Exposure boost zone for boiling water reactor nuclear bundles
AssigneeGlobal Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLC
InventorsAnthony P. Reese, Lukas Trosman, Gerald Dean Kvaall, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are a fuel rod and a fuel bundle using the fuel rod. The fuel rod may include first enriched uranium in a boost zone of the fuel rod, wherein the boost zone may be arranged directly at a bottom of the fuel rod. The fuel rod may also include second enriched uranium in a second zone of the fuel rod, wherein the second zone is arranged over the boost zone. The fuel rod may also include natural uranium in a third zone of the fuel rod, wherein the third zone is arranged over the second zone. In this fuel rod, a percent of enrichment of the enriched uranium in the boost zone is at least one percent.
Claims14
A fuel bundle comprising:
- a first fuel rod, the first fuel rod including
- first enriched uranium in a boost zone of the first fuel rod, the boost zone having a first average composition, the boost zone of the first fuel rod including a first burnable poison and constituting a bottommost portion of the first fuel rod, a percent of enrichment of the first enriched uranium in the boost zone of the first fuel rod being at least one percent,
- second enriched uranium in a second zone of the first fuel rod, the second zone having a second average composition, the second zone of the first fuel rod being arranged over the boost zone of the first fuel rod, the second average composition of the second zone being different from the first average composition of the boost zone, and
- natural uranium in a third zone of the first fuel rod, the third zone having a third average composition, the third zone of the first fuel rod being arranged directly over the second zone of the first fuel rod, a length of the boost zone being equal to a length of the third zone, the third average composition of the third zone being different from the first average composition of the boost zone and the second average composition of the second zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.