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US 5,349,618 AGranted
BWR fuel assembly having oxide and hydride fuel
OwnerEhud Greenspaninventor
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OwnerEhud Greenspaninventor
Estimating the term…
A boiling water nuclear reactor used for the production of electricity includes fuel rods and an assembly of these fuel rods that improve the reactor economics and safety. The fuel assemblies include hydride fuel pellets at selected axial and radial positions in addition to oxide fuel pellets. The hydride fuel functions simultaneously as a fuel and as a moderator. The hydride fuel can be made from different combinations of fissionable materials such as uranium, and hydrides such as zirconium hydride. The hydride fuel (such as U-ZrH.sub.1.6) is substituted for oxide fuel (UO.sub.2) in undermoderated regions of the core. Hydride fuel rods also replace water rods in the fuel assemblies. The use of hydrogen containing fuel rods and fuel assemblies enable flattening the power distribution across the core; reducing the need for power shaping with burnable poisons and control rods; improving the nuclear fuel utilization; increasing the reactor availability; increasing the safety factors for fuel meltdown accidents or, alternatively, increasing the power output from a given size core; reducing the cold shutdown reactivity margin; and reducing the leakage of neutrons from the core.
In a boiling water reactor, a fuel assembly comprising a plurality of fuel rods wherein at least a multiplicity of fuel rods in said plurality of fuel rods each includes a first fueled region containing an oxide fuel and an axially adjacent second fueled region containing a hydride fuel, said hydride fuel functioning simultaneously as a fuel and as a neutron moderator within said assembly.
In a boiling water reactor, a fuel assembly comprising a plurality of fuel rods, a multiplicity of said fuel rods containing only an oxide fuel and the remaining fuel rods in said plurality of fuel rods containing only a hydride fuel, said hydride fuel functioning simultaneously as a fuel and as a neutron moderator within said assembly.
A method of compensating for insufficient moderation of neutrons while maximizing the total fueled region of fuel rods in a boiling water reactor fuel assembly of the type containing a plurality of elongated fuel rods and a multiplicity of water rods, said fuel rods being vertically oriented therein, having oxide fuel pellets therein, and being surrounded by water which boils as it removes the heat generated in said fuel rods, comprising:
A method of compensating for insufficient moderation of neutrons while maximizing the total fueled region of fuel rods in a boiling water reactor fuel assembly of the type containing a plurality of elongated fuel rods and a multiplicity of water rods, said fuel rods being vertically oriented therein, having oxide fuel pellets therein, and being surrounded by water which boils as it removes the heat generated in said fuel rods, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.