Steam vent tube for BWR fuel assembly

Patent · Tue Feb 25 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5336892

Dix, G E

This patent describes an improvement in a fuel bundle for a boiling water reactor having: vertically aligned spaced apart fuel rods for forming a fuel rod group within the fuel bundle for generation of a fission reaction in the presence of water moderator, a lower tie plate for admitting water moderator through the lower tie plate to the interstitial volume between the fuel rods and supporting the vertically aligned and spaced apart fuel rods, an upper tie plate for permitting water and steam to be discharged from the top of the fuel bundle and maintaining the vertically aligned and spaced apart fuel rods in upstanding spaced apart side-by-side relation, a surrounding fuel channel for confining moderator flow along a path over the fuel rods and from the lower tie plate to the upper tie plate. The improvement comprises: a least one steam vent tube overlying at least one of the part length rods; means supporting the stem vent tube in the volume overlying the part length rod, the steam vent tube being supported in the volume of the fuel bundle between the end of the part length rod and the upper tie plate; the steam vent tube defining an opening disposed to the end of the part length rod for the receipt of steam moderator within the void overlying the part length rod; the steam vent tube further defining an opening disposed to the upper tie plant and away from the end of the part length rod for the discharge of steam moderator from the fuel bundle.

• Assignee: General Electric Co., San Jose, CA (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5091146; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-672297
• OSTI ID: 5336892
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
BWR TYPE REACTORS
DESIGN
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
STEAM LINES
THERMAL REACTORS
VENTILATION
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS