Boiling water nuclear reactor fuel assembly

Patent · Tue Jul 07 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6238680

Taleyarkhan, R P

A fuel assembly is described having fuel rods disposed in side-by-side relationship so as to form an array of spaced fuel rods. An outer tubular flow channel surrounds the fuel rods to direct flow of coolant/moderator fluid along the fuel rods, and a hollow water cross extending through the outer flow channel and having hollow panels extending radially from a central axis. The panels are composed of respective pairs of spaced apart sheet members interconnected together at their inner and outer ends so as to define an open inner cruciform flow channel for subcooled moderator fluid flow through the fuel assembly and interconnected with the outer tubular flow channel to divide the array of fuel rods into fuel rod subassemblies. The respective pairs of sheet members have bottom and top ends which together respectively define an open inlet into and an open outlet from the inner flow channel of the water cross. The improvement comprises: partial closure means connected with the bottom and top ends of the sheet members of the water cross limit the top outlet to an open area less than the open area of the bottom inlet. This distributes hydraulic losses between the inlet and outlet of the water cross.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4678631
• OSTI ID: 6238680
• 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
CLOSURES
COOLANTS
COOLING
DESIGN
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
HYDRAULICS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MECHANICS
MODERATORS
OPERATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PANELS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SPACE DEPENDENCE
SUBCOOLING
TUBES
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS