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AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsLyman J. Petrosky, Joseph F. Ivanenok, III, Mario D. Carelli
Estimating the term…
A modular fuel assembly for a nuclear thermal engine includes a plurality of fuel elements each having a fueled, truncated conical shell and an unfueled peripheral lip at the base of the shell with radial passages there-through. The fuel elements are nested with the lips seating one on top of another to form a stack of fuel elements with frusto-conical flow passages between the shells of adjacent fuel elements which are divided into channels by ribs on the conical shells. The stack of fuel elements is mounted in a cylindrical housing with the bases of the shells facing a central inlet opening at one end of the housing. Propellant enters the central inlet opening, is deflected radially outward by a deflector into an annular flow distribution channel from which it flows radially inward through the passages in the fuel element lips, through the flow channels of frusto-conical passages between the fueled shells where it is heated, and out through a central exhaust passage.
A fuel element for a nuclear thermal engine having a fueled truncated conical shell with a base characterized by an annular unfueled lip at said base having radial passages therethrough, wherein said annular lip is integral with said truncated conical shell, and said annular lip extends axially above said base.
A fuel element for a nuclear thermal engine having a fueled truncated conical shell with a base characterized by an annular unfueled lip at said base having radial passages therethrough and a plurality of angularly spaced ribs extending radially along a truncated conical surface of said shell forming channels therebetween.
A fuel element for a nuclear thermal engine having a fueled truncated conical shell characterized by a plurality of angularly spaced unfueled ribs extending radially along at least one truncated conical surface of said shell forming channels therebetween.
A stack of fuel elements for a nuclear thermal engine having a plurality of fuel elements, each fuel element having a truncated conical shell with a base, characterized in that an annular lip with radial passages therethrough extends radially outward from said base, said fuel elements being stacked with said lips positioned on top of one another to form said stack with frusto-conical flow passages between adjacent elements and with said radial passages communicating with said frusto-conical flow passages.
The stack of fuel elements of claim 13 wherein said compliant annular supports have annular outer sections which are clamped between adjacent rigid rings and annular cantilevered inner sections supporting said truncated conical shells at said bases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.