Abstract A nuclear reactor having a circulation path in which fuelelement or fertile-material balls are circulated is provided with a gate or valve having a housing formed with an elongated throughgoing passage and a valve ball therein with a throughgoing bore alignable with the passage to permit throughflow and adapted to be oriented transverse to the passage axis to close the gate. The valve ball floats between two annular seals one of which is urged against the ball by a sleeve in turn biased by a spring resting on an annulus which rides on an eccentric or other cam arrangement. The housing is formed with a pair of bores transverse to the passage each of which contain a control rod a further rod and connected thereto via a double slider. One further rod is provided with a pair of pins loosely received in corresponding bores of the valve ball such that its rotation rotates the valve ball. The other second rod carries the eccentric which determines the force with which the seals grip the valve ball.
The improvement defined in claim 1 wherein said rod has a two in-line parts, said means for urging including a double-slide between and interconnecting said parts, said double-slide having a pair of members relatively shiftable in two mutually orthogonal directions perpendicular to said axis but angularly coupled together.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
71 words
The improvement defined in claim 1 wherein said ball is formed with a pair of radial holes, said housing being formed with a bore transverse to said passage and in line with said ball, said means for rotating said ball comprising another rod in said bore of said housing provided with a pair of pins received in said holes in said ball, whereby rotation of said other rod rotates said ball.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
68 words
The improvement defined in claim 3 wherein said means for rotating said ball includes a further rod in said bore of said housing in line with said other rod, and a double-slide in said bore of said housing rotationally interconnecting said other and further rods, said double slide having a pair of members relatively shiftable in two mutually orthogonal directions perpendicular to said axis but angularly coupled together.