Kepco Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd.

Korea Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd.

Jung Min Suh

Dong Geun Ha

Jin Sun Kim

Kyong Bo Eom

Joon Kyoo Park

Kyeong Lak Jeon

Nam Gyu Park

Jin Seok Lee

Gi-Jun Gwon

Kyoung Joo Kim

Seung Jae Lee

Seong Soo Kim

Joo Young Ryu

Sang Youn Jeon

Oh Joon Kwon

Yoon Ho Kim

Chung Yong Lee

Jung Ho Shin

Yong Kyoon Mok

Yeon Soo Na

Min Young Choi

Dong Hyun Jung

Joon Ro Lee

Beom Jae Lee

Tae Sik Jeong

Keun Min Kim

Myoung Ho Oh

Doo Lae Jeong

Nam Kyu Joo

Disclosed herein are zirconium alloy compositions having a low hydrogen pick-up rate and high hydrogen embrittlement resistance. This zirconium alloy composition can be usefully used as a nuclear fuel components in a nuclear power plant because it has a very low hydrogen pick-up rate and high hydrogen embrittlement resistance under operation environments of nuclear power plant.

Zirconium alloy composition having low hydrogen pick-up rate and high hydrogen embrittlement resistance and method of preparing the same

Disclosed herein is a spacer grid for a nuclear fuel assembly which is formed from grid strips of an improved structure, thus reducing flow-induced high-frequency vibration. The spacer grid has dimples or grid springs for supporting fuel rods and is formed from a plurality of grid strips assembled in a lattice shape to form lattice cells. Each of the grid strips has at least one slot formed in a planar portion of the grid strip separately from the dimple or grid spring. Therefore, characteristics of the vibration of the spacer grid can be set in a variety of different manners so that flow-induced high-frequency vibration can be reduced.

Spacer grid for nuclear fuel assembly for reducing high frequency vibration

Disclosed herein is a spacer grid for a nuclear fuel assembly. The spacer grid has dimples for supporting fuel rods and is formed from grid strips which are assembled in a lattice shape to form lattice cells. Each grid strip has at least one hole which is formed separately from the dimples. Therefore, when coolant is drawn into the fuel assembly, a pressure difference between opposite sides of the holes is reduced, and friction generated between cut edges of the holes and the coolant reduces the magnitude of the vibration and causes a damping effect, thus reducing flow-induced vibration. The hole formed in the grid strip function to widen the range of the frequency of the flow-induced vibration caused by vortex sheddings formed around the edges of the grid strip, thus reducing the possibility of the generation of resonance with the natural frequency of the spacer grid.

Spacer grid for nuclear fuel assembly for reducing flow-induced vibration

A top nozzle is provided. The top nozzle can include a coupling plate, a perimeter wall and a hold-down spring unit. The coupling plate can be coupled to a guide thimble of the nuclear fuel assembly. The perimeter wall can protrude upwards from the perimeter of the coupling plate. A spring clamp can be provided on the upper surface of the perimeter wall. The hold-down spring unit can be mounted to the upper surface of the perimeter wall in such a way to couple a corresponding end of the hold-down spring unit to the spring clamp. A fastening pin hole can be vertically formed through an upper surface of the spring clamp. A spring insert hole into which the hold-down spring unit can be inserted and formed by electro-discharge machining in an insert direction of the hold-down spring.

Top nozzle for nuclear fuel assembly having spring insert hole improved in fastening stability and method of manufacturing the same

A guide thimble plug for a nuclear fuel assembly is provided, in which an internal threaded hole is formed through a main body so that the main body is coupled to a bottom nozzle by a screw coupling. An upper insert part is formed in the upper end of the main body. The upper insert part is inserted into a shock absorption tube. A thermal deformation prevention part is formed on the main body below the upper insert part and is recessed inward from the outer surface of the main body such that, when the main body is coupled to the guide thimble, a gap is defined between the thermal deformation prevention part and the guide thimble. The guide thimble and the shock absorption tube can be reliably fastened to the bottom nozzle, and thermal deformation of the guide thimble can be minimized.

Guide thimble plug for nuclear fuel assembly

A hold-down spring unit for a top nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit is coupled to the upper end of the top nozzle of the nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit includes a first spring which provides a hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions of a nuclear reactor, and a second spring which provides an additional hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions of the nuclear reactor. The hold-down margin under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions is reduced, thus enhancing the mechanical and structural stability of the nuclear fuel assembly.

Method of providing a hold-down force upon a nuclear fuel assembly

A hold-down spring unit for a top nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit is coupled to the upper end of the top nozzle of the nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit includes a first spring which provides a hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions and hot full power conditions of a nuclear reactor, and a second spring which provides an additional hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions of the nuclear reactor. The hold-down margin under start-up conditions and hot full power conditions is reduced, thus enhancing the mechanical and structural stability of the nuclear fuel assembly.

Hold-down spring unit for top nozzle of nuclear fuel assembly having improved hold-down performance and top nozzle for nuclear fuel assembly having the same

In an apparatus for producing UOpowder, the apparatus has an oxidation reactor including an interior space, a scrap box loaded with UOsintered pellets to be oxidized and introduced into the interior space of the oxidation reactor, an impact generating unit applying an impact to the scrap box to dissipate heat generated by the oxidation of the UOsintered pellets in the oxidation reactor, and a control unit controlling an oxidation process. The apparatus for producing UOpowder allows the heat generated by the oxidation of the UOsintered pellets in the oxidation reactor to be uniformly dissipated by the impact generating unit, thus producing UOpowder having a larger specific surface area which can be used to obtain a sintered UOpellet with a larger and more stable grain size of increased quality.

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Growing community of inventors

Daejon, South Korea

Jung Min Suh