MR. HAROLD B. KING, RPH
Pharmacy at College Rd, Wilmington, NC

5546437, Aug 13, 1996

Jan 11, 1995

8/371389

Bruce Matzner - San Jose CA
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC
David G. Smith - Leland NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 334

376442

A spacer for retaining nuclear fuel rods in laterally spaced relation to one another includes first and second sets of spacer strips extending in mutually perpendicular diagonal directions relative to a generally rectilinear peripheral spacer band. The strips have linearly extending sections with adjacent sections angularly related to one another and meeting at apices. The sections of each strip alternately intersect a diagonal line across the spacer with the apices alternately located on opposite sides of the diagonal line. Alternate apices have springs projecting to one side of the strip for engaging fuel rods and apices between the alternate apices have stops projecting on opposite sides of the strip for engaging the fuel rods. Slots are provided in the strips enabling intermeshing of the strips with one another to define discrete cells peripherally encompassing and retaining fuel rods within the spacer. In another form, the spacer includes pairs of strips having alternating reversely curved sections with alternate springs and stops and assembled to form rows of cells.

5384814, Jan 24, 1995

Apr 12, 1993

8/044687

Bruce Matzner - San Jose CA
Eric B. Johansson - Wrightsville Beach NC
Richard A. Wolters - San Jose CA
Thomas G. Dunlap - San Jose CA
Robert B. Elkins - San Jose CA
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC
Paul W. Sick - Wilmington NC

General Electric Company - San Jose CA

G21C 104

376352

In a boiling water reactor fuel bundle, a three dimensional debris catching grid construction is placed within the flow volume defined by the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and upper fuel rod supporting grid. A perforated plate is utilized having round holes as small consistent with the prevention of inadvertent closure due crudding and a hole pitch consistent with mechanical integrity requirements. The perforated plate is placed in a three dimensional construction such as a dome, cylinder, pyramid, inverted pyramid or corrugated construction spanning the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly. As a consequence of this three dimensional grid construction, the total flow through area of the perforations in the metal plate does not introduce appreciable pressure drop in the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and the rod supporting grid. Fluid movement at the debris restraining holes of the grid construction has a low flow velocity and a change in flow direction before passing through the holes to discourage debris from finding its way through the grid holes. Finally, it is possible to incorporate debris traps within the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly that can cause trapping and subsequent removal of trapped debris upon fuel bundle replacement.

4292788, Oct 6, 1981

Feb 11, 1980

6/120231

Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC

General Electric Company - San Jose CA

B65B 510, B65B 5706, B65B 5714

53500

An apparatus incorporating a microprocessor control is provided for automatically loading nuclear fuel pellets into fuel rods commonly used in nuclear reactor cores. The apparatus comprises first and second elongated members having "V" troughs for alternately receiving a plurality of fuel pellets to be loaded alternately in first and second fuel rods. The pellets are weighed while in the "V" trough of each elongated member and each elongated member is alternately relocated in axial alignment with a cooperating fuel rod. A guide bushing assembly is provided to assist the transfer of the pellets from each of the elongated members into awaiting fuel rods. A rod handling assembly incorporating rod handling means, a thumper assembly to facilitate the loading of fuel pellets into the fuel rods, an adjustable fuel rod backstop and a rod carousel carrying a plurality of fuel rods, presents two fuel rods to the guide bushing assembly at the appropriate stage in the loading sequence. Guide bushings in the guide bushing assembly are slidably actuatable for advancing to engage the fuel rods. The pellets are then loaded into the fuel rods by a motor operated push rod associated with each elongated member.

5727039, Mar 10, 1998

Mar 19, 1996

8/616509

John L. Harmon - Wilmington NC
Richard G. Patterson - Wilmington NC
Robert B. Elkins - Wilmington NC
Russell P. Higgins - Wilmington NC
Edward A. Croteau - Mukwonago WI
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC
Christian D. Frederickson - Wilmington NC
Gerald M. Latter - Wilmington NC
Anthony P. Reese - Wilmington NC
David W. White - Wilmington NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 334

376442

In a nuclear reactor fuel bundle assembly having a plurality of fuel rods and a non-round water rod extending between upper and lower tie plates, and having at least one fuel rod spacer located along the non-round water rod, an improvement which includes cooperating components on the fuel rod spacer and on the water rod for permitting movement of the spacer along the water rod to a desired axial location and for thereafter preventing further axial movement of the spacer in at least one of two opposite axial directions, the cooperating components including at least one spring on one of the spacer and the water rod.

5481579, Jan 2, 1996

Jan 30, 1995

8/380587

Eric B. Johansson - Wrightsville Beach NC
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 333

376446

A fuel bundle assembly for a nuclear reactor, wherein a plurality of fuel rods and at least one water rod extend between an upper tie plate and a lower tie plate, includes upper end plugs secured to a pair of water rods and having axial cut-out portions defined by upper and lower shoulders. A latching mechanism for securing the pair of water rods to the upper tie plate includes a latch bar mounted on an upper surface of the upper tie plate and rotatable into and out of the cut-out portions in the end plugs when the end plugs extend above the upper surface of the tie plate upon installation of the upper tie plate on the fuel bundle assembly. A locking pin is provided which prevents the latch bar from being accidentally unlocked.

5070622, Dec 10, 1991

Mar 1, 1991

7/662694

Donald F. Butzin - Wilmington NC
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC

General Electric Company - San Jose CA

G01B 702, G01B 712

33793

To measure the gaps between fuel rods in a fuel assembly, a feeler gauge is provided with a pair of resilient arms having elongated electrical resistance strips carried by their confronting surfaces and extending from terminations adjacent the free ends of the arms through a contact point of electrical inter-engagement. The strip terminations are wired into a metering circuit including a current source and an ammeter. When the arm free ends are positioned in a rod gap, the position of the contact point relative to the strip terminations determines the magnitude of resistance included in the metering circuit, and the meter registers the gap dimension.

4235066, Nov 25, 1980

May 30, 1978

5/910999

Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC
Robert MacIvergan - Wilmington NC
Gerald W. McKenzie - Wilmington NC

General Electric Company - San Jose CA

B65B 5706, B65B 5714, B65B 510

53500

An apparatus incorporating a microprocessor control is provided for automatically loading nuclear fuel pellets into fuel rods commonly used in nuclear reactor cores. The apparatus comprises a split "V" trough for assembling segments of fuel pellets in rows and a shuttle to receive the fuel pellets from the split "V" trough when the two sides of the split "V" trough are opened. The pellets are weighed while in the shuttle, and the shuttle then moves the pellets into alignment with a fuel rod. A guide bushing is provided to assist the transfer of the pellets into the fuel rod. A rod carousel which holds a plurality of fuel rods presents the proper rod to the guide bushing at the appropriate stage in the loading sequence. The bushing advances to engage the fuel rod, and the shuttle advances to engage the guide bushing. The pellets are then loaded into the fuel rod by a motor operated push rod.

6226343, May 1, 2001

Apr 23, 1997

8/839193

Christian D. Frederickson - Wilmington NC
Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 332

376444

A water rod for a fuel assembly of a boiling water nuclear reactor has a first end and a second end, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is directly attachable to a tie plate of the fuel assembly without an end plug. The structure of the present invention simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the cost of the fuel assembly in the boiling water nuclear reactor. The water rod according to the invention has one or both of its ends configured to be directly attachable to the tie plate of the fuel assembly.

5748694, May 5, 1998

Mar 26, 1996

8/621595

Harold B. King - Wrightsville Beach NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 332, G21C 1502

376313

A fuel bundle for a nuclear reactor includes a plurality of fuel rods extending between upper and lower tie plates, and a filter plate seated on the lower tie plate. The filter plate includes a substantially planar plate having a plurality of fuel rod holes in a predetermined array, the plate having web areas between the fuel rod holes which are formed with a plurality of smaller debris filter holes. At least one of the web areas is formed to include a spring tab pivotable out of the plane of the plate so that in the event of debris overload, coolant can bypass the smaller debris filter holes.

5740218, Apr 14, 1998

Mar 26, 1996

8/621879

Christian D. Frederickson - Wilmington NC
Robert B. Elkins - Wilmington NC
Edward A. Croteau - Wilmington NC
Harold B. King - Wilmington NC
David G. Smith - Leland NC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

G21C 334

376442

The spacer for a nuclear fuel bundle includes unit cells having upper and lower, generally octagonally shaped walls connected one to the other by spring leg portions along sides thereof 90. degree. apart. The walls also carry stops in opposition to the sides of the walls to which the spring leg portions are connected. By orienting the cells in the spacer such that the majority of the cells have their stops lying toward one side of the spacer, the fuel bundle can be disposed in a horizontal position on the one side of the spacers. In that manner, the dead load of the fuel rods and spacers is borne by the stops along the underside of each spacer without substantially loading the springs of the spacer cells.