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AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsJoonhyung Choi, Zeses Karoutas, Paul M. Evans
Estimating the term…
A spacer grid specifically designed for accident tolerant fuel utilizing fuel rods with SiC cladding for implementation in pressurized water reactors. The spacer grid tubular generally square design allows for ease of SiC fuel rod insertion during the fuel assembly fabrication process by providing a smooth contact geometry. The co-planar vertically oriented support allows the fuel rods to be rotated axially more freely at the grid location than a conventional six-point contact geometry used in existing fuel assembly designs. Since the SiC fuel rod has higher stiffness than a metallic fuel rod, the six-point contact geometry, which consists of two spring and four dimples, can potentially damage the fuel rod in the event of fuel rod deflection induced by a seismic event or a bowed fuel assembly. The fuel rod support cells are attached at their corners which are shared between adjacent support cells.
A nuclear fuel assembly spacer grid having an axial dimension along a vertical axis of an elongated fuel assembly in which it is to be deployed, the nuclear fuel assembly grid comprising:
An elongated nuclear fuel assembly having a spacer grid having an axial dimension along a vertical axis of the elongated fuel assembly in which it is deployed, the elongated nuclear fuel assembly grid comprising:
A nuclear fuel assembly spacer grid comprising;
A nuclear fuel assembly having a spacer grid comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.