Fuel spacer/water rod capture apparatus and methods for boiling water nuclear reactors

In a nuclear fuel bundle having a plurality of generally parallel, axially extending fuel rods, a plurality of spacers for maintaining the fuel rods spaced one from another and at least one water rod extending generally parallel to said fuel rods and passing through said spacers, a spacer and water rod retention assembly, comprising:

• a water rod connecting structure carried by at least one of said spacers and having a slot bounded by opposite structure portions spaced axially from one another and a pair of oppositely disposed side structure portions between said axially spaced structure portions, said structure including a spring tab projecting from one structure portion toward another structure portion delimiting the slot;
• said one water rod having a tab projecting laterally outwardly thereof and disposed in said slot, said water rod tab having an axial extent for engaging said axially opposite structure portions to limit relative movement of said one spacer and said water rod in opposite axial directions, said spring tab and said another structure portion of said spacer structure confining said water rod tab in said slot precluding substantial relative rotational movement between said one spacer and said water rod.

In a nuclear fuel bundle having a plurality of spacers for maintaining fuel rods spaced one from another, and at least one water rod extending axially and generally perpendicular to and through said spacers, a method of retaining said spacer on said water rod, comprising the steps of:

• relatively rotating said one water rod and one of said spacers to engage a tab projecting laterally outwardly of said one water rod against a deflectable tab carried by a clip on the one spacer and in part delimiting a perimetrically enclosed slot in said clip;
• and
• further relatively rotating said one water rod and said one spacer to resiliently deflect the clip tab from an initial position and displace the water rod tab past the deflected clip tab for engaging the water rod tab in said slot with resilient return of said clip tab to said initial position thereby limiting relative movement of said one spacer and said one water rod in opposite axial directions and precluding substantial relative rotational movement between said one water rod and said one spacer.