Other

Gyung Jin Park

Youn Ho Jung

Hyung Kyu Kim

Dong Seok Oh

Kyung Ho Yoon

Wang Kee In

Heung Seok Kang

Kee Nam Song

Dae Ho Kim

Tae Soo Chun

Tae Hyun Chun

Chang-Hwan Shin

A lips-type multi-purposed spacer grid for supporting fuel rods within a nuclear fuel assembly is disclosed. In the spacer grid, the fuel rods are in contact with dimples and water strider-type springs in an equiangular surface contact manner. The spacer grid distributes load, applied to the springs, to the entire structure of its inner strips, thus reducing peak stress at the contact surfaces between the fuel rods and the springs and diminishing vibration of the fuel rods, and thereby reducing possible fretting wear of the fuel rods due to hydraulic vibration of the fuel rods. The spacer grid also enlarges the allowable elastic range of the springs, and allows the springs to soundly support the fuel rods by using residual spring force. The spacer grid has mixing blades capable of minimizing pressure loss and flow interference, so that the fuel rod cooling efficiency of the nuclear fuel assembly is improved.

Lips-type multi-purposed nuclear fuel assembly spacer grid

A spacer grid used for placing and supporting fuel rods in nuclear reactor fuel assemblies is disclosed. The spacer grid of this invention has a plurality of grid springs designed to have an optimal shape of their vertical support parts, thus reducing fretting wear of the fuel rods caused by contact of the fuel rods with the grid springs. The grid spring has a vertical support part and a fuel rod support part. The vertical support part includes upper and lower base parts extending downward and upward from the central portions of the top and bottom edges of an opening formed at the central portion of a unit strip, and two bridge parts branched from the upper base part and extending symmetrically downward until they are united at the lower base part. The fuel rod support part includes a conformal support part brought into surface contact with the external surface of a fuel rod. Two transverse connection parts extend outward from the opposite outside edges of the conformal support part while being specifically bent, and are integrated with the central portions of the inside edges of the two bridge parts into a single structure, thus connecting the fuel rod support part to the vertical support part.

Spacer grid for nuclear reactor fuel assemblies with grid springs maintaining conformal contact with fuel rods and enlarged elastic range

Growing community of inventors

Seoul, South Korea

Gyung Jin Park