Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

Yeon-Ho Jung

Kyung-Ho Yoon

Hyung-Kyu Kim

Dong-Seok Oh

Tae-Hyun Chun

Wang-Kee In

Kee-Nam Song

Heung-Seok Kang

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 inner strips intersecting each other to form a plurality of guide tube cells and a plurality of fuel rod cells, with a plurality of mixing blades projecting upward from the inner strips at intersections of the inner strips. The spacer grid further includes a plurality of perimeter strips to encircle the intersecting inner strips. Each of the perimeter strips is fabricated with a plurality of unit intermediate strips and a plurality of unit corner strips, with a grid spring provided on each of the unit strips. The grid spring includes a vertical opening formed at a central area of each of the unit strips, a vertical support part extending vertically between the central portions of top and bottom edges of the vertical opening, and a fuel rod support part provided at a central portion of the vertical support part while being bent to have an outward rounded cross-section. The vertical support part is bent at two steps, and the fuel rod support part is bent to be in equiangular contact with each of the fuel rods, thus accomplishing a uniform contact pressure distribution when the fuel rod support part is in contact with each of the fuel rods.

Spacer grid for nuclear reactor fuel assemblies

Growing community of inventors

Daejeon, South Korea

Yeon-Ho Jung