Method and device for controlling cutting of a spacer wire of nuclear fuel rods

摘要

The device is able to detect if the cutting of the spacer wire (1) of a fuel rod (20) has effectively occured, in particular in the case where the cutting of the wire spacer (1) is effected with the aid of an electrode cassette (25). The device uses a contact cone (10) on which the spacer wire (1) is scoured after the cutting. If the cut has not effectively occured, the section needing to be cut is still raised to its cutting potential (VC). The detection of the latter makes it possible to detect the absence of cutting of the spacer wire section and thus to direct further cutting of the wire at the same position. As the contact piece (10) is rotating in correspondence with the forward movement of the spacer wire (1), the connection to the comparison means (22) is effected by means of one connection track (8) and one collecting brush (12). The device is used for cutting of the spacer wire of nuclear fuel rods irradiated in fast neutron reactors. IMAGE