System for working on the primary pipework and water box of a nuclear power station steam generator

Claim 1

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, said system comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid out from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongate shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole in said water box and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, said working means being, by virtue of its mobility relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, capable of reaching and engaging by sliding along in contact with the surfaces of the internal area of the steam generator to effect decontamination of said surfaces by said contact with said working means, and remote control means for the vehicle and the work means.

Claim 2

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, said system comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid out from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongate shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole in said water box and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, said working means being, by virtue of its mobility relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, capable of reaching and engaging by sliding along in contact with the surfaces of the internal area of the steam generator to effect decontamination of said surfaces by said contact with said working means, and remote control means for the vehicle and the work means.

Claim 24

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid our from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongated shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, the working means being, by virtue of its movement relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, adapted to reach a plurality of areas of the internal surface of the steam generator, and said vehicle and said working means having remote control means; said vehicle having a vehicle body constituted by a longitudinal member disposed along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a chassis mounted to rotate on the longitudinal member forming the vehicle body, said chassis comprising a plate adapted to support said working means, and support means for said vehicle constituted by first and second sets of actuators, each set of actuators fastened to the body having in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle a tripod configuration.

Claim 25

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid our from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongated shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, the working means being, by virtue of its movement relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, adapted to reach a plurality of areas of the internal surface of the steam generator, and said vehicle and said working means having remote control means; said vehicle having a vehicle body constituted by a longitudinal member disposed along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a chassis mounted to rotate on the longitudinal member forming the vehicle body, said chassis comprising a plate adapted to support said working means, and support means for said vehicle constituted by first and second sets of actuators, each set of actuators fastened to the body having in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle a tripod configuration.

Claim 26

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid out from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongate shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, the working means being, by virtue of its movement relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, adapted to reach a plurality of areas of the internal surface of the steam generator, remote control means for the vehicle and the work means, said water box has a partition plate and to provide for work such as decontamination of the partition plate of the water box of the steam generator, said second member forming said second arm is articulated to the first arm by a universal joint type articulation, said articulation comprising, in the operative position, a first axis substantially parallel to the partition plate and a second axis substantially perpendicular to the partition plate, said vehicle being mounted to be mobile in translation along said second arm, and wherein to provide for holding said second arm on and moving it over the partition plate said second arm comprises a central first actuator being disposed in the vicinity of the articulation and being provided with a fixing sucker, said first central actuator serving to fix the combination constituted by the first and second arms in translation in the direction perpendicular to the partition plate, and a plurality of actuators disposed at the free end of the second arm, at least two opposed actuators forming an assembly mobile relative to said second arm being displaceable perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the second arm in a direction parallel to the partition plate to procure the corresponding displacement of said second arm, the axis perpendicular to the partition plate forming an axis of rotation, relative to the fixed point formed by the central actuator, the plurality of actuators having piston rods and being provided at the end of the piston rods with a sucker adapted to be fixed by depressurization.

Claim 27

A system for working on a primary pipework and on a water box having a manhole for accessing the interior confines of the primary pipework of nuclear power station steam generators, comprising: a removable vehicle mechanically fastened to a tensioner cable travelling, during displacement of the removable vehicle in the primary pipework, over direction-changing pulleys, the tensioner cable being paid out from a balancer winder situated in the vicinity of the free end of an insertable member outside the manhole when said insertable member is in position, said insertable member being comprised of a first member and a second member, said first member having a substantially elongate shape and forming a first arm of the system, said second member having a substantially elongate shape, articulated at one end to an end of the first member, said second member forming a second arm of the system, and the combination of the first and second arms being adapted to be inserted into the water box of the steam generator through the manhole and said second member being adapted to be placed in a deployed position relative to the first member, said vehicle mounted on said second arm and being mobile relative to it, working means carried by said vehicle, the working means being, by virtue of its movement relative to said second arm and its relative angular displacement between the first and second arms, adapted to reach a plurality of areas of the internal surface of the steam generator, remote control means for the vehicle and the work means, said water box has a partition plate and to provide for work such as decontamination of the partition plate of the water box of the steam generator, said second member forming said second arm is articulated to the first arm by a universal joint type articulation, said articulation comprising, in the operative position, a first axis substantially parallel to the partition plate and a second axis substantially perpendicular to the partition plate, said vehicle being mounted to be mobile in translation along said second arm, and wherein to provide for holding said second arm on and moving it over the partition plate said second arm comprises a central first actuator being disposed in the vicinity of the articulation and being provided with a fixing sucker, said first central actuator serving to fix the combination constituted by the first and second arms in translation in the direction perpendicular to the partition plate, and a plurality of actuators disposed at the free end of the second arm, at least two opposed actuators forming an assembly mobile relative to said second arm being displaceable perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the second arm in a direction parallel to the partition plate to procure the corresponding displacement of said second arm, the axis perpendicular to the partition plate forming an axis of rotation, relative to the fixed point formed by the central actuator, the plurality of actuators having piston rods and being provided at the end of the piston rods with a sucker adapted to be fixed by depressurization.