Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLC

Jason B Ingraham

William Charles Cline

Paul Everett Cantonwine

Gerald Dean Kvaall, Jr

Michael W Thomas

Gerald D Kvaall Jr

The fuel assembly includes at least one fuel rod and an outer channel with four sidewalls surrounding the fuel rod, the outer channel having a configuration based on a position of the fuel assembly within a core of the nuclear reactor, wherein at least a first select sidewall, of the four sidewalls of the outer channel, is a reinforced sidewall, the remaining sidewalls of the outer channel, other than the at least a first select sidewall, are non-reinforced sidewalls, the at least a first select sidewall being in a controlled location that faces and is directly adjacent to a control blade that is to be utilized in the nuclear reactor, wherein an entirety of the reinforced sidewall as a whole is at least one of thicker and made from a material that is more resistant to radiation-induced deformation as compared to an entirety of the non-reinforced sidewalls.

Fuel assembly with outer channel including reinforced sidewall and non-reinforced sidewall

The method includes assessing operational characteristics of the fuel assembly, the assessing including determining if the fuel assembly is to be placed in a controlled location in the reactor core, a controlled location being positioned adjacent to a control blade that is to be utilized, and configuring the sidewalls of the outer channel by making at least a first select sidewall of the outer channel a reinforced sidewall, the remaining sidewalls of the outer channel, other than the at least a first select sidewall, being non-reinforced sidewalls. The entirety of the reinforced sidewall as a whole is at least one of thicker and made from a material that is more resistant to radiation-induced deformation as compared to an entirety of the non-reinforced sidewalls.

Method of configuring sidewalls of an outer channel of a fuel assembly

Fuel assemblies include an outer channel having a physical configuration optimized for a position of the fuel assembly within a core of a nuclear reactor. The position of the fuel assembly with respect to an employed control blade in the nuclear reactor determines if the outer channel may be thickened, reinforced, and/or fabricated of Zircaloy-4 or similar distortion-resistant material, so as to reduce or prevent distortion of the channel against the control blade, or thinned so as to increase water volume and enhance reactivity in the assembly. Reactor cores having configured fuel assemblies include fuel assemblies having different outer channels. Methods include determining operational characteristics of the fuel assembly, including likelihood of being placed directly adjacent to an employed control blade, and physically selecting or modifying the outer channel of the fuel assembly based thereon.

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Wilmington, NC, United States of America

Jason B Ingraham