BWR fuel assembly having fuel rod spacers axially positioned by exterior springs

Patent · Tue Apr 26 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:7046845

Taleyarkhan, R P

In a fuel assembly having spaced fuel rods, an outer hollow tubular flow channel surrounding the fuel rods so as to direct flow of coolant/moderator fluid there-along, and at least one spacer being disposed along the channel and about the fuel rods so as to maintain them in side-by-side spaced relationship, an arrangement for disposing the spacer in a desired axial position along the fuel rods is described comprising: yieldably resilient springs disposed between an interior side of the outer channel and an exterior side of the spacer. The springs have an inherent spring bias directed away from the exterior sides of the spacers and toward the interior side of the channel such that by contact with the channel and spacer the springs assume states in which they are deflected away from the channel interior side so as to exert sufficient compressive contacting force thereon to maintain the spacer substantially stationary in the desired axial position along the fuel rods.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA
• Patent Number(s): US 4740350
• OSTI ID: 7046845
• 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
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
MACHINE PARTS
POSITIONING
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SPACERS
SPRINGS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS