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US 4,189,348 AGranted
Fuel rod assembly to manifold attachment
AssigneeGeneral Atomic Company
InventorsHarry A. Donck, Anthony R. Veca, Harold J. Snyder, Jr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Atomic Company
InventorsHarry A. Donck, Anthony R. Veca, Harold J. Snyder, Jr.
Estimating the term…
A fuel element is formed with a plurality of fuel rod assemblies detachably connected to an overhead support with each of the fuel rod assemblies having a gas tight seal with the support to allow internal fission gaseous products to flow without leakage from the fuel rod assemblies into a vent manifold passageway system on the support. The upper ends of the fuel rod assemblies are located at vertically extending openings in the support and upper threaded members are threaded to the fuel rod assemblies to connect the latter to the support. The preferred threaded members are cap nuts having a dome wall encircling an upper threaded end on the fuel rod assembly and having an upper sealing surface for sealing contact with the support. Another and lower seal is achieved by abutting a sealing surface on each fuel rod assembly with the support. A deformable portion on the cap nut locks the latter against inadvertent turning off the fuel rod assembly. Orienting means on the fuel rod and support primarily locates the fuel rods azimuthally for reception of a deforming tool for the cap nut. A cross port in the fuel rod end plug discharges into a sealed annulus within the support, which serves as a circumferential chamber, connecting the manifold gas passageways in the support.
In a nuclear fuel element, the combination comprising:
A fuel element comprising a support having a plurality of horizontally spaced beams, said beams having vertically disposed openings therein for receiving fuel rod assemblies and having manifold passageway means including passageways extending between adjacent openings for conveying vented gas from a plurality of fuel rod assemblies through said passageway means, a plurality of fuel rod assemblies each having their upper ends attached and supported by said support at one of said openings, a gas passageway in said fuel rod assemblies comprising a vertically extending bore and a horizontally extending cross bore for discharging gas into said manifold passageways, cooperating orienting means on said fuel rod assemblies and on said support for abutment and limiting the turning rotation of the fuel rod assemblies, a threaded upper end on each of said fuel rod assemblies projecting into one of said openings in said support beams, a threaded member for threading engagement with each of said threaded ends of said fuel rod assemblies and for abutting said support to attach said fuel rod assemblies thereto, a lower sealing surface on each said fuel rod assemblies for sealing engagement with one of said support beams, and an upper sealing surface on said threaded member for sealing engagement with one of said support beams, said threaded member comprising a threaded cap nut having a dome wall encircling the upper end of said fuel rod assembly, said orienting means orienting said upper fuel rod ends relative to said cap nuts.
In a nuclear fuel element, the combination comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.