On August 28th, the State Intellectual Property Office officially announced the results of the 26th China Patent Awards. Beijing Raymond-CBE Nuclear Equipment Technology Institute Co, Ltd. (referred to as “Raymond-CBE”)was awarded the China Patent Excellent Award for its invention patent, "A support ring variable diameter mechanism for a rigid variable diameter synchronous bolt tensioning machine" (Patent No. ZL201510291200.1).

The China Patent Award, jointly established by the State Intellectual Property Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is a highly prestigious government award in the field of patents in China. According to China News Service, this year's award recognized 697 projects. Raymond-CBE 's win is a significant validation of the company's independent research and development capabilities in nuclear equipment, and also marks another milestone in the company's ongoing innovation in specialized nuclear power plant repair equipment.

For a long time, reactor pressure vessels have been sealed and unsealed using full-synchronous bolt tensioning machines to improve repair efficiency and reduce the time required for critical maintenance operations. However, the "top large, bottom small" structure of the reactor pressure vessel limits the use of conventional full-synchronous bolt tensioning machines, requiring a segmented, group-synchronous tensioning process, which suffers from complex procedures, uneven pre-tension, and poor sealing reliability. This invention overcomes the challenges of rigid automatic variable diameter and multi-petal support ring synchronization control, providing a reliable core execution mechanism for the full-synchronous bolt tensioning equipment used for the full-synchronous assembly and disassembly of the reactor pressure vessel top cover.

The patent summary states: This patent describes a support ring mechanism for a rigid, full-synchronous bolt stretching machine. The key features of this mechanism include a set of N evenly distributed, bidirectional push rods, an N-segment support ring assembly, and a specialized gripping mechanism that allows the N-segment support ring to move radially. By coordinating the movements of the specialized gripping mechanism and the N sets of bidirectional push rods, the internal diameter of the support ring in the rigid, full-synchronous bolt stretching machine can be increased or decreased to meet the requirements for using a full-synchronous bolt stretching machine on a reactor pressure vessel with an integrated top structure. This method simplifies the process of installing/removing the top cover on a reactor pressure vessel, ensuring uniform pre-tensioning of the main bolt, and providing reliable sealing, significantly reducing downtime and the number of personnel required in high-radiation environments.

(Structural diagram, patent ZL201510291200.1)

As a domestic team dedicated to the localization of nuclear power plant equipment, Raymond-CBE consistently prioritizes technological innovation to drive industrial development, focusing on solving the critical "bottleneck" issues in nuclear power plant maintenance equipment. Moving forward, the company will use this award as a new starting point, continuing to invest in the research and development of core nuclear power plant equipment, leveraging its own innovation capabilities to support the sustainable development of China's nuclear power industry.