Charging apparatus for nuclear reactors

Claim 1

IN A NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPRISING A REACTOR CORE, MEANS DEFINING FUEL CHANNELS IN SAID REACTOR CORE, MEANS DEFINING AN OOPEN END OF EACH SAID FUEL CHANNEL FOR ENTRY TO THE CHANNEL AND EXIT THEREFROM OF FUEL ELEMENTS, A BIOLOGICAL SHIELD SURROUNDING SAID CORE, AND MEANS DEFINING AN ACCESS DUCT THROUGH SAID BIOLOGICAL SHIELD TO GIVE ACCESS TO SAID FUEL CHANNELS; A CHARGING APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROTATABLE CHARGE CHUTE, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID CHARGE CHUTE IN SAID ACCESS DUCT, AN ASSEMBLY OF FIXED FUEL-ELEMENT GUIDE TUBES POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID ACCESS DUCT AND THE REACTOR CORE AND ADJACENT THE SAID OPEN ENDS OF THE FUEL CHANNELS, MEANS DEFINING A FIRST OPEN END OF EACH GUIDE TUBE ADJACETN A SAID OPEN END OF A FUEL CHANNEL, MEANS DEFINING SECOND OPEN END OF EACH GBUIDE TUBE AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF FROM SAID FIRST OPEN END, SAID SECOND OPEN ENDS OF THE GUIDE TUBES BEING ARRANGED ON TWO PITCH CIRCLES CONCENTRIC WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE CHARGE CHUTE, MEANS FOR MOVING THE FLAP ABOTU A TRANSVERSE AXIS BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS DEFINING TWO SEPARATE ALTERNATIVE PATHS FOR FUEL ELEMENTS WITHIN THE CHARGE CHUTE BETWEEN SAID FLAP AND SIAD GUIDE TUBES, AND FIRST AND SECOND DUCT MEANS IN THE CHARGE CHUTE BETWEEN SAID FLAP AND SAID GUIDE TUBES ON ONE PITCH CIRCLE AND SAID GUIDE TUBES ON THE OTHER PITCH CIRCLE RESPECTIVELY FOR GUIDING FUEL ELEMENTS INTO SAID GUIDE TUBES ON THE CORRESPONDING PITCH CIRCLE ACCORDING TO THE POSITION OF SAID FLAP.