US 8,576,977 B2Granted

Method for designing a fuel assembly optimized as a function of the stresses in use in light-water nuclear reactors, and resulting fuel assembly

AssigneeAreva Np

InventorsPierre Barberis, Véronique Rebeyrolle, Jean-Jérôme Vermoyal

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Abstract

A method for design of a fuel assembly for nuclear reactors, including structural components made from zirconium alloy: the mean uniaxial tensile or compressive stress to which the components are subjected during the assembly life is calculated, the zirconium alloy of which the components are made is selected according to the following criteria: those components subjected to an axial or transverse compressive stress of between −10 et −20 MPa are made from an alloy with a content of Sn between Sn=(=0.025σ−0.25)% and Sn=−0.05σ%: those components subjected to such a stress of between 0 et −10 MPa are made from an alloy the Sn content of which is between Sn=traces and Sn=(0.05σ+1)%: those components subjected to such a stress of between 0 and +10 MPa are made from an alloy the Sn content of which is between Sn=0.05% and Sn=(0.07σ+1)%: and those components subjected to such a stress of between +10 and +20 MPa are made from an alloy the content of SN of which is between 0.05% and 1.70%. A fuel assembly made according to the method.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method for making a fuel assembly for a light-water nuclear reactor comprising structural components made of zirconium alloy, comprising the following steps:

calculating average uniaxial tensile or compressive stresses to which the components will be subjected during the lifetime of the assembly;
based on the calculating step, making components to be subjected to an axial or transverse compressive stress a of from −10 to −20 MPa to include an alloy comprising, in percentages by weight, Zr content of at least 95% and Sn content from Sn=(−0.025·σ−0.25) % to Sn=−0.05·σ%;
based on the calculating step, making components to be subjected to an axial or transverse compressive stress σ of from 0 to −10 MPa to include an alloy comprising, in percentages by weight, Zr content of at least 95% and Sn content from Sn=traces to Sn=(0.05·σ+1) %;
based on the calculating step, making components to be subjected to an axial or transverse tensile stress a of from 0 to +10 MPa to include an alloy comprising, in percentages by weight, Zr content of at least 95% and Sn content from Sn=0.05·σ% to Sn=(0.07·σ+1) %;
and
based on the calculating step, making components to be subjected to an axial or transverse tensile stress σ of from +10 to +20 MPa to include an alloy comprising, in percentages by weight, Zr content of at least 95% and Sn content from 0.05% to 1.70%.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.