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US 5,440,599 AGranted
Spacer grid with integral "side supported" flow directing vanes
AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorsThomas Rodack, Zeses E. Karoutas, Richard P. Broders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nuclear fuel rod spacer grid is formed of slottedly interlocked sets of flat strips. One set of strips is formed with integral coplanar tab portions which have one or more edge portions bent at angles to form integral mixing vanes.
Claims6
A nuclear fuel rod spacer grid comprising:
- a first set of strips which is slottedly interlocked with a second set of strips;
- a plurality of integral tabs formed on each of said first strips and which are coplanar with said first strips;
- and
- side-supported vanes comprising a portion of each said tab which is bent along a predetermined bend line which extends outwardly along each said tab and which is coplanar with the strip on which each said tab is formed.
1 more element
A nuclear fuel rod spacer grid comprising:
- a set of first strips which are each formed with a plurality of first slots which extend from an upper edge thereof;
- a set of second strips which are each formed with a plurality of second slots which extend from a lower edge thereof, said second strips being interleaved with said first strips so that said first and second slots respectively receive portions of said second and first strips which are contiguous with said second and first slots;
- a plurality of integral tabs formed exclusively on an upper edge of each of said second strips and which are coplanar with said second strips;
- and
- side-supported vanes comprising a portion of each of said tabs which is bent along a predetermined bend line which extends outwardly along each of said tabs and which is coplanar with the strip on which each said tabs is formed.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.