with respect to the upper plug 22 is appropriately set. Can be regulated.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the test piece 5 is spread inside the container main body 21, whereby heat from the outside can be suitably transmitted to the test piece 5 through the container main body 21. For this reason, since the heat conduction to the test piece 5 can be improved, the heat given to the test piece 5 and the heat given to the reactor vessel 101 can be set to substantially the same conditions.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, by supplying a replacement gas such as helium gas into the container main body 21 through the gas injection hole 43, the internal atmosphere of the container main body 21 can be replaced with the replacement gas.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the length in the insertion direction of the stay member 12 can be adjusted, the total length in the insertion direction of the test capsule 1 can be adjusted. Further, the holding capsule 11 can be held and the test capsule 1 can be handled.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the test piece 5 irradiated with the neutron can be loaded by reloading the test piece 5 loaded inside the nuclear reactor. For this reason, the test piece 5 irradiated with neutrons can be obtained, and the test piece 5 suitable for the evaluation test of the nuclear reactor can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the test piece 5 is taken out from the capsule container 13, the joint portion between the lower plug 23 and the end of the housing 31 is cut and the tray 32 is pulled out from the housing 31. . For this reason, this embodiment can make the test piece 5 easy to handle in the hot cell. Moreover, since the taken-out test piece 5 maintains the arrangement when loaded in the storage vessel 160 of the pressurized water reactor, a more accurate evaluation can be performed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an outline of the capsule container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the capsule container of the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described in order to avoid duplicate descriptions, and parts that have the same configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals or corresponding reference numerals. To do. The same applies to the following embodiments.

  The casing 31A is formed in a rectangular frame shape surrounding four sides in a cross section cut by a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction. The casing 31A extends in the insertion direction and is formed in a rectangular tube shape. The casing 31A is integrally formed by joining the lower side portion 32A and the upper side portion 33A by welding. The welded portion between the lower side portion 32A and the upper side portion 33A is a cutting allowance extending from the outer periphery of the housing 31A and extending in the insertion direction.

  The lower side portion 32A has a shape in which a flat plate is bent at four right angles. The lower side portion 32A has a U-shape that is open at the top in the cross section of the housing 31A, and has a flange portion that is bent outward at a right angle at the upper end portion. The upper portion 33A is formed vertically symmetrical with the lower portion 32A. The lower side portion 32A and the upper side portion 33A are combined to form a rectangular frame shape in cross section by combining the flange portions. The casing 31A is formed by joining the flange portions of the lower side portion 32A and the upper side portion 33A by welding.

  In the capsule container manufacturing step S2, the lower part 32A and the upper part 33A are joined to form the casing 31A, and a tray (not shown) is accommodated in the casing 31A. And the lower plug 23 and the edge part of the housing | casing 31A are joined by welding. Thereafter, the upper plug 22 is fitted to one end of the housing 31A and joined by welding. In this way, the capsule container 13 is created.

  In the test piece extraction step, the joint between the lower plug 23 and the end of the housing 31A is cut, and the joint between the lower part 32A and the upper part 33A is cut. And the test piece 5 is taken out from a tray. In this way, the test piece 5 is taken out from the capsule container 13.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the joint between the lower side portion 32A and the upper side portion 33A is cut in the test piece extraction step. Thereby, this embodiment can make the test piece 5 easy to handle in the hot cell. In addition, since the joint between the lower portion 32A and the upper portion 33A protrudes outside the internal space of the casing 31A that accommodates the tray, the joint is placed on the tray during welding or cutting of the joint. The influence on the test piece 5 can be suppressed.

[Third embodiment]
Next, an outline of the capsule container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the capsule container of the third embodiment.

  The casing 31B is formed in a rectangular frame shape surrounding four sides in a cross section cut by a plane orthogonal to the insertion direction. And the housing | casing 31B is extended and provided in the insertion direction, and is formed in the square cylinder shape. The housing 31B is integrated by welding the enclosure plate 32B and the lid body 33B that covers the opening of the enclosure plate 32B by welding.

  The surrounding plate 32B is formed to include three sides among the four sides in the cross section of the housing 31B, and has a shape in which a flat plate is bent at right angles at four locations. More specifically, in the cross-section of the housing 31B, a U-shape with an upper opening is formed, and a collar portion that is bent at a right angle outward is formed at the upper end portion. For this reason, the remaining side of the housing 31B is open in the cross section. The lid 33B is formed so as to include the remaining one of the four sides in the cross section of the housing 31B. The enclosure plate 32B and the lid body 33B are combined to form a rectangular frame shape in cross section by combining both ends thereof, and both ends are joined together by welding to form the housing 31B. . The welded portion between the surrounding plate 32B and the lid 33B is a cutting margin that protrudes from the outer periphery of the housing 31B and extends in the insertion direction.

  In the capsule container manufacturing step S2, the enclosure plate 32B and the lid 33B are joined to form the casing 31B, and a tray (not shown) is accommodated in the casing 31B. And the lower plug 23 and the edge part of the housing | casing 31B are joined by welding. Thereafter, the upper plug 22 is fitted to one end of the housing 31B and joined by welding. In this way, the capsule container 13 is created.

  In the test piece extraction step, the joint between the lower plug 23 and the end of the housing 31B is cut, and the joint between the surrounding plate 32B and the lid 33B is cut. And the test piece 5 is taken out from a tray. In this way, the test piece 5 is taken out from the capsule container 13.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the test piece extraction process, the joint between the enclosure plate 32B and the lid 33B is cut. Thereby, this embodiment can make the test piece 5 easy to handle in the hot cell. In addition, since the joint between the enclosure plate 32B and the lid 33B protrudes outside the internal space of the housing 31B that accommodates the tray, the test placed on the tray during welding or cutting of the joint The influence on the piece 5 can be suppressed.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, an outline of the capsule container according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the capsule container of the fourth embodiment.

  The casing 31C has a deformable member disposed on at least a part of the outer periphery. In the present embodiment, the housing 31C is provided with the bellows portions 32C on a pair of side surfaces along the insertion direction.

  The upper plug 22 or the lower plug 23 is formed with a pressure hole 33C communicating with the inside of the container main body 21C. In the present embodiment, a pressure hole 33 </ b> C is formed inside the lower plug 23. The pressure hole 33C is penetrated from the outside when the housing 31C is disassembled.

  In the test piece removal step, the vertical pressure hole 34C is formed by drilling from the upper surface of the lower plug 23 toward the pressure hole 33C formed inside. Then, gas is injected into the container main body 21C from the vertical pressure hole 34C and pressurized. Thereby, the bellows portion 32C extends and the housing 31C expands. At this time, since the casing 31C is expanded, the tray is separated from the casing 31C. And the junction part of the lower plug 23 and the edge part of the housing | casing 31C is cut | disconnected, and a tray is pulled out from the housing | casing 31C.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the test piece extraction step, the casing 31C is expanded and the tray is separated from the casing 31C, and then the tray is pulled out from the casing 31C. Thereby, this embodiment can pull out a tray easily from the housing | casing 31C in a hot cell. As described above, in the present embodiment, the test piece 5 can be easily handled in the hot cell.

  In the present embodiment, the irradiation material is applied as the test piece 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the test piece 5 that is a new material that does not emit radiation may be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the gas injection hole 43 is formed in the upper plug 22, but the gas injection hole 43 may be formed in the lower plug 23, and is not particularly limited.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the several capsule container 13 can be connected, you may change the number of the capsule containers 13 to connect according to the accommodation capacity of a required irradiation material. At this time, when maintaining the total length in the insertion direction of the test capsule 1 at a predetermined length, a dummy capsule container may be connected, or the length of the stay member 12 may be adjusted. Furthermore, when taking out the test piece 5 from the nuclear reactor, only the necessary capsule container 13 may be taken out and the remaining capsule container 13 may be reloaded into the nuclear reactor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test capsule 5 Test piece 11 Holding member 12 Stay member 13 Capsule container 14 Tip member 21 Container main body 22 Upper plug 23 Lower plug 31 Housing 32 Tray 41 Plug main body 42 Convex part 43 Gas injection hole 51 Plug main body 52 Concave part 55 Connecting pin 56 Connection hole 101 Reactor vessel 127 Reactor core tank 160 Storage vessel

Claims (11)

A test capsule that is inserted into a nuclear reactor and contains therein a test piece used for an evaluation test of the nuclear reactor,
A plurality of capsule containers connected side by side along the insertion direction into the reactor,
The capsule container is
A cylindrical housing, and a container body that is disposed in the housing so as to be movable forward and backward, has a tray on which the test piece is placed, and contains and seals the test piece;
A connection plug provided at one end of the container body in the insertion direction;
A connected plug that is provided at the other end of the container body in the insertion direction and to which the connection plug of the other capsule container is connected;
The housing is connected to the connection plug and the connected plug,
The test capsule, wherein the tray is connected to the connecting plug or the connected plug.   The test capsule according to claim 1, wherein the casing has a welded portion that protrudes from an outer periphery and extends in the insertion direction. The housing has a deformable member disposed at least at a part of the outer periphery,
The test capsule according to claim 1, wherein a pressure hole communicating with the inside of the container body is formed in the connection plug or the connected plug.   The test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the test piece is an irradiation material that is irradiated with neutrons and emits radiation. The connection plug has a protrusion protruding in the insertion direction,
The connected plug is recessed in the insertion direction, and has a recess that fits into the protrusion.
A coupling hole through which a coupling pin is inserted is formed in the convex part and the concave part fitted together,
The test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection pin is welded while being inserted through the connection hole. The convex part is formed with a convex contact surface in surface contact with the concave part to be fitted,
The test capsule according to claim 5, wherein the concave portion has a concave contact surface that is in surface contact with the convex contact surface of the convex portion to be fitted.   The test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of the test pieces are laid inside the container body to be accommodated.   The test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connecting plug or the connected plug is formed with a gas injection hole communicating with the inside of the container body. A stay member formed to extend in the insertion direction into the nuclear reactor, and one end of the insertion direction is connected to the capsule container;
The test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a holding member connected to the other end of the stay member and held during handling. A test piece reloading method using the test capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the test piece is reloaded into the reactor.
The test piece is used by taking out what was loaded in the reactor,
A test piece processing step for performing processing for reloading the test piece taken out from the nuclear reactor,
A test piece storage step of storing the processed test piece in the capsule container;
A test capsule manufacturing step in which a plurality of the capsule containers containing the test pieces are connected in the insertion direction to form the test capsules;
A test piece reloading method comprising: a test piece reloading step of reloading the test piece by loading the produced test capsule into the nuclear reactor. A cylindrical housing, and a container body that is disposed in the housing so as to be freely advanced and retracted, and has a tray on which a test piece used for an evaluation test of a nuclear reactor is placed, and which contains and seals the test piece ,
A connecting plug provided at one end of the vessel body in the direction of insertion into the reactor;
A connected plug provided at the other end of the container body in the insertion direction;
A method for producing a capsule container having
A first welding step of welding the connection plug or the connected plug to one end of the tray in the insertion direction;
After the first welding step, a test piece placing step of placing the test piece on the tray;
After the test piece placing step, a tray storing step for storing the tray in the housing;
A second welding step of welding the connection plug or the connected plug to one end of the housing in the insertion direction after the tray storing step;
And a third welding step of welding the connected plug or the connecting plug to the other end of the housing in the insertion direction.

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