General Electric Company

Hewlett-packard Company

Russell L Crowther

Bruce Matzner

Eric B Johansson

Robert B Elkins

Gary E Dix

Mark J Colby

Larry E Fennern

Craig Delany Sawyer

Robert E Brown

Kenneth V Walters

Steven R Specker

Bennett J Gitnick

Dennis B Townsend

In a boiling water reactor having discrete bundles of fuel rods confined within channel enclosed fuel assemblies, an improved fuel design of bundles of fuel rods interior of the channels is disclosed. Specifically, partial length rods are utilized which extend from the bottom of the channel only part way to the top of the channel. These partial length rods are symmetrically distributed throughout the fuel bundle with the preferred disposition being in the second row of the bundle of fuel rods from the channel wall. The symmetrical distribution of the partial length rods is at spaced apart locations one from another. During shutdown of the reactor, an improved cold shutdown margin is produced at the top of the fuel assembly due to the improved moderator-to-fuel ratio and reduction in plutonium formation at the upper portion of the bundle. Shutdown control rod worth is improved due to greater moderator-to-fuel ratio and a longer thermal neutron diffusion length. During power reactor operation, the partial length fuel rods improve flow distributions above the ends of the partial length rods by channeling steam in the open interstitial area between rods above the ends of the partial length rods.

Two-phase pressure drop reduction BWR assembly design

In a boiling water reactor having discrete bundles of fuel rods confined within channel enclosed fuel assemblies, an improved fuel design of bundles of fuel rods interior of the channels is disclosed. Specifically, partial length rods are utilized which extend from the bottom of the channel only part way to the top of the channel. These partial length rods are shortened with respect to the remaining rods and are symmetrically distributed throughout the fuel bundle with the preferred disposition being in the second row of the bundle of fuel rods from the channel wall. The symmetrical distribution of the partial length rods is at spaced apart locations one from another. The partial length rods extend from the bottom of the fuel bundle and terminate within the boiling region. during shutdown of the reactor, an improved cold shutdown margin is produced at the top of the fuel assembly due to the improved moderator-to-fuel ratio and reduction in plutonium formation at the upper portion of the bundle. Shutdown control rod worth is improved due to greater moderator-to-fuel ratio and a longer thermal neutron diffusion length. During power reator operation, the partial length fuel rods improve flow distribution above the ends of the partial length rods by channeling steam in the open interstitial area between rods above the ends of the partial length rods. This enables a high slip ratio of steam with respect to water and increases the density of the moderating water about the remaining rods in the upper region of the bundle at power operation. The total pressure drop is reduced, permitting more fuel rods in the design or a larger fuel rod diameter. The ratio of two-phase pressure drop to single phase pressure drop also is reduced, tending to increase the threshold for thermal hydraulic instability or coupled nucler-thermal-hydraulic instability. Rod spacers and bundle tie plates are provided with larger apertures overlying the partial length rods for further channeling of the steam and reduction of two-phase pressure drop. Most importantly and during full reactor power output, the pressure drop in the two-phase region of the bundle is reduced without substantial corresponding degradation of the fuel assemblies thermal limits. These features permit designs with larger fuel rod diameter than are possible without part length rods and results in a net increase in fuel assembly uranium weight with the larger fuel rod diameter more than compensating for the weight removed by shortening some of the fuel rods.

A combination of flow trippers with spacer deflectors in the two phase steam/water region of a fuel bundle in a boiling water reactor is disclosed. Spacers with deflectors are placed immediately above the flow trippers. The flow trippers are located on either an inside channel wall surrounding the fuel bundle or the outside of water chambers within the fuel bundle. Additional flow trippers may be located adjacent to the spacers, above the flow trippers that are below the spacers. The spacers are provided with deflector skirts overlying the flow trippers. In operation of the fuel bundle, excess water flows in the two phase region in a film on the unheated inside walls of the fuel channel or the outside walls of the water chambers. The film flow is perturbed by the flow trippers and is deflected toward the fuel rods. The overlying deflector skirts or tabs on the spacers further deflect the liquid toward the fuel rods to improve cooling and to increase the power generation capability of the fuel bundle. A preferred embodiment includes deflector tabs at the top of the spacer for further deflecting the stripped water layer towards the fuel rods. The synergistic combination of flow trippers and spacer deflector skirts and tabs provide better cooling than would be predicted by adding the separate effects of flow trippers, deflector skirts and flow tabs.

Flow tripper in combination with spacer deflector

An improved channel is disclosed which has a reduced average thickness in its upper portion. The lesser average thickness corresponds to a lower pressure difference acting on the channel sides, over the upper portion of the channel. The reduction in average thickness is accomplished by cutting flow trippers into the inner surface of the channel walls and/or cutting grooves into the outer surface of the channel. The axial variation of channel average thickness increases water volume adjacent to the upper part of the channel to provide increased neutron moderation, to minimize the steam void reactivity coefficient, and to provide a greater cold shutdown margin. The material removed to produce the flow trippers increases the cross-sectional area inside the channel and reduces pressure drop in the upper portion of the channel. The flow trippers divert water flowing on the channel walls to the fuel rods adjacent to the channel walls, permitting higher reactor power operation. The flow trippers also permit operation at lower flow rates.

Axially shaped channel and integral flow trippers

In a channel contained fuel bundle for a boiling water nuclear reactor, an improved channel is disclosed. The channel contains a plurality of fuel rods held in spaced apart relation by at least upper and lower tie-plates and/or spacers. In the reactor, the channel contains fuel rods extending between a lower support plate and an upper support grid. When the reactor is operating, the channel confines water flow intimately about the rod bundle on the inside and assures steam generation in a predictable pattern. Water exterior of the channel is at a different and typically lower pressure. To accommodate control blades (which control the fission process) outside of the fuel bundles, the channel is provided with a polygon cross section, most typically a square cross section. In operation, the flat walls tend to bulge due to primarily pressure effects but also due to thermal and radiation effects. An improved channel is disclosed utilizing a lesser volume of metal which includes corrugated sides providing reinforcement of the side walls against bulge. The corrugations can protrude toward either the inside or the outside of the channel. An embodiment including thick corner sections is disclosed. These thick corner sections provide fixed supports for thin sides and at the same time improved beam resistance to seismic loading.

Thin walled channel

A reactor fuel assembly (15) configuration which allows cold shutdown margins to be met with minimal penalty to operating efficiency. The assembly comprises a component of fissile material distributed over a substantial axial extent of the fuel assembly and a component of neutron absorbing material having an axial distribution characterized by an enhancement in a relatively short axial zone (65) (the 'cold shutdown control zone') corresponding to at least a portion of the axial region of cold shutdown maximum reactivity. The axial distribution of the component of neutron absorbing material typically is characterized by an additional enhancement in an axial zone (62) (the 'hot operating control zone'). The component of neutron absorbing material is conveniently incorporated into at least some of the fuel rods (57-G1, G2, G3, G4). The enhancement in the cold shutdown control zone may be provided at least in part by one or more fuel rods (G2, G3) having absorber only in the cold shutdown control zone. The enhancement of the neutron absorbing material in the cold shutdown control zone may be supplemented by reduced fuel enrichment in the cold shutdown control zone.

Burnable absorber arrangement for fuel bundle

A method and arrangement for operating a boiling water nuclear reactor and fuel assembly designs for such reactor wherein the reactor is operated with uniquely located control rods that serve the primary functions of power shaping and reactivity control. A second and separate distinct group of control rods is withdrawn when the reactor is at power and the control rods of this group serve the primary function of reactor shutdown. The design of the fuel assemblies and the selected patterns of fuel assemblies and control rods make the separation of control functions feasible. The power shaping and reactivity control control rods are located in low power regions of the core designated control cells. The design of the fuel is such that the control rods of the control cells may remain in fixed positions in these cells during the operating cycle until withdrawal for burnup reactivity compensation.

Control cell nuclear reactor core

This describes a fuel assembly for utilizing plutonium fuel in combination with other nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor core. The plutonium fuel is placed in a separate zone in the fuel assembly to take advantage of the characteristics of the plutonium fuel. Fuel costs may be reduced by mixing the plutonium fuel with natural or depleted uranium. Fabrication costs can be minimized by placing the plutonium in less than all of the fuel elements of the assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Russell L Crowther