Nuclear reactor having transfer mechanism

Claim 1

IN A NEUTRONIC REACTOR INCLUDING A VESSEL DEFINING A PRESSURIZED ZONE, SAID VESSEL HAVING AN OPENING IN THE UPPER WALL THEREOF, A REACTOR CORE DISPOSED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ZONE AND A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED FUEL AND CONTROL ROD ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PARALLEL RELATION WITHIN SAID CORE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A MECHANISM INCLUDING A VERTICAL HOUSING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ABOVE SAID VESSEL OPENING, A PICK-UP MECHANISM DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING INCLUDING AN UPPER EXTENSIBLE AND RETRACTABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE TOGETHER WITH GRAPPLER ACTUATING MECHANICAL LINKAGE, A LOWER TERMINAL GRAPPLER MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY ENGAGE ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, AND A COLLAPSIBLE SUSPENSION FOR SAID GRAPPLER MEANS INCLUDING PARIED SUPPORT MEMBERS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND COUPLED TO THE GRAPPLER ACTUATING LINKAGE OF SAID PICK-UP MECHANISM, WHEREBY SAID GRAPPLER MAY BE DISPLACED RADIALLY WITHIN SAID VESSEL; MEANS DEFINING A TRANSFER PASSAGE IN THE VESSEL ADJACENT SAID CORE AND LEADING DOWNWARDLY AND EXTERNALLY OF SAID VESSEL; TRANSFER MEANS DISPOSED BENEATH THE LOWER END OF SAID TRANSFER PASSAGE, SAID TRANSFER MEANS INCLUDING A SUPPORT ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT INTO SAID PASSAGE AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AN ELEMENT SUSPENDED THEREIN BY SAID PICK-UP MECHANISM; AND VALVE MEANS COUPLED BETWEEN SAID VESSEL OPENING AND SAID HOUSING AND BETWEEN SAID TRANSFER PASSAGE AND SAID TRANSFER MEANS, SAID VALVE MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO SEAL OFF THE REACTOR VESSEL FROM SAID PICK-UP MECHANISM AND TRANSFER MEANS, RESPECTIVELY.