JPH01113697A - Refueling of nuclear reactor fuel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten a time for a refueling work of a nuclear reactor and to improve a work efficiency, by providing a co-ordinates indicating a present position of a refueling machine along both X and Y axes of moving directions of the refueling machine. CONSTITUTION:Along one rail of rails 1a, X axis co-ordinates plates 25 showing X axis co-ordinates 25 to indicate a position of a refueling machine 1 and on a movable support cart 10a, Y axis co-ordinates plates 26 showing Y axis co-ordinates 26 to indicate the position of a refueling machine 1. Therewith, when the refueling machine 1 is located at a certain position, an operator staying on the machine 1 can operate moving of support carts 10a and 10b, and can monitor whether the carts are closing a target position or not, through watching the co-ordinates numbers of both X and Y axes indicating the present positions, appeared on a image screen of a TV monitor 29, and other same sort of operation can be performed by the operator. When the target co-ordinates numbers appear via an X axis TV camera 27, a Y axis TV camera 28 and the TV monitor 29, the support carts 10a and 10b are stopped, then at this stopped position, through the operation of a extension/retrieval and grabbing function of a fuel clamping mechanism 12, a fuel assembly 8 at the target location is taken up.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for exchanging nuclear fuel, which is carried out during periodic inspections of nuclear power plants.

[Conventional technology]

At nuclear power plants, reactor fuel (fuel assemblies) are replaced by stopping reactor operation during periodic plant inspections, which are normally carried out periodically. Conventionally, this has been carried out using a manually operated exchange system or a remote automatic operation type exchange system.

Here, conventional manual and remote automatic fuel exchange methods will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

Figure 6 shows an overview of a manually operated fuel exchange system. In the figure, 1 is a fuel exchange operating device;
For example, on the fifth floor of a nuclear reactor building.

It is installed above the spent fuel storage pool 2 and the core pool 5. This fuel exchange operating device 1 includes a traveling device 10 that moves between a core pool 5 and a spent fuel storage pool 2 on an X-axis-Y axis plane, and an operation console 11 installed on the traveling device 10. , a fuel gripping mechanism 12 and the like disposed at the bottom of the traveling machine 10. The traveling machine 10 includes, for example, a traveling vehicle 10a that travels in the X-axis direction via rails (not shown), and a Y-travel vehicle that travels (traversing) in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis on the X-axis traveling vehicle 10a. It is combined with the shaft running bogie 10b. Further, the fuel gripping mechanism 12 has an X axis,
It consists of an extendable rod 12a that can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the Y-axis and a grip part 12b. The telescoping rod 12a has the function of rotating around an axis for positioning during reactor fuel grabbing work. 3 is a spent fuel storage rack arranged inside the spent fuel storage pool 2, 4 is a reactor containment vessel, 6 is a reactor pressure vessel, and 7 is a reactor core composed of a large number of fuel assemblies 8.

When performing fuel exchange using such a manually operated fuel exchange system, as shown in FIG. One person operates the traveling and gripping mechanism 12 of the machine 10, and the other person uses binoculars to confirm the target position (replacement position) of the fuel assembly 8 loaded in the reactor core 7, and through these joint operations, the fuel at the target position is removed. The fuel assembly 8 is taken out from the reactor core 7, and then the fuel exchange operating device 1 is moved to a predetermined position on the spent fuel storage pool 2 via the traveling machine 10, and the gripping mechanism 12 is operated to remove the fuel assembly from the reactor core 7. 8 was stored in the spent fuel storage rack 3.

FIG. 7 shows an outline of a remotely automatically operated fuel exchange system, and in the figure, the same reference numerals as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 1 described above indicate the same or common elements. In this fuel exchange system, a remote control room 9 is provided in the reactor building, separate from the fuel exchange operation device 1, and the traveling machine 10 and fuel gripping mechanism 12 of the fuel exchange operation device 1 are controlled from the remote control room 9 via automatic control means. The target fuel assembly 8 is taken out from the reactor core 7 and stored at a predetermined position in the spent fuel storage rack 3.

As shown in FIG. 8, this remote automatic system configuration is based on a remote control system that provides commands for setting the target position of the refueling operation device 1 necessary for refueling, commands for traveling and stopping, and operating commands for the gripping mechanism 12. An operation panel 20, etc., a computer 21 that performs calculations necessary for the above series of fuel exchange operations, and a running trolley 1 based on direct operation commands from the remote operation panel 20 and the output of the computer 21.
0a, the traversing trolley 10b, a common control panel 22 that controls other fuel gripping mechanisms, etc., and an on-board auxiliary panel 23, an on-board operating panel 24, etc. that are incorporated into the heat exchange operating device 1 to assist the functions of the common control panel 22. It consists of

Incidentally, an example of a system related to a conventional remotely automated fuel exchange system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 135992/1983.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Among the above-mentioned reactor refueling systems, manually operated ones lack precision in positioning for refueling and require fine adjustments, which takes time. There were issues that needed to be improved, such as the need to confirm the replacement position and perform fuel replacement operations, resulting in poor work efficiency.

In addition, remote automatic control systems can shorten the time required for fuel exchange and improve safety, and their implementation has been promoted recently, but there are still areas that need improvement, such as: .

In other words, those that are remotely automatically operated are usually operated "on-board" or "on-board".
It consists of four operating modes: "manual,""semi-automatic," and "automatic." Of these, the "on-aircraft" operating mode is inoperable when the "automatic" and "semi-automatic" operating modes become inoperable for some reason. This is a backup mode for the aircraft, and it essentially employs an operation method that relies on human on-board operations, similar to the manual operation method described above.

Therefore, even in the case of the remote automatic operation type, there are problems similar to those of the manual operation type when a situation occurs in the "on-board" mode.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to be applicable to both manual operation type and remote automatic operation type ``on-air'' mode, and to be more effective than conventional methods. It is possible to shorten the time required for fuel exchange work and improve work efficiency.

The aim is to provide a method of replacing reactor fuel that is significantly less expensive to install than remotely operated automated system elements.

[Means for solving problems]

The above purpose is to provide a fuel exchange operating device that moves between a core pool and a spent fuel storage pool on an X-axis-Y-axis plane, and a It is equipped with a fuel gripping mechanism that extends and contracts in four axial directions perpendicular to the axis-Y axis plane, and exchanges reactor fuel by moving the fuel exchange operating device, expanding and contracting the fuel gripping mechanism, and fuel gripping and releasing operations. In the system, coordinates indicating the current position of the refueling operation device in the X-axis and Y-axis rotation directions of the refueling operation device are set at each fuel loading position in the core pool and each fuel storage in the spent fuel storage pool. A television camera for monitoring these coordinates is installed on the fuel exchange operating machine, and the coordinate image displayed by the television camera is transmitted to a television monitor installed on the fuel exchange operating machine. death.

This is accomplished by moving the fuel exchange operating device to a target position on the X-axis and Y-axis planes and performing the fuel exchange while monitoring the television monitor.

[Effect]

According to the present invention having such a configuration, the coordinates for current position recognition provided in the X-axis and Y-axis rotation directions of the fuel exchange operating device correspond to each fuel loading position in the reactor core and each fuel in the spent fuel storage pool. Since this corresponds to the storage position, the operator can visually check this via a television camera and television monitor to determine where the refueling operation device is currently located above the core pool and spent fuel storage pool. It is easy to know. Therefore, when moving the fuel exchange operating device from an arbitrary position to a target position on the core pool or spent fuel storage pool during fuel exchange, the X-axis and Y-axis coordinate positions displayed on the TV monitor while moving are It is sufficient to operate the fuel exchange operating device while watching the vehicle, approach the target position, and stop traveling when the coordinate position of the target position is visually confirmed. Then, by operating the fuel gripping mechanism at this stop position, fuel can be replaced.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the moving state of the refueling operation device can be easily and reliably recognized through the coordinates, and the refueling operation can be performed at the position recognized through the coordinates, so that the operator can Refueling positioning and refueling work can be quickly and accurately performed by a single operator without relying on experience.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are a plan view and a partially omitted cross-sectional side view schematically showing a first embodiment to which the reactor fuel exchange method of the present invention is applied, and this embodiment is a remote automatic operation method. This represents the on-board operation mode of the nuclear reactor refueling system. In FIG. 1, the same reference numerals as those in the conventional example shown in FIG. 7 indicate the same or common elements, and descriptions of overlapping parts will be omitted.

As mentioned above, this remotely operated nuclear reactor fuel exchange system is ``automatic'' and ``semi-automatic.''

It can be operated in four operating modes: ``manual'' and ``onboard.''

In the "automatic" and "semi-automatic" operation modes, the computer automatically controls each device (traveling machine 10, fuel gripping mechanism 12, etc.) that constitutes the fuel exchange operating device 1 based on the operator's operation from the remote control room 9. Carry out a fuel change.

In the "manual" mode, control equivalent to the "automatic" and "semi-automatic" modes is manually performed from the remote control room 9 under the supervision of a computer.

In the "on-board" mode, refueling operations are performed using the on-board control panel. This embodiment relates to an improvement in the mechanism required for this remotely automatically operated on-board operation mode, and the improvements will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1(b), the traveling machine 1o of the fuel exchange operating device 1 is composed of an X-axis traveling truck 10a and a Y-axis traveling truck 10b. As shown, the carriage 10b moves on the X-axis plane guided by the rails 1a arranged on both sides of the core pool 5 and the spent fuel storage pool 2, and the carriage 10b moves perpendicular to the X-axis on the carriage 10a. The vehicle travels on a Y-axis plane, and an operating platform 11 is provided on a traveling vehicle 10b. And, in this example,
An X-axis coordinate board 25 is provided along one side of the rail 1a, on which an X-axis coordinate 25' indicating the position of the fuel exchange operating device 1 is written, and a fuel exchange operating device 1 is also provided on the traveling trolley 10a.
A Y-axis coordinate plate 26 is provided on which Y-axis coordinates 26' are written to indicate the position of the image. Also, an X is attached to one end of the traveling trolley 10a.
An X-axis television camera 27 that displays the axis coordinates 25' is attached, and a Y-axis television camera 28 that displays the Y-axis coordinates 26' is attached to the operation console 11.

29 is a television monitor installed on the operation console 11;
Images transmitted from the axis television camera 27 and the Y-axis television camera 28 are displayed.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the positional relationship between the X-axis coordinate 25' and the Y-axis coordinate 26', the storage rack 3 of the spent fuel storage pool 2, and the core upper grid plate 30 of the core pool 5. As shown in the figure, the X-axis coordinate 25 written on the X-axis coordinate plate 25
', those corresponding to each fuel storage position of the spent fuel storage rack 3 are represented by capital letters, and in the X-axis coordinate 25', each grid of the core pool 5 (fuel assembly loading position) ) Those corresponding to 30 are represented by odd numbers. On the other hand, among the Y-axis coordinates 26' written on the Y-axis coordinate plate 26, those corresponding to each storage position of the spent fuel storage rack 3 are represented by lowercase alphabets. Inside each grid 30 of the core pool 5
Those corresponding to are represented by even numbers.

FIG. 4(a) shows camera imaging 2 of the X-axis television camera 27.
7', the X-axis television camera 27 has a check mark 31 marked in advance at the center of the lens. Fourth
Figure (b) shows the X-axis TV monitor screen of the TV monitor 29. The X-axis seat JIA 25' is displayed on the monitor screen, and the coordinate number corresponding to the check mark 31 is the X-axis of the fuel exchange operating device 1. This indicates the current position in the axial direction.

FIG. 5(a) shows camera imaging 2 of the Y-axis television camera 28.
8', the Y-axis television camera 28 has a check mark 32 marked in advance at the center of the lens. As shown in the figure, on the Y-axis coordinate plate 26, the Y-axis coordinate (lowercase alphabet) 26' of the spent fuel rack and the Y-axis coordinate (even number) 26' of the reactor core 7 are written in two rows. Therefore, both Y-axis coordinates are also captured by the camera image 28'.

FIG. 5(b) shows the Y-axis TV monitor screen of the TV monitor 29. The Y-axis coordinates are displayed on the monitor screen, and the coordinate number corresponding to the check mark 32 is the Y-axis coordinate number of the fuel exchange operating device 1. This indicates the current position in the direction. Note that the images in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 5(b) are displayed simultaneously.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

If it is assumed that among the four operating modes, ``automatic'' and ``semi-automatic'' become inoperable for some reason, the operator will have to rely on manual operation by the driver in ``onboard'' mode. That is, the operator rides on the operating console 11 and replaces the reactor fuel. In this embodiment, when taking out the fuel assembly 8 from the reactor core 7 and storing it in the spent fuel storage rack 3, The axis TV camera 27 sets the X-axis coordinate 25', and the Y-axis TV camera 28 sets the Y-axis coordinate 26'.
This is done by projecting .

For example, when the fuel exchange operating device 1 is at an arbitrary position,
The fuel at the coordinates (1, 14) of the reactor core is taken out, and this fuel is transferred to the spent fuel rack 3 at the coordinates (A).

When storing at position a), the operator on the aircraft operates the traveling carts 10a and 10b while looking at the X-axis and Y-axis coordinate numbers of the current position displayed on the screen of the television monitor 29. Then, it is monitored whether or not the target position (1° 14) is being approached through the changing coordinate numbers. When the target coordinate number is displayed via the X-axis television camera 27, Y-axis television camera 28, and television monitor 29, the running of the traveling carts 10a and 10b is stopped, and then, at this stop position, the fuel grabber' The fuel assembly 8 at the target position is picked up by operating the mechanism 12's expansion/contraction and fuel grasping operations. Thereafter, the operator on the aircraft drives the traveling carts 10a and 10b to the target position (A, a) of the spent fuel storage rack 3 while watching the screen displayed on the television monitor 29 in the same manner as described above. When I checked on the TV monitor, I saw that it was the traveling trolley 10a.

10b is stopped, and at this position, the fuel gripping mechanism 1
The spent fuel is stored by operating the expansion/contraction and fuel release operations in step 2.

According to the eleventh embodiment, the X-axis and Y-axis coordinate plates,
By adding X-axis and Y-axis television cameras and television monitors, it becomes possible to quickly and accurately confirm the location of the fuel to be taken out and the rack to be stored during fuel exchange operations, increasing the efficiency of fuel exchange operations. It is possible to improve the performance and shorten the time. Comparing this with the conventional remote automatic operation system on-board mode, the conventional method required 15 minutes per step and 10.5 days per periodic inspection.
Fuel exchange could be completed in 10 minutes per step and 7 days per periodic inspection, resulting in a reduction in the periodic inspection process of 3.5 days.

FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment indicate the same or common elements. This embodiment is applied to a five-manual operation type fuel exchange system, and does not have a remote control room 9 as in the first embodiment, and the fuel exchange is always carried out by on-board operation. Similarly to the first embodiment, in the fuel exchange of this embodiment, the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate are monitored through a television monitor, and the fuel exchange is performed at a predetermined coordinate position. However, according to this embodiment, by simply installing a small amount of equipment in the conventional fuel exchange operation that was previously performed manually, fuel exchange can be performed quickly and accurately as in the first embodiment. Moreover, even with these effects, the remote control panel (automatic/manual) 20, computer 21, etc. Since system configurations such as the common control panel 229, on-machine auxiliary panel 23, and on-machine operation panel 24 are not required, significant cost reductions can be achieved from the viewpoint of equipment costs.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is applicable to both manual operation type and remote automatic operation type "on-board" mode, reducing the time required for reactor fuel exchange work and improving work efficiency compared to the conventional method. A fuel exchange system can be achieved that is both cost-effective and has a lower installation cost than automatic system elements based on remote automatic operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are a plan view and a partially cutaway sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2(a) is a partially cutaway sectional view. 3(b) is a plan view and a cutaway sectional view showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. A plan view showing the X-axis and Y-axis coordinates used in the second embodiment and the positional relationship between the spent fuel storage rack and the reactor core, FIG. 4(a) is an image of the above X-axis coordinates with an X-axis television camera. Explanatory diagram showing the state, 4th
FIG. 5(b) is an explanatory diagram of the above-mentioned X-axis coordinate displayed on a television monitor, FIG. is an explanatory diagram of the above-mentioned Y-axis coordinates displayed on the television monitor, Figure 6 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view showing a conventional manually operated nuclear reactor fuel exchange system, and Figure 7 is a conventional remote automatic operated nuclear reactor fuel exchange system. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway sectional view showing a reactor fuel exchange system, and is a block diagram of control elements used in a conventional remote automatic operation nuclear reactor fuel exchange system. 1 (10, 11)...Fuel exchange operation machine (traveling machine, operation console), 2...Spent fuel storage pool, 3...Spent fuel storage rack, 5...Core pool, 7. ... Reactor core, 8... Nuclear reactor fuel (fuel assembly), 12... Fuel gripping mechanism, 25... X-axis coordinate plate, 25'... X-axis coordinate, 26... Y-axis Coordinate board, 26'...Y-axis coordinate,
27...X-axis television camera, 28...Y-axis television camera, 29...TV monitor. 3rd day 4th day (α) lδ (b) 6th day 7th day (α) (g) 6th day 7th day

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. X-axis between core pool and spent fuel storage pool
a fuel exchange operating device that moves on the Y-axis plane; and a fuel grip that moves together with the fuel exchange operating device and performs an expansion and contraction operation in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis-Y-axis plane through operation of the fuel exchange operating device. mechanism, in which reactor fuel is exchanged by movement of the fuel exchange operating device, expansion/contraction operation, and fuel grasping/releasing operation of the fuel grasping mechanism, wherein the X-axis and Y-axis traveling directions of the fuel exchange operating device Coordinates indicating the current position of the refueling operating machine are provided in correspondence with each fuel loading position of the core pool and each fuel storage position of the spent fuel storage pool, and these coordinates are provided to the fuel exchanging operating machine. A television camera for monitoring is installed, and the coordinate image displayed by the television camera is transmitted to a television monitor installed on the fuel exchange operating machine, and while monitoring the television monitor, the fuel exchange operating machine is moved along the X axis, A method for exchanging nuclear reactor fuel, which comprises moving the reactor fuel to a target position on a Y-axis plane and exchanging the fuel.