Spacer and a fuel unit for a nuclear plant

A spacer for holding a number of elongated fuel rods intended to be located in a nuclear plant

• the spacer enclosing a number of cells, each cell having a longitudinal axis and arranged to receive a fuel rod in such a way that the fuel rod extends substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis,
• each cell being formed by a sleeve, having an upper edge and a lower edge,
• the sleeve including a number of elongated abutment surfaces, which project inwardly towards the longitudinal axis and extend substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis for abutment to the fuel rod to be received in the cell, and
• the lower edge, seen transversely to the longitudinal axis, having a wave shape with wave peaks, which are aligned with a respective one of said elongated abutment surfaces, and wave valleys located between two adjacent ones of said elongated abutment surfaces;
• wherein the upper edge, seen transversely to the longitudinal axis, has a wave shape with wave peaks, which are aligned with a respective one of said elongated abutment surfaces, and with wave valleys located between two adjacent ones of said elongated abutment surfaces,
• each of said elongated abutment surfaces extending from a respective one of said wave peaks of the upper edge to a respective one of said wave peaks of the lower edge, and
• the sleeves abut each other in the spacer along respective connection areas, each extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis between one of said wave valleys of the upper edge and one of said wave valleys of the lower edge;
• and
• said connection area having a length and said sleeve having a thickness, said thickness being less than 0.24 mm, said length of said connection area and said thickness of said sleeve being configured to make said elongated abutment surfaces rotatable with respect to a center point of said connection area to permit a certain inclination of the fuel rod.