The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 17, 1995
Filed:
Jan. 05, 1993
Akinobu Nakajima, Hitachi, JP;
Yoko Ishibashi, Hitachiohta, JP;
Motoo Aoyama, Mito, JP;
Kunitoshi Kurihara, Katsuta, JP;
Junichi Yamashita, Hitachi, JP;
Junjiro Nakajima, Hitachi, JP;
Koji Nishida, Hitachi, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A second fuel rod positioned at each corner of a channel box and second fuel rods adjacent to the former are formed to have a smaller outer diameter than that of ordinary first fuel rods, so that a pitch between the second fuel rods is narrower than a pitch between the first fuel rods. Making the outer diameter of the second fuel rods smaller than that of the first fuel rods reduces the power per unit length of the second fuel rods. The narrower pitch between the second fuel rods than the pitch between the first fuel rods provides two effects. First, a unit lattice cell becomes so small as to avoid an increase in the H/U ratio. Secondly, a new moderator region is formed between the second fuel rods and the first fuel rods adjacent thereto, the moderator region acting to intensify thermal neutron flux around those first fuel rods. These two effects enable a further reduction in the power per unit length of the second fuel rods. As a result, a fuel assembly intended for higher burn-up can be realized by increasing enrichment, while suppressing an increase in the local power peaking factor at corners of the fuel assembly.