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:
Sep. 09, 2008
Filed:
Dec. 28, 2004
Jürgen Stabel, Erlangen, DE;
Udo Borsdorf, Höchstadt, DE;
Hans-peter Hübsch, Herzogenaurach, DE;
Areva NP GmbH, Erlangen, DE;
Abstract
A fuel element for a pressurized water reactor has fuel rods guided through a number of axially spaced spacers. The spacers form a square grid with mesh openings arranged in rows and columns. Support tubes that do not contain fuel pass through a number of the mesh holes and are joined to the meshes . The support tubes are spread out in positions within the grid with a predetermined number of support tubes and a distribution thereof within the grid, which is rotationally symmetric about 90° with regard to a rotation about the central axis of the spacer, the central axis is perpendicular to the grid plane, the number of rows and columns that do not contain any support tubes is minimal. Optionally, remaining inner rows and columns that do not contain any support tubes are not situated next to one another.