General Electric Company

Other

Harold B King

David Grey Smith

Eric B Johansson

Robert B Elkins

Bruce Matzner

Edward A Croteau

Christian D Frederickson

John L Harmon

Frederick C Schoenig, Jr

Russell Patrick Higgins

Thomas G Dunlap

Gerald M Latter

Richard A Wolters

Gerald W McKenzie

Donald F Butzin

Robert G MacIvergan

Paul W Sick

David K Underwood

William C Peters

Anthony P Reese

David W White

Edward G Apple

James W Reeves

Kevin L Ledford

Edward S Walker

George W Tunnell

William Masaitis

Abdul G Dada

Ching C Lai

David Francis Wazybok

Donald G Muncy

Andrew A Lingenfelter

Robert H Lewis

Jeffrey A Wilson

Kurt D Ellis

Thomas G Evans

Richard G Patterson

Pat F Moreno

Michelle Wagner

Tracy S Harmon

Ernest Ippisch

Albert E Chinn

Eileen F Haag

William M Childers

Bobby R Cosper

Charles W Sutherland

James E Pierce

A water rod for a fuel assembly of a boiling water nuclear reactor has a first end and a second end, wherein at least one of the first and second ends is directly attachable to a tie plate of the fuel assembly without an end plug. The structure of the present invention simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the cost of the fuel assembly in the boiling water nuclear reactor. The water rod according to the invention has one or both of its ends configured to be directly attachable to the tie plate of the fuel assembly.

Water rod in a fuel assembly of a boiling water nuclear reactor

A support rod 14 carrying one or more separation devices 12, e.g., swirlers, is releasably secured in a fuel bundle. The support rod and separation devices are sized to pass through openings in the spacers S otherwise containing full length fuel rods. The lower end of the support rod is releasably connected to the upper end of a part-length fuel rod PLR which in turn is releasably connected to the lower tie plate. The support rod, separation devices and part-length rod may be installed and removed relative to the fuel bundle as an integral assembly with the part-length rod and separation devices passing through the openings in the spacers. When installed, the separation devices lie above upper spacers in the vent volumes to flow liquid on and into the interstices of the surrounding fuel rods.

Removable separation devices for nuclear fuel bundles

A swirler is releasably attached to a spacer and lies in the opening through the spacer lying above a part-length fuel rod in a nuclear fuel bundle. Adjacent ferrules have upstanding tabs with loops forming part of connecting elements for releasably securing the swirler to the spacer. The spacer is mounted on a mounting ring having radially outwardly directed elements terminating in barbed ends for insertion through the loops in response to rotation of the swirler mounting ring relative to the tabs. The barbed ends can be squeezed together to release the swirler from its attachment with the spacer.

Swirler attachment for a spacer of a nuclear fuel bundle

In a fuel bundle for a boiling water nuclear reactor comprising a plurality of fuel rods secured within an array and extending between upper and lower tie plates, and including at least one additional fuel rod extending from the lower tie plate but terminating short of the upper tie plate, an improvement wherein a removable extension rod secured to the at least one additional fuel rod and extending substantially to the upper tie plate. The removable extension rod is in the form of a hollow tube having a plurality of openings therein and an internal flow path over an axial portion of the hollow tube, the flow path serving to cause coolant in the hollow tube to be deposited on adjacent fuel rods.

Part length fuel rod extension

An extraction tool for removing a partial length fuel rod from a fuel bundle assembly, wherein the partial length fuel rod has an upper end plug, the tool comprising an extension rod having a pair of gripper jaws mounted at one end thereof, the gripper jaws shaped and sized to engage the upper end plug; and a locking tube slidably received over the extension rod and engageable with the gripper jaws to lock the gripper jaws to the upper end plug.

Extraction tool for partial length fuel rods in nuclear fuel assemblies

The spacer comprises a plurality of strips interleaved with one another to form an eggcrate-type pattern defining essentially rectilinear cells for each fuel rod. Each strip includes a central body portion with cantilevered loop spring-like projections extending to opposite sides, with spring contact portions projecting inwardly. Stops are provided along each of the central body regions of the strips intermediate the loop springs that project to the opposite side of the strip. Adjoining walls have loop spring portions for biasing the rod into engagement with opposing stops whereby each fuel rod is supported at six contact points, i.e., four spring contact points and two hard stop contacts opposite the paired spring contacts.

Multi-spring strip spacer for nuclear fuel bundles

A fuel bundle for a nuclear reactor includes a plurality of fuel rods extending between upper and lower tie plates, and a filter plate seated on the lower tie plate. The filter plate includes a substantially planar plate having a plurality of fuel rod holes in a predetermined array, the plate having web areas between the fuel rod holes which are formed with a plurality of smaller debris filter holes. At least one of the web areas is formed to include a spring tab pivotable out of the plane of the plate so that in the event of debris overload, coolant can bypass the smaller debris filter holes.

Fuel bundle filter for a nuclear reactor fuel bundle assembly

The spacer for a nuclear fuel bundle includes unit cells having upper and lower, generally octagonally shaped walls connected one to the other by spring leg portions along sides thereof 90.degree. apart. The walls also carry stops in opposition to the sides of the walls to which the spring leg portions are connected. By orienting the cells in the spacer such that the majority of the cells have their stops lying toward one side of the spacer, the fuel bundle can be disposed in a horizontal position on the one side of the spacers. In that manner, the dead load of the fuel rods and spacers is borne by the stops along the underside of each spacer without substantially loading the springs of the spacer cells.

Spacer for a transportable nuclear fuel rod bundle

In a nuclear reactor fuel bundle assembly having a plurality of fuel rods and a non-round water rod extending between upper and lower tie plates, and having at least one fuel rod spacer located along the non-round water rod, an improvement which includes cooperating components on the fuel rod spacer and on the water rod for permitting movement of the spacer along the water rod to a desired axial location and for thereafter preventing further axial movement of the spacer in at least one of two opposite axial directions, the cooperating components including at least one spring on one of the spacer and the water rod.

Spacer capture mechansim for non-round water rods

A spacer for retaining nuclear fuel rods in laterally spaced relation to one another includes first and second sets of spacer strips extending in mutually perpendicular diagonal directions relative to a generally rectilinear peripheral spacer band. The strips have linearly extending sections with adjacent sections angularly related to one another and meeting at apices. The sections of each strip alternately intersect a diagonal line across the spacer with the apices alternately located on opposite sides of the diagonal line. Alternate apices have springs projecting to one side of the strip for engaging fuel rods and apices between the alternate apices have stops projecting on opposite sides of the strip for engaging the fuel rods. Slots are provided in the strips enabling intermeshing of the strips with one another to define discrete cells peripherally encompassing and retaining fuel rods within the spacer. In another form, the spacer includes pairs of strips having alternating reversely curved sections with alternate springs and stops and assembled to form rows of cells. The strips are intermeshed in egg-crate fashion and welded at their junctures.

Spacer for nuclear fuel rods

In a boiling water reactor fuel bundle, a three dimensional debris catching grid construction is placed within the flow volume defined by the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and upper fuel rod supporting grid. A perforated plate is utilized having round holes as small consistent with the prevention of inadvertent closure due crudding and a hole pitch consistent with mechanical integrity requirements. The perforated plate is placed in a three dimensional construction such as a dome, cylinder, pyramid, inverted pyramid or corrugated construction spanning the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly. As a consequence of this three dimensional grid construction, the total flow through area of the perforations in the metal plate does not introduce appreciable pressure drop in the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and the rod supporting grid. Fluid movement at the debris restraining holes of the grid construction has a low flow velocity and a change in flow direction before passing through the holes to discourage debris from finding its way through the grid holes. Finally, it is possible to incorporate debris traps within the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly that can cause trapping and subsequent removal of trapped debris upon fuel bundle replacement. A double corrugated plate having large holes in the lower plate and smaller holes in the upper plate is utilized to trap debris.

Lower tie plate strainers including double corrugated strainers for

A fuel bundle assembly for a nuclear reactor, wherein a plurality of fuel rods and at least one water rod extend between an upper tie plate and a lower tie plate, includes upper end plugs secured to a pair of water rods and having axial cut-out portions defined by upper and lower shoulders. A latching mechanism for securing the pair of water rods to the upper tie plate includes a latch bar mounted on an upper surface of the upper tie plate and rotatable into and out of the cut-out portions in the end plugs when the end plugs extend above the upper surface of the tie plate upon installation of the upper tie plate on the fuel bundle assembly. A locking pin is provided which prevents the latch bar from being accidentally unlocked.

Latching and lifting mechanism for a nuclear reactor fuel bundle

A grapple is provided for use with a fuel bundle channel of a nuclear reactor wherein the channel is provided with a pair of gussets in opposite corners of an upper end of the channel, each gusset having a hole therein. The grapple includes a pair of lever arms, each provided with a lifting foot at a lower end of the respective lever arm. The lever arms are movable in opposite directions to a channel lifting position wherein the channel gripper of each lever arm is located under a respective one of the pair of channel gussets. The channel lifting foot of each lever arm includes a pair of laterally spaced lifting elements such that the lifting feet may engage the underside of the gusset on either side of the gusset hole. In addition, each channel lifting foot includes a secondary foot or slider captured between the pair of lifting elements. The slider includes a hole which can be aligned with the bolt hole in the gusset, permitting a ball lock pin to be inserted into the holes to thereby securely attach the lifting feet to the channel gussets.

Grapple for a fuel bundle channel

An apparatus for loading nuclear fuel rods through spacer grid cells of a fuel bundle includes a handle having at least one elongate clip joined thereto, and a flexible tubular sleeve joined to the clip. The clip rigidly supports the sleeve along its longitudinal axis while allowing the sleeve to unfurl perpendicularly thereto for disassembly from a fuel rod. In several embodiments of the invention, the clip may include a slot for bridging adjacent grid cells during assembly, or the clip may be removably fixedly joined to the handle for allowing easy replacement of the sleeves.

Fuel rod loading apparatus

In a boiling water reactor fuel bundle, a three dimensional debris catching grid construction is placed within the flow volume defined by the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and upper fuel rod supporting grid. A perforated plate is utilized having round holes as small consistent with the prevention of inadvertent closure due crudding and a hole pitch consistent with mechanical integrity requirements. The perforated plate is placed in a three dimensional construction such as a dome, cylinder, pyramid, inverted pyramid or corrugated construction spanning the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly. As a consequence of this three dimensional grid construction, the total flow through area of the perforations in the metal plate does not introduce appreciable pressure drop in the lower tie plate assembly between the inlet nozzle and the rod supporting grid. Fluid movement at the debris restraining holes of the grid construction has a low flow velocity and a change in flow direction before passing through the holes to discourage debris from finding its way through the grid holes. Finally, it is possible to incorporate debris traps within the flow volume of the lower tie plate assembly that can cause trapping and subsequent removal of trapped debris upon fuel bundle replacement.

Lower tie plate strainers for boiling water reactors

Growing community of inventors

Wrightsville Beach, NC, United States of America

Harold B King