For sustained linear motion on high load
capacities, PBC Linear’s Hevi-Rail® heavy duty bearing system is second
to none for long-lasting linear motion in the toughest of environments.
This reputation was put to the test when Hevi-Rail® was designed into a
rotating “lazy susan” system for nuclear reactor vessel stud racks by
Quality Engineered Products. Supporting immense weight, the Hevi-Rail®
bearings ensured a safer environment for the maintenance team and
dramatically decreased prep time.
A nuclear reactor vessel generates a large
amount of power, but periodically requires inspection and re-fueling.
This necessary maintenance can only be performed while the reactor is
powered down. Time is critical in this case, the longer the reactor is
powered down, the less overall electricity produced. To re-fuel the
reactor, a maintenance crew needs to unbolt the vessel by removing ALL
54 studs that secure the head. Each individual screw weighs upwards of
600-700 lb, and calls for an overhead crane to lift. Traditionally,
these studs would be placed in square racks that constantly needed
repositioning under the overhead crane for successful loading. This made
the time required for unloading the studs to rise excessively and
caused a potential risk factor for the maintenance crew. However,
Quality Engineered Products designed a new type of stud rack using PBC
Linear’s Hevi-Rail® machined into a “lazy susan” configuration.
Thanks
to the ingenuity of Quality Engineered Products and the long-lasting
heavy-duty performance of Hevi-Rail®, the maintenance crew no longer
needed to waste time repositioning the stud rack under the crane in
order to proceed with the loading process. The time saved is
doubled as the entire process is performed in reverse during reactor
re-assembly after refueling.
About 42’’ in diameter, the new circular
stud rack could be hand-rotated to facilitate easy loading from the
crane. Hevi-Rail® works to promote an even dispersion of loads and
forces being acted upon it. Machined into a circular rail, the hardened
steel rail and bearings had no problem tolerating the total weight of 9
reactor studs! The Hevi-Rail® bearing’s innovative linear and axial
bearings also allowed for a smooth rotating motion that immediately
pleased the maintenance crew due to the new-found ease in their job.
To find out more on the RSV Stud Rack or
other custom products,
please visit Quality Engineered Products Inc.
at qualengpro.com.
