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:
Jul. 16, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1999
Heung-Seok Kang, Taejon-si, KR;
Kyung-Ho Yoon, Taejon-si, KR;
Hyung-Kyu Kim, Taejon-si, KR;
Kee-Nam Song, Taejon-si, KR;
Youn-Ho Jung, Taejon-si, KR;
Tae-Hyun Chun, Taejon-si, KR;
Dong-Seok Oh, Taejon-si, KR;
Wang-Kee In, Taejon-si, KR;
Other;
Abstract
A nuclear fuel spacer grid, fabricated by intersecting a plurality of zircaloy or inconel grid strips and used for placing and supporting a plurality of elongated fuel rods within a nuclear fuel assembly, is disclosed. In the spacer grid of this invention, each of the grid strips is not cut away to form separate springs or dimples for supporting the fuel rods, but has an axial slot extending from one end of each strip to a length. The grid strips are intersected at the slots prior to being welded together into a single grid structure at a welding tap formed at an outside end or a middle portion of each of the slots. Each of the grid strips also has a dipper-shaped coolant mixing vane, or a dipper vane, at each of the upper and lower ends thereof. The spacer grid thus maximizes the thermal hydraulic coolant mixing effect within a fuel assembly and stably supports the fuel rods within the assembly while improving the mechanical/structural strength of the assembly, such as a buckling strength.