Nuclear reactor refueling methods and apparatuses

1. A method of refueling a nuclear reactor comprising:

removing a fuel assembly including a control rod assembly inserted therein from a reactor core of the nuclear reactor by a removal method including:

connecting a lifting tool of a crane with a plurality of lifting pins of the fuel assembly, each lifting pin being non-rotatably affixed to an upper nozzle plate of the fuel assembly and extending upwardly therefrom, the lifting tool comprising a plurality of downwardly extending bars, wherein each of the downwardly extending bars has an upper portion and a lower portion capable of circumferential rotation independent of both the upper portions and the other downwardly extending bars, the connecting including forming a bayonet connection by lowering the downwardly extending bars over the lifting pins so that the lifting pins are disposed within the lower portions of the downwardly extending bars and circumferentially rotating only the lower portion of each of the downwardly extending bars to create a mating connection between each of the downwardly extending bars and the lifting pin over which each of the downwardly extending bars was lowered;

moving the fuel assembly connected with the lifting tool into a spent fuel pool using the crane; and

releasing the lifting tool from the top of the fuel assembly, the releasing including circumferentially rotating the lower portion of each of the downwardly extending bars to release the bayonet connection, wherein

the mating connection is made between a grooved portion and a narrowed portion of the lifting pin and a recess portion and a narrowed region of the lower end of the downwardly extending bars.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removal method includes simultaneously removing both the fuel assembly and the control rod assembly that is inserted in the fuel assembly, and wherein the control rod assembly vertically overlaps the lifting tool when the fuel assembly is connected with the lifting tool.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the overlap between the control rod assembly and the lifting tool is at least one-half of the vertical height of the lifting tool.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the overlap between the control rod assembly and the lifting tool is at least one-half of the vertical height of the downwardly extending bars of the lifting tool.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each of the downwardly extending bars comprises a motor and the motor provides operative force to circumferentially rotate the lower portion of each of the downwardly extending bars.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removal method does not include removing the control rod assembly from the fuel assembly and wherein the lower portions of the downwardly extending bars of the lifting tool surround an upper end of the inserted control rod assembly when the fuel assembly is connected with the lifting tool.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peripherally located mating features at the top and periphery of the fuel assembly are selected from a group consisting of protrusions, openings, and recesses.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locking comprises:

rotating at least the lower ends of the downwardly extending elements to lock the lower ends disposed over or inside the respective mating features with the respective mating features.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the lower ends of the downwardly extending elements and the respective mating features define lockable bayonet or J lock couplings.

10. A method of refueling a nuclear reactor comprising:

removing a fuel assembly having a control rod assembly inserted in the fuel assembly from a reactor core of the nuclear reactor by a removal method including:

lowering a lifting tool of a crane onto a plurality of lifting pins of the fuel assembly, each lifting pin being non-rotatably affixed to an upper nozzle plate of the fuel assembly and extending upwardly therefrom, the lowered lifting tool including a plurality of downwardly extending bars each including an upper portion and a circumferentially rotatable lower portion having a recess and a narrowed portion, each lifting pin being disposed in a recess of a corresponding downwardly extending bar after the lifting tool is lowered onto the lifting pins;

locking the downwardly extending bars of the lowered lifting tool with corresponding mating features of the lifting pins by circumferentially rotating the lower portion of each downwardly extending bar to create a bayonet connection;

moving the fuel assembly connected with the lifting tool into a spent fuel pool using the crane; and

disconnecting the lifting tool from the lifting pins of the fuel assembly in the spent fuel pool by circumferentially rotating the lower portion of the downwardly extending bars and unlocking the downwardly extending bars from the corresponding mating features of the lifting pins, wherein

the mating connection is made between a grooved portion and a narrowed portion of the lifting pin and the recess and the narrowed portion of the lower end of the downwardly extending bars.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the downwardly extending bars of the lowered lifting tool vertically overlap a portion of the control rod assembly extending above the lifting pins of the fuel assembly by at least one-half of a vertical height of the downwardly extending bars.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the corresponding mating features at the top of the fuel assembly are selected from a group consisting of protrusions, openings, and recesses.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the locking comprises:

using a motor to circumferentially rotate each of the lower ends of the downwardly extending bars to lock the downwardly extending bars with the corresponding mating features of the lifting pins.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the locking comprises engaging bayonet or J lock couplings between the downwardly extending elements and the corresponding mating features at the top of the fuel assembly.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the upper portion of the downwardly extending bars do not circumferentially rotate during the locking.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of downwardly extending bars consists of at least three downwardly extending elements.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of downwardly extending bars consists of at least four downwardly extending elements.