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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Debris catching spring detent spacer grid

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5560645
This patent describes a nuclear reactor having fuel assemblies including an upper end fitting and a lower end fitting and spaced nuclear fuel rod spacer grids therebetween for supporting and spacing a plurality of elongated nuclear fuel rods, each of which includes a hollow active portion of nuclear fuel filled cladding intermediate the rod ends and a tapering end cap of solid materials with a circumferential groove on the rod end which first encounters reactor coolant flow, a tall spacer grid relative to the grids adjacent the active portion being means for capturing and retaining deleterious debris carried by reactor coolant before it enters the active region of a fuel assembly through solid end caps compartments' corners and creates fuel rod cladding damage.
Assignee:
Combustion Engineering, Inc., Windsor, CT (USA)
Patent Number(s):
A; US 5024807
Application Number:
PPN: US 7-279687
OSTI ID:
5560645
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English