Method and apparatus for compacting a bundle of fuel elements

A method of remotely compacting a bundle of nuclear fuel elements originally disposed as rows in a square lattice within a fuel assembly into a packed array of fuel elements in a triangular array configuration, comprising the steps of:

• (a) withdrawing a first of two group of said fuel elements simultaneously from the assembly
• (b) lowering the elements withdrawn during step (a) into a vertical compacting chamber of pyramidal shape having sides converging downwardly, the two opposite ones of said sides having projections arranged for changing the configuration of the elements into a quincunx configuration,
• (c) separating a plurality of groups of rows of said first group of lowered elements symmetrically from each other at the upper part of the compacting chamber so as to create empty locations,
• (d) withdrawing the other group of said fuel elements, rotating them as a whole through 90.degree. about a vertical axis and lowering them into the empty locations between said groups of rows,
• (e) and compacting all of said two groups of elements into a triangular array throughout their length by moving them downwardly out of the compacting chamber.