Fuel assembly
AssigneeLightbridge, Inc.
InventorsAaron Totemeier, Sergey M. Bashkirtsev, Alexey G. Morozov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel assembly for use in a core of a nuclear power reactor. The assembly includes a plurality of helically twisted fuel elements supported by a frame in a fuel rod bundle. Each of the fuel elements includes fissile material. When viewed in a cross-section that is perpendicular to an axial direction of the fuel assembly, the outermost fuel elements of the fuel rod bundle define a substantially circular perimeter. The fuel elements are arranged in a mixed grid pattern that includes a first, rectangular grid pattern and a second, triangular grid pattern.
Claims18
1-33. (canceled)
A fuel assembly for use in an internal core structure of a nuclear power reactor, the fuel assembly comprising:
- a plurality of fuel elements,
- wherein the plurality of fuel elements are arranged into a mixed grid pattern that includes a first grid pattern and a second grid pattern different from the first grid pattern,
- wherein each of the plurality of fuel elements comprises a longitudinal centerline, and
- wherein the longitudinal centerlines of a subset of the plurality of fuel elements are separated from the longitudinal centerlines of adjacent fuel elements by a common centerline-to-centerline distance, and a circumscribed diameter of each of the fuel elements of the subset is equal to the centerline-to-centerline distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.